BY Buddhika Samaraweera
Emphasising on the importance of a programme to rehabilitate those who are linked to the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019, Prof. Rohan Gunaratne, an international terrorism expert, said that the lack of such would lead to similar tragedies in the future,
A book titled 'Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community,' penned by Prof. Gunaratna was launched on Friday (28) at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo.
The event was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister President's Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, former Public Security Minister and incumbent Parliamentarian Dr. Sarath Weerasekara, Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC, Supreme Court Judge Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, and several other guests including a few members of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that investigated the terror attacks.
Speaking during the event, Prof. Gunaratne said that it was vitally important for a programme to be launched to rehabilitate those who have engaged in the terror attacks, and have had connections with various extremist individuals and organisations. "In other parts of the world extensive programmes are there to rehabilitate individuals with extremist ideologies. Similarly, we should also have such programmes in place. Particularly, the suspects who are currently in custody over the terror attacks should be subjected to a proper rehabilitation process."
Expressing his regret over the incumbent and previous Governments to initiate such a programme, he warned that the continuous failure to initiate such would result in occurrences similar to Easter Sunday terror attacks with the same or similar magnitude in the future. "It has passed four years since the terror attacks, but it is unfortunate that the Government is yet to initiate rehabilitation mechanisms for the suspects."
Speaking further, Prof. Gunaratne said that he had interviewed several of those who are connected to the terror attacks such as Abdul Cadre Fathima Hadiya (the widow of National Thowheed Jamaat Leader Zaharan Hazeem), Naufer Moulavi (Zaharan's mentor, who is also believed to be the mastermind behind the attack), family members of Mohamed Ibrahim Ilham Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahmed - the brothers who carried out the suicide attacks on Shangri-la and Cinnamon Grand, respectively, and many others in authoring the book.
During such interviews, he said that it had come to light that there had been no political conspiracy behind the terror attacks, and that it had been carried out by the Zaharan-led group based on extremist ideologies. "There has been no conspiracy behind this incident. According to what those including Zaharan's wife said, he (Zaharan) would never go and carry out a suicide attack for Gotabaya Rajapaksa (former President) or anyone else. This was done as they were bearing extremist ideologies including the need to form an Islamic State."
When a guest queried as to why Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith had not attended the event to launch the book, he said that the Archbishop had sincerely worked to prevent a great destruction from occurring in the aftermath of the bombings in 2019 by advising the people not to engage in any acts of violence, but that he (Cardinal Ranjith) had later believed the 'conspiracy' theory associated with the incident. He also said that he would believe that Archbishop Ranjith would soon realise that there had been no conspiracy behind the terror attacks.
He also blamed the previous and incumbent Governments for not preparing a mechanism to properly inform the public of what was behind the terror attacks, and said that the failure to formulate such mechanisms has led to the emergence of 'a political conspiracy' theory.
Commenting on the Government's move to lift the ban imposed on five Islamic organisations operating in Sri Lanka after the terror attacks, via an Extraordinary Gazette issued on 27 July, Prof. Gunaratne called on Sabry, Rajaratnam, and others to reconsider the decision, as the fact that such organisations had been radicalising youth had been established during the Easter Sunday terror attack-related investigations.
The ban on the United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ), Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ), Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ), All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), and Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JSM) organisations were lifted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence. The ban on 11 organisations was imposed in April 2021 by the then AG Dappula de Livera PC due to their alleged links to extremist activities. The Dharul Adhar Jamiul Adhar, Sri Lanka Islamic Student Movement (SLISM), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, Save the Pearls, and Super Muslim were the other organisations proscribed at the time.
On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury Colombo, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.