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Speaker Karu Jayasuriya appointed a Special Committee to investigate the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks yesterday in Parliament that will be headed by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri.
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Speaker Karu Jayasuriya |
Announcing the appointment of the Special Committee on par with Standing Order 101 and 103 followed by the motion passed on 22 May, Speaker Jayasuriya held the Committee will report its findings to Parliament.
The Committee will be led by Deputy Speaker and the Chair of Committees Ananda Kumarasiri. Minister of City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education Rauff Hakeem, Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development Ravi Karunanayake, United National Party (UNP) MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, UNP MPs Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe, Dr. Jayampathi Wickramaratne, and Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi MP Abraham Sumanthiran.
However, the Committee is yet to receive nominations from the Opposition to cover 12 vacancies. According to Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development and Leader of the House of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella, the Government is unable to name Opposition MPs under any circumstance.
“We have name seven UNP members and yet to get the Opposition nominations. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party did not sign requesting a Select Committee. Their intension is unclear. I also want to request the Speaker to allow the media to monitor the Committee proceedings. Standing Orders provide necessary provisions to invite visitors, which include media presence during Committee meetings,” clarified Minister Kiriella issuing a statement to media.
On 21 April St. Anthony’s Shrine Kochchikade, St. Sebastian’s Church Negombo, Zion Church Batticaloa, Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo 2, the Kingsbury in Colombo Fort were targeted in a series of co-ordinated terrorist suicide bombings. Later that day, there were smaller explosions at a housing complex in Dematagoda and Tropical Inn, a guest house in Dehiwala. Due to these explosions 258 people were killed, including at least 46 foreign nationals and three police officers, and at least 500 were injured.
According to security forces, all seven of the suicide bombers in the attacks were Sri Lankan citizens associated with National Thowheed Jama'ath, a local extremist Islamist group with suspected foreign ties, previously known for attacks against Buddhists and Sufis. Two days after the explosions, Amaq News Agency, a propaganda outlet for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), stated that the perpetrators of the attack targeting the citizens of coalition countries and Christians in Sri Lanka were Islamic State fighters.
Committees Ananda Kumarasiri. Minister of City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education Rauff Hakeem, Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development Ravi Karunanayake, United National Party (UNP) MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, UNP MPs Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe, Dr. Jayampathi Wickramaratne, and Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi MP Abraham Sumanthiran.
However, the committee is yet to receive nominations from the Opposition to cover 12 vacancies. According to Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development and Leader of the House of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella, the Government is unable to name Opposition MPs under any circumstance.
“We have name seven UNP members and yet to get the Opposition nominations. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party did not sign requesting a select committee. Their intension is unclear. I also want to request the Speaker to allow the media to monitor the committee proceedings. Standing Orders provide necessary provisions to invite visitors, which include media presence during committee meetings,” clarified Minister Kiriella issuing a statement to media.
On 21 April St. Anthony’s Shrine Kochchikade, St. Sebastian’s Church Negombo, Zion Church Batticaloa, Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo 2, the Kingsbury in Colombo Fort were targeted in a series of co-ordinated terrorist suicide bombings. Later that day, there were smaller explosions at a housing complex in Dematagoda and Tropical Inn, a guest house in Dehiwala. Due to these explosions 258 people were killed, including at least 46 foreign nationals and three police officers, and at least 500 were injured.
According to security forces, all seven of the suicide bombers in the attacks were Sri Lankan citizens associated with National Thowheed Jama’ath, a local extremist Islamist group with suspected foreign ties, previously known for attacks against Buddhists and Sufis. Two days after the explosions, Amaq News Agency, a propaganda outlet for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), stated that the perpetrators of the attack targeting the citizens of coalition countries and Christians in Sri Lanka were Islamic State fighters.
(AH)
