Friday Apr 26, 2024
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Wednesday, 1 February 2023 00:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Maneshka Borham
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| Former President Maithripala Sirisena
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Former President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday apologised to victims of Easter Sunday terror attacks and announced his decision to run for presidency in 2024.
A seemingly apologetic Sirisena expressed his deep regret about the Easter Sunday attack which took place during his tenure as President before announcing his intention to contest in the Presidential election of 2024.
The former President made the announcement during a special press conference held at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) head office in Colombo yesterday.
Blaming the media for distorted reporting on the recent apex court judgement on the Easter Sunday attack which ordered Sirisena to pay damages to the attack’s victims, Sirisena said he is being compared to the murderous terrorist Zahran Hashim.
“They speak of me as if I am a murderer,” the former President said.
Noting that a group of Samagi Jana Balawegaya MPs had visited the Attorney General’s Department demanding that the masterminds of the attack as well as the political authority at the time be indicted, Sirisena said he agrees with the request as well.
“I agree with it and I ask them to carry it out soon,” he said.
Recalling the many incidents of former terror attacks in Sri Lanka carried out by the LTTE such as the 1990 massacre of policemen in the east, the suicide attack on former president Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Anuradhapura Air force base attack, the former President however said no person in authority was punished in any of these instances for failing to prevent them.
Reiterating his recent statements, Sirisena once again highlighted that he as President was not forewarned of an attack as stated in the recent judgement. Drawing comparisons between him and global icon Nelson Mandela, Sirisena noted Mandela languished in prison for 27 years before being elected as President.
“I will not back down. I am not afraid of any conspiracy,” a visibly upset Sirisena said.
The former President said he had read about the life of Nelson Mandela and he would contest the next Presidential election no matter the harassment meted out to him. “I will obtain the support of my party and I am confident I can win,” he said.
The former President claimed the catholic community has no anger or animosity against him and said he has visited majority catholic areas for various events since the Easter Sunday attack where was always welcomed warmly. An emotional Sirisena apologised profusely to the Catholic Community in Sri Lanka for the Easter Sunday attack that took place during his tenure.
“I read the bible at the age of 15 or 16. As someone who has read the bible, I ask God for forgiveness that something like this happened during my tenure, though it was carried out by others and because of which I now must pay compensation. I ask for forgiveness from those who died and lost their limbs and from God that an incident like this occurred during my term,” he said.
Following Sirisena’s announcement, his social media team even added a new image of the former President on his social media pages with the hashtag #MY3For2024.
However, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has refused to accept the apology offered by Sirisena. Commenting on the press conference held by Sirisena, the Archdiocese of Colombo Media Director Fr. Jude Krishantha said the Catholic Church cannot accept the apology offered by the former President Sirisena to the Catholic community in Sri Lanka.
The Catholic Church has continuously mooted for criminal proceedings to be initiated against officials who failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attack including Maithripala Sirisena.
