Ex-SIS Chief’s briefing for MPs cancelled due to SJB protests

Easter Sunday attacks

By Saman Indrajith

Former State Intelligence Service Chief Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena had to cancel a briefing for the MPs on the Easter Sunday terror attacks due to Opposition members’ protests. The briefing was to be held at the parliamentary complex.

Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella protested early in the House against the government’s move to bring in police officers responsible for not taking action to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks to instruct MPs on their investigations into the incident.

The Chief Opposition whip expressed his opposition when the Speaker announced that there would be a meeting at 2.30 pm yesterday at the Committee Room I of Parliament and some officials of the Ministry of Public Security for senior police investigators were scheduled to apprise the MPs of the current situation pertaining to the ongoing investigations on Easter Sunday incidents.

Kiriella asked how MPs could attend such a meeting conducted by those who had failed to prevent the Easter Sunday carnage. “The Presidential Commission of Inquiry has recommended criminal proceedings against former SIS chief senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena over the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Now, he is coming here to tell us about investigations into the same matter. What is the meaning of this?”

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena: I am only reading out an announcement.

Chief Government Whip Minister Prasanna Ranatunga: This notice nowhere says that the police come here to give instructions. You can go there and find the truth rather than making statements to mislead people without knowing the truth.

Kiriella said it was not an attempt to reveal the truth but to hide it.

The meeting was held at the scheduled venue and instead SDIG Jayawardena, head of the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division SSP Prasanna Alwis with some CID officials conducted the sessions, Parliament sources said.

Parliament security sources said that SDIG Jayawardena attended a separate meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Transport and Energy at the Committee Room II of the parliamentary complex yesterday morning.