At least 290 people have been killed and around 500 injured in a series of powerful bomb blasts in Colombo on Sunday, Apr 21. The co-ordinated attacks took place between 8.45 a.m. and 9 a.m. and targeted three churches and three popular luxury hotels. Among the dead are some 35 foreigners, including from the US, European countries, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China.
No organisation or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks. A local religious group National Thowheeth Jamma’ath is believed to be behind the attack. It is an Islamist outfit with links to Islamic extremists internationally.
Addressing a press conference, Cabinet Minister and Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said the international support behind the attacks is being investigated and they are trying to ascertain how suicide bombers were prepared as such a small local group cannot organise attacks at such a level.
The three churches—St. Anthony in Colombo, St. Sebastian in Negombo to the north of the capital and the Zeon Church in Batticaloa on the east coast of the island—were packed for Easter Sunday services. The blasts ripped off the roofs and left body parts strewn among the rubble.
The three luxury hotels—the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury—are all in Colombo. Two further blasts in the capital several hours later claimed more lives—one in the suburb of Dehiwela killed two people and the second in Dematagoda killed seven, including three police officers.
The Sirisena- Wickramasinghe government immediately imposed a nationwide blockade on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Viber to check the spread of ‘false news’ and rumours. , claiming that they had been used to circulate “false news reports.” Police special task force officers are deployed to guard Colombo railway station, Katunayake International Airport among other places. Several hundred soldiers have been patrolling the streets of Colombo and a curfew has been imposed.
According to Minister Rajitha Senaratne, there were inputs from international intelligence agencies earlier warning of such suicide attacks and expressed regret that it could not be avoided.
The intelligence alert to top police officers declared: “A foreign intelligence agency has informed that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jamma’ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian High Commission in Colombo.”
The alert was quite specific and Easter is an obvious time for churches to be full.
DIG Police issued a circular on the 11th advising security agencies to be vigilant. Clearly these alerts received little or no attention. Detailed security check out is being carried out at all sensitive places across the country as there are inputs of more such attacks, Minister Senaratne said.
Twenty-four local suspects have been arrested across the country. President Maithripala Sirisena has set up a special committee, led by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the attacks. It will give its report within two weeks.
An Improvised Explosive Device was detected and defused near the departure area of Bandaranaike International Airport on Apr 21 evening.
In his comments, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe hinted that President Maithripala Sirisena was responsible for taking no action to prevent the attack. Sirisena took over the law and order ministry, which includes the police, last December as part of the bitter face-off between himself and the prime minister. The president, as defence minister, already has control of the country’s three armed forces.
World leaders have denounced the terrorist attack. US President Donald Trump condemned the “horrible terrorist attacks,” offered “heartfelt condolences” and declared that the US stood “ready to help.” British Prime Minister Theresa May also decried the attacks saying the “violence was truly appalling.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that “there is no place for such barbarism in our region.”
Sri Lanka has not yet fully recovered from the ravages of the ethnic war waged by the Tamil Tigers. Even otherwise the ethno-religious matrix of the country is very fragile with fault lines running deep between the majority Sinhala communities particularly the Buddhist clergy and Hindu- Christian – Muslim minorities.
The targeting of Churches on Easter Sunday clearly points to a calibrated attempt to spread religious disharmony. The government must remain vigilant in the days to come to nip in the bud any attempt by both Sinhala extremists and radical Islamists to create turmoil of any kind.
In recent years, Sri Lanka has emerged as the favourite tourist destination for most of South Asia. Several tourists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India have died in Colombo bombings. So much so the South Asian nations must remain on vigil against nefarious elements trying to spread disharmony.
—by m rama rao