Easter Attacks: Cardinal dismisses ministerial committee appointed to study CoI report

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith yesterday (20) said he did not believe victims will receive justice through a six-member ministerial committee appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to study the final report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

“I see it as an attempt to hide certain facts. We won’t accept attempts to disclose only parts of the report through such committees,” he told journalists during a visit to the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, which was targeted by a suicide bomber during the Easter Sunday attacks.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday appointed a committee headed by Minister Chamal Rajapaksa to study the CoI’s final report and submit its own report before March 15. Other members of the committee are Johnston Fernando, Udaya Gammanpila, Ramesh Pathirana, Prasanna Ranatunga and Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

Rather than appont another committee to study the CoI report, Cardinal Ranjith called on the Government to immediately make the final report of the CoI public.

“We ask that the Government make this report available to us to see what it contains. We will then take the necessary steps after consulting with the people,” the Cardinal said.

In the event he felt a genuine effort was not being made to bring justice for the victims, the Cardinal stressed he was determined to take the case before international bodies as he had pledged earlier.

(Source: Times Online)