Probe the revelations made by Channel4, says Cardinal while calling for independent international investigation team

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has called for a proper investigation to be carried out based on the facts revealed by the Channel4 program on the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Speaking to reporters in Colombo on Wednesday (6), he slammed the government's latest announcement on appointing a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe the matters revealed by the program regarding the attacks, while noting that in spite of the fact that from the day of the attacks, even though a parliamentary select Committee and a Presidential Commission of Inquiry as well as other Committees were appointed to investigate these sad events and many recommendations were made by them, there have been no credible and positive action by the political authorities over these recommendations. 

" The present and previous Government paid only lip service to such findings," said His Eminence.

"No tangible and credible results might emerge from yet another such Parliamentary Select Committee if it is only a matter of producing a report," he added.'

He urged all former and present day officials in the Police and Intelligence as well as Security Services who are aware of other facts that maybe relevant to the case, to come out courageously in order to give witness to facts known to them, relevant to the case.

His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith also expressed the urgent need to execute four matters of great interest:

1) The holding of a free, impartial, just, transparent and broad based investigation into what the Channel 4 Television Network revealed in its programme, the alleged plot behind that tragedy and all facts and a study of the persons mentioned in that programme especially with regard to their role in this mass murder. 

And also, investigations should be carried out on the findings outlined in the various commission reports already presented, and the recommendations stated  need to be implemented fully.

2) This investigation should take place through an  independent international investigation team,

3) That international team should be assisted by all those Sri Lankan officials of the CID whose services were originally sought by the government and who were transferred away from the investigations to other areas and posts by biased political authorities.

4) Since these fresh investigations need to be independent, all those officials who in the police and the intelligence services coming under investigation on this matter and who hold high positions presently should be suspended forthwith. Any such officials named in the  Channel 4 programme should move out of their present high positions in order to ensure the independence of the inquiry.