Colombo, Sri Lanka

Requesting the assistance of the British government and their intelligence services, Sri Lankan acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said the absence of a proper Easter Sunday investigation has meant that this issue still remains unresolved.

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During Easter celebrations on April 21, 2019 simultaneous suicide bombings on three churches killed 42 foreigners from 14 countries.

Piling pressure on the government already embroiled in a deep economic crisis, Sri Lankans protesting for days near the president’s office criticised a lack of progress in finding those responsible for killing over 260 people in Islamic State-inspired bombings on Easter Sunday three years ago.

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Calling for justice for the victims of the attacks, hundreds of people lit candles and displayed banners and placards during a silent protest in the capital Colombo on Sunday.

Blaming friction between the country’s former president and former prime minister, Wickremesinghe said they failed to act on the intelligence warnings.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleed to Singapore following over 100 days of protest due an economic crisis, Wickremesinghe automatically became acting president.

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Questioning former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said the true conspirators in the attacks could still be at large.

Just a year before the pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the Sri Lankan economy, the attacks shattered the country’s tourism industry.

(With inputs from agencies)

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