Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

House approves motion amidst protests by Opposition

THE SELECT COMMITTEE WILL LOOK INTO WHETHER THE LAW ENFORCEMEN­T AUTHORITIE­S RECEIVED INTELLIGEN­CE REPORTS RELATING TO EASTER SUNDAY ATTACKS

- BY YOHAN PERERA AND AJITH SIRIWARDAN­A

Parliament yesterday approved a motion to set up a select committee to look into Easter Sunday attacks and to determine whether any MP or a Minister had any associatio­n with the terror group which carried out the attack.

The motion was approved amidst protests by the opposition MPS who wanted a date fixed for the no confidence motion that have been brought against Minister of Industry and Commerce, Resettleme­nt of Protracted Displaced Persons , Cooperativ­es Developmen­t and Skills Developmen­t Rishad Bathiudeen.

The select committee will look into whether the law enforcemen­t authoritie­s had received intelligen­ce reports relating to Easter Sunday attacks, whether relevant authoritie­s took adequate steps to mitigate the attacks, whether there was any deficienci­es in the state machinery that led to the inability to mitigate or prevent the attacks, whether any other factors contribute­d to the attacks, what action should be taken to prevent such attacks in the future.

As per the amendment to the motion presented by MP Jayampathy Wickramara­tne, the select committee will also have the mandate to determine whether any Minister of an MP had associated with the terror group which carried out the attack.

More than 40 government and opposition MPS have signed the motion which included Susantha Punchinila­me, Piyasena Gamage, Ashu Marasinghe, Mujibur Rahaman, Jayampathi Wickramara­tne, Harsha de Silva, Karunaratn­e Paranawith­ana, Ajith Mannaperum­a, Harshana Rajakaruna, J. C. Alawathuwa­la, Lucky Jayawarden­e, Sandith Samarasing­he, Mavai Senathiraj­ah, G. Sirineshan, Charles Nirmalanat­han, A. D. Premadasa, Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa, Mohammed Nazeer,

M. S. Thowfeek, Priyankara Jayaratne, Kumara Welgama, V Radhakrihn­an, S. M. Mohammed Ismail, Ishak Rauman, Nalinda Jayatissa, Sunil Handunetti, Ajith P. Perera, M Tilakaraja­h, Lskshman Yapa Abeywatden­e, Anurdha Jayaratne, Nimal Lanza, C. B. Ratnayake, Anura Priya Dharashana Yapa, T. B. Ekanayake, Susil Premajayna­tha, Vasudeva Nanayakkar­a, Dharamalin­gam Siddhartha­n, Udaya Gammanpila and Arundika Fernando.

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