Almost every Sri Lankan, who was in Sri Lanka on the 21 April 2019 remembers where they were when they got the gut-wrenching news of bombings and the associated carnage. A few minutes later, we would learn that soft targets on both the West and East coast were hit. For those who covered the bombings for the local press and foreign media, the unmistakable odour of burning human hair and flesh brought back memories of the war. For a new generation, innocence was lost, replaced with trauma, disbelief, and loss of faith in the State. The realisation that the illusion of national security, a term often misused and degraded by the political class, was shattered. The attack brought with it a rude and bitter awakening for us all. However, four years and four months on, despite local and international outrage, we are still very much in the dark about what fact is and what reality is.

This week’s release of a British Channel 4 documentary has swung the spotlight back to what is today - the most controversial incident in Sri Lanka in recent history. With many, quick to stand on the information, provided by the programme and point figures. What is not new in the documentary are the range of allegations and conspiracy theories which have been floating around, aided by lack of transparency and incompetence on the part of the State since the attacks happened. It was clear from early on, after the attacks, that there was significant negligence, incompetence and lack of leadership in the lead up to the bombings. Many other allegations have surfaced since then, and are believed by many. One of the key issues in understanding how and why the Easter Sunday attack took place is that the Government failed to communicate effectively post incident and did not follow a transparent and credible process to investigate the incident.

To date (7 September 2023), there has been no proper statement from the island’s apex leadership, the presidency about the; who, why, what, when and how of the Easter Sunday attack. It is indeed a shame that Sri Lanka doesn’t seem to have a national leadership which could address the public and put the record straight. Maithripala Sirisena as the then-President, as the Minister of Defence, on who’s watch this tragedy was not prevented, and the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who but made excuses and blamed the disunity within the Government for his ignorance, and the subsequent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who clearly rode a national security wave to power, eroded confidence in the investigating process by removing key investigators.

When Wickremesinghe took over the helm of a crisis-hit Sri Lanka, he sought to have his name removed from ongoing litigation, launched by victims and civil society groups. He also suggested that Sri Lanka should move on from the attacks. Wickremesinghe has not addressed the nation neither as the Prime Minister, nor as the President, and laid bare what the investigations have found and what action has been taken. He has also not lived up to his declaration, being appointed as President that he will seek foreign help (The Scotland Yard) to investigate the tragedy and to give the public much needed clarity on the complex incident. In essence, what is crystal clear is that Sirisena, Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe have failed to protect Sri Lanka or offer the victims of the Easter Sunday attack any measure of justice. Further, neither of them has given a progress report to the public on the recommendations made by the Presidential Commissions, and the Supreme Court, aimed at preventing such a tragedy from repeating. Further, if the investigation into the attacks by the CID is 99.9% complete, as stated by the Minister of Public Security, why can’t the Government give a clearer picture of the indictments filed and what is to come?  

While the new documentary renews old allegations, and offers some new information, the credibility of their sources remain tainted. Also, if the primary source, a Sri Lankan national who is seeking refuge overseas was a facilitator of the process which led to one of the worst terrorist attacks in the Sri Lankan history, that also claimed the lives for many foreign nationals, why have no foreign law enforcement agency not charged him for his role in the attack? Another lingering question is, if this information was made available to foreign diplomatic missions in Colombo, why hasn’t the United States indicted the said “Rajapaksha loyalist” intelligence officers in their legal proceedings. Four persons have been indicted in absentia by the US.

As such, the Government of Sri Lanka and its leadership must move quickly to bring credibility back to the investigative process. It must also be more transparent with the process. The silence from the Government, especially the Presidential Secretariat, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security on this matter is deafening, and affront to the victims, survivors, and their families.