New laws needed to fight global terror – PM

Ranil Wickremesinghe - Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe while expressing sincere regret to the people over the lapse on the part of the government, yesterday said that he did not receive this critical information prior to the attack.

“While I reiterate the fact that I did not receive this information prior to the attack, I do not run away from my responsibility. As Prime Minister, I share in the collective responsibility,” he said.

He expressed his sincere regret to the people for the government’s lapse.

The Premier while commending the Security Forces and the police for swiftly cracking down and apprehending the suspects involved in Easter Sunday attacks in Colombo and outskirts said the country’s existing laws are not sufficient to deal with global terrorism.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in a special address to the nation, yesterday stressed the importance of enacting laws to deal severely with academic institutions that impart extremist views.

“If we are to efficiently combat global terrorism, we have to broaden the scope of this old definition to allow us to arrest those aiding terrorism and confiscate their property,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the country also needs a programme to rehabilitate those who do not directly support terrorist acts, but harbour views bordering on extremism.

“We are still reeling from the shock from the terrorist attack on Easter.The goal of the perpetrators behind this inhuman act was to start a bloodbath in our country. But Sri Lanka stood together, and we have not allowed this tragedy to create conflict among our communities”, he said.

(Source: Daily News)