House approves motion amidst protests by Opposition

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana 

Parliament yesterday approved a motion to set up a select committee to look into Easter Sunday attacks and to determine whether any MP or a Minister had any association with the terror group which carried out the attack.   

The motion was approved amidst protests by the opposition MPs who wanted a date fixed for the no confidence motion that have been brought against Minister of Industry and Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons , Cooperatives Development and Skills Development Rishad Bathiudeen.   

The select committee will look into whether the law enforcement authorities had received intelligence reports relating to Easter Sunday attacks, whether relevant authorities took adequate steps to mitigate the attacks, whether there was any deficiencies in the state machinery that led to the inability to mitigate or prevent the attacks, whether any other factors contributed to the attacks, what action should be taken to prevent such attacks in the future.   

As per the amendment to the motion presented by MP Jayampathy Wickramaratne, the select committee will also have the mandate to determine whether any Minister of an MP had associated with the terror group which carried out the attack.   

More than 40 government and opposition MPs have signed the motion which included Susantha Punchinilame, Piyasena Gamage, Ashu Marasinghe, Mujibur Rahaman, Jayampathi Wickramaratne, Harsha de Silva, Karunaratne Paranawithana, Ajith Mannaperuma, Harshana Rajakaruna, J. C. Alawathuwala, Lucky Jayawardene, Sandith Samarasinghe, Mavai Senathirajah, G. Sirineshan, Charles Nirmalanathan, A. D. Premadasa, Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa, Mohammed Nazeer, M. S. Thowfeek, Priyankara Jayaratne, Kumara Welgama, V. Radhakrishnan, S. M. Mohammed Ismail, Ishak Rauman, Nalinda Jayatissa, Sunil Handunnetti, Ajith P. Perera, M. Tilakarajah, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, Anuradha Jayaratne, Nimal Lanza, C. B. Ratnayake, Anura Priyadharashana Yapa, T. B. Ekanayake, Susil Premajayantha, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Dharamalingam Siddharthan, Udaya Gammanpila and Arundika Fernando.