Wijeyadasa recalls his warning of Islamic extremists, which UNP ridiculed

By Rathindra Kuruwita

If the previous government had heeded his warning in Parliament about Sri Lankans fighting for the Islamic State (IS), both the Easter Sunday attacks and the disintegration of the UNP could have been prevented, MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, on Monday night, told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

The witness made the following statement during cross-examination led by SJB MP Mujibur Rahman at the Commission.

Earlier, Rajapakshe listed a number of politicians that he had alleged had links to Islamic extremists, and MP Rahman’s name was also on the list. MP Rahman then requested the Commission permission to cross examine Dr. Rajapakshe.

MP Rahman asked the witness why he believed that he (Rahman) had links to extremists.

Rajapakshe said that he had mentioned several politicians including M. L.A.M. Hizbullah and Azath Sally.

Rajapaksa said: “You along with former Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne challenged me over the statement I made in Parliament on November 18, 2016 regarding Sri Lankans joining IS. You tried to undermine what I said and divert attention from the issue. What you did can be considered as an act of encouraging terrorism. If the previous government had paid any notice, all this could have been stopped.”