Death and destruction are not the only things the Easter Sunday attacks wrought upon Sri Lanka; they also left us with a plethora of questions about the country’s security, our law enforcement agencies’ effectiveness and accountability, inter-religious harmony, and most importantly, how easily extremism can grow.
Two years after the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka and the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, last week the latter reported an extremist attack carried out by a Sri Lankan whom the New Zealand authorities said was an extremist. Even though the New Zealand authorities were unable to prevent it, they controlled the situation before more harm could be done, as they had already identified the attacker as a radicalised extremist.
After the Easter Sunday attacks, the authorities’ attention towards the country’s national security and stifling extremism reached its peak. Regulating religious education institutes, and interrogating those suspected to have attended training centres the bombers had used to radicalise people, especially the youth, were among the foremost concerns. However, for some reason, efforts to address radicalisation and religious extremism seem to have been limited to seeking to rehabilitate radicalised persons.
When addressing these issues, the authorities predominantly focused on de-radicalisation and finding out who planned and abetted the attack, even though the prevention of radicalisation and extremist activities also constitute an extremely important part of this process. As was discussed after the Easter Sunday attacks, addressing the aforesaid issues and concerns is what would prevent the recurrence of such grave security threats. It is worrying that almost all new updates we hear about the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks are about legal proceedings against the arrestees.
Perhaps, it is time to remind ourselves that the prevention of radicalisation should receive as much attention as de-radicalisation.
A statement made by Public Security Minister Dr. Sarath Weerasekera last week explains the gravity of this situation. He said that even though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and their activities were easy to recognise, as they were a terrorist organisation that fought openly, it is far more difficult when it comes to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, because they follow an ideology difficult to recognise, as the majority of those that support the IS have become isolated and continue to help spread extremism. He also noted that in this context, it is extremely important to pay close attention to such groups and persons.
That is actually one of the worrying factors about the attack that took place in New Zealand as well. According to the New Zealand authorities, the attacker in question had been on the watch list of that country’s authorities for some time due to the extremist behaviours he had displayed. If it was difficult to thwart an attack carried out by a person who was monitored by the authorities, we can only imagine the damage an unmonitored person can cause.
In this regard, we can look at another example from New Zealand itself. After the infamous Christchurch attack in 2019, there had been more investment by New Zealand’s security agencies in monitoring extremist groups and activists. According to foreign media, there has also been more media coverage, and the New Zealand Government has taken swift steps to ban assault weapons and further control the use and possession of firearms.
Just as Sri Lanka appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks following the attacks, New Zealand’s authorities had also appointed a royal commission of inquiry, which presented recommendations aimed at ensuring better leadership of and support for intelligence and security in New Zealand, and increasing awareness and providing opportunities for meaningful engagement of all New Zealanders in relation to extremism and preventing, detecting, and responding to current and emerging threats of violent extremism and terrorism.
Even though there is some ambiguity as to whether the preventive measures Sri Lanka recommended through the PCoI’s final report are being implemented, the fact that New Zealand had identified and had been monitoring the attacker who carried out the recent attack shows that that country’s efforts had achieved some progress. It is true that New Zealand failed to prevent the attack; however, they stopped the attacker in less than a minute.
Perhaps, what transpired in New Zealand is a reminder that Sri Lanka should strengthen its efforts at identifying in advance and preventing the radicalisation of vulnerable persons, especially youth, and acknowledge that prevention is always better than response, especially when it comes to terrorist threats.
The Kiwi approach to radicalisation
06 Sep 2021
The Kiwi approach to radicalisation
06 Sep 2021
Death and destruction are not the only things the Easter Sunday attacks wrought upon Sri Lanka; they also left us with a plethora of questions about the country’s security, our law enforcement agencies’ effectiveness and accountability, inter-religious harmony, and most importantly, how easily extremism can grow.
Two years after the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka and the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, last week the latter reported an extremist attack carried out by a Sri Lankan whom the New Zealand authorities said was an extremist. Even though the New Zealand authorities were unable to prevent it, they controlled the situation before more harm could be done, as they had already identified the attacker as a radicalised extremist.
After the Easter Sunday attacks, the authorities’ attention towards the country’s national security and stifling extremism reached its peak. Regulating religious education institutes, and interrogating those suspected to have attended training centres the bombers had used to radicalise people, especially the youth, were among the foremost concerns. However, for some reason, efforts to address radicalisation and religious extremism seem to have been limited to seeking to rehabilitate radicalised persons.
When addressing these issues, the authorities predominantly focused on de-radicalisation and finding out who planned and abetted the attack, even though the prevention of radicalisation and extremist activities also constitute an extremely important part of this process. As was discussed after the Easter Sunday attacks, addressing the aforesaid issues and concerns is what would prevent the recurrence of such grave security threats. It is worrying that almost all new updates we hear about the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks are about legal proceedings against the arrestees.
Perhaps, it is time to remind ourselves that the prevention of radicalisation should receive as much attention as de-radicalisation.
A statement made by Public Security Minister Dr. Sarath Weerasekera last week explains the gravity of this situation. He said that even though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and their activities were easy to recognise, as they were a terrorist organisation that fought openly, it is far more difficult when it comes to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, because they follow an ideology difficult to recognise, as the majority of those that support the IS have become isolated and continue to help spread extremism. He also noted that in this context, it is extremely important to pay close attention to such groups and persons.
That is actually one of the worrying factors about the attack that took place in New Zealand as well. According to the New Zealand authorities, the attacker in question had been on the watch list of that country’s authorities for some time due to the extremist behaviours he had displayed. If it was difficult to thwart an attack carried out by a person who was monitored by the authorities, we can only imagine the damage an unmonitored person can cause.
In this regard, we can look at another example from New Zealand itself. After the infamous Christchurch attack in 2019, there had been more investment by New Zealand’s security agencies in monitoring extremist groups and activists. According to foreign media, there has also been more media coverage, and the New Zealand Government has taken swift steps to ban assault weapons and further control the use and possession of firearms.
Just as Sri Lanka appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks following the attacks, New Zealand’s authorities had also appointed a royal commission of inquiry, which presented recommendations aimed at ensuring better leadership of and support for intelligence and security in New Zealand, and increasing awareness and providing opportunities for meaningful engagement of all New Zealanders in relation to extremism and preventing, detecting, and responding to current and emerging threats of violent extremism and terrorism.
Even though there is some ambiguity as to whether the preventive measures Sri Lanka recommended through the PCoI’s final report are being implemented, the fact that New Zealand had identified and had been monitoring the attacker who carried out the recent attack shows that that country’s efforts had achieved some progress. It is true that New Zealand failed to prevent the attack; however, they stopped the attacker in less than a minute.
Perhaps, what transpired in New Zealand is a reminder that Sri Lanka should strengthen its efforts at identifying in advance and preventing the radicalisation of vulnerable persons, especially youth, and acknowledge that prevention is always better than response, especially when it comes to terrorist threats.
Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!