NA: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2022

Five Tamil students summarily executed by Sri Lankan Special Task Force troops 16 years ago were remembered on January 2 at Trincomalee beach of Trincomalee District, where they were murdered, reports Tamil Guardian. The case – known as the 'Trinco 5' – remains one of the highest-profile killings in Sri Lanka to receive international attention, listed in 2014 by the then United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' report on the island as one of four ‘emblematic cases’ of the Government's failure to ensure accountability and having been raised repeatedly in international forums. The five slain students, who were all 20-years-old when killed, are: Manoharan Ragihar, Yogarajah Hemachchandra, Logitharajah Rohan, Thangathurai Sivanantha and Shanmugarajah Gajendran. To date, no one has been held accountable for the murder. Read less...

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Central Committee Member and Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala, on January 2 said that rulers have lost ability to govern, reports The Island. He said that the Government has proved to be a failure and it should hold elections so that the people could elect a party or an alliance which could rescue the nation from the present crisis. He said that an election can be conducted after dissolving Parliament by passing a resolution with a simple majority under the 20th Amendment. He claimed 20th Amendment contained provisions enabling the dissolving of Parliament and the forming of a new government at a time like this. Read less...

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) on January 3 urged the Government to summon Parliament immediately to discuss the burning problems people were beset with, reports The Island. Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said Parliament should be summoned without further delay as the country was facing massive foreign reserve crisis. “The government is trying to sell off national assets. Between 15 and 20 lands in Colombo are up for sale. Seven acres of prime land in Bogambara playground is to be sold. The government is trying to sell the Trincomalee oil tank farm. The agreements are to be signed while Parliament is closed. We need parliament open to debate the country’s problems,” Kiriella said. Read less...

A suspect who was remanded in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks was died on January 4 while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital, reports Colombo Page. The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Kalin (42), a resident of Church Road, Kalmunai. According to the Prisons Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake, the suspect was remanded on April 6, 2021 in connection with the Easter Sunday attack. The suspect was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on December 5 after receiving treatment at the Prison Hospital on November 23 due to an illness. He had died while receiving treatment as an inpatient at the Intermediate Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) of the Colombo National Hospital, Police told. Read less...

Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) on January 4 condemn the decision to involve Government representatives in the historic Jaffna Kite Festival, reports The Sunday Morning. In a media statement, the TNPF said that they condemn the decision taken to invite Government representatives and officials to the Jaffna Kite Festival as they claim that it is this same Government that is contributing to the erasure of Tamil culture and history. The TNPF has noted that this is a move to ‘destroy the Tamil tradition. The kite festival in Jaffna is an annual event, held in concurrence with the Thai Pongal festival every January. Hundreds of participants are usually seen at the event. Read less...

Colombo District Court on January 7 rejected a request made by former President Maithripala Sirisena that he be released from several civil lawsuits filed by the victims of Easter Sunday attacks, reports Daily Mirror. The relatives of those who have died during the suicide bomb blasts took place in Colombo and individuals who injured had filed 128 lawsuits before Colombo District Court claiming compensations from former President Maithreepala Sirisena and several others. President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha appearing for the former President made a request to release his client from these cases. He further contended that there is no legal basis to proceed with these lawsuits. President's Counsel Shamil Perera appearing for the aggrieved party raised objections for the request and said the application to release the defendant from the cases is contrary to the provisions of Civil Procedure Code. The victims alleged that the defendants including former President Sirisena have failed to perform their official duties entrusted to prevent the terrorist attacks that took place on April 21, 2019 which caused irreparable damages to them. Read less...

Captain Pandithar, who was a senior member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was commemorated on the 37th anniversary of his passing at his residence in Jaffna District on January 9, reports Tamil Guardian. Pandithar served in the Political Wing of the LTTE and lost his life during a clash with the Sri Lankan army in 1985 near Avarangal, Jaffna District. Pandithar was a native of Valvettithurai and joined the liberation movement in 1981. He was reportedly also a childhood friend of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. His commemoration was attended by notables including Jaffna Mayor V. Manivannan and former Northern Provincial Council member M K Shivajilingam. Read less...

In a public statement, the Tamil National People's Front (TNFP) on January 9 demanded self-determination and opposed the 13th Amendment, reports Tamil Guardian. In their statement, the TNPF slammed the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for its support of the 13th Amendment maintaining they were contravening decades of successive mandates of the Tamil nation. They further highlighted that the Provincial Councils were widely pilloried, rejected and boycotted by Tamil people, and considered not even a starting point to Tamil political aspirations of nationhood and self-determination. “We have dedicated ourselves to campaign to defeat the move to implement the 13th Amendment and Provincial Councils, and have commenced a campaign communicate to our people the grave dangers of the Provincial Councils” they conclude. Read less...

A hand grenade was recovered on January 11 at the premises of a church in Borella of Colombo District, reports News Wire. Police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the hand grenade was recovered from the premises of the All-Saints’ Church in Borella. He further said that three suspects have been arrested in connection to the incident. The hand grenade had been found based on information given to the Police by an employee of the church. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the hand grenade has been handed over to the Police Special Task Force to be diffused. Read less...

The case against Naufer Mawlawi and 24 other accused in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks was postponed on January 12 by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar to March 3, reports Colombo Page. The trial of the 25 men accused of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed nearly 270 people and injured over 500 people when churches and luxury hotels were targeted by Islamic terrorist suicide bombers on 21 April 2019, taken up before a special three-judge bench of the High Court comprising Judges Damith Thotawatta, Amal Ranaraja and Nawarathna Marasinghe. Read less...

The former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) was released on bail by a Colombo Court on January 12, reports Daily Mirror. Usthadh Rasheed Hajjul Akbar (61) was arrested in August 2019, following the Easter Sunday bombings in April 2019 which killed over 270 people. Akbar headed JeI for 24 years – from 1994 to 2018. “There is no indictment against him and the attorney general agreed in court to release him on bail,” the sources said. Read less...

The main suspect involved in setting up a hand grenade inside the All-Saints’ Church in Borella of Colombo District was identified on January 12 as a 56-year-old who was associated with the church for nearly 16 years, reports Ada Derana. Following the discovery of the explosive material at around 4.40 p.m. on January 11, four suspects in total were taken into custody over the incident. According to the Police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the hand grenade had been placed using sellotape, matchsticks, and incense sticks for it to catch fire and explode. Investigations have uncovered that the suspects had used a 13-year-old boy, who resides close to the church and frequents the premises, to place the hand grenade inside the church. Reportedly, the main suspect had been serving the church and residing at the premises over the past nine months. The investigators have managed to find parts of sellotape, matchsticks and incense sticks, which were used to set up the hand grenade, inside his living quarters. The Police are yet to uncover the reason for the suspect to place an explosive material inside the church, how he managed to obtain it and the individuals who aided and abetted him. Read less...

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its World Report 2022 released on January 13 said that the Sri Lankan Government in 2021 suppressed minority communities, harassed activists, and undermined democratic institutions, reports The Island. It alleged that the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa failed to carry out legal reforms promised to its international partners and blocked accountability for grave violations, including past war crimes. The Rajapaksa Government has disregarded its own pledges of reform and continued to target minority Tamils and Muslims. The Government uses the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the country’s long-abused counterterrorism law, and policies that threaten religious freedom and minority land rights. Human Rights Watch South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly said “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa seems determined to reverse past rights improvements and protect those implicated in serious abuses. While promising reforms and justice to deflate international criticism, his administration has stepped up suppression of minority communities.” Read less...

Whilst rejecting the information revealed by the Police on the recovering of a hand grenade at All Saints Church Borella in Colombo District on January 11, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malclom Ranjith at a press conference on January 13 called for a transparent probe on the incident, reports Daily Mirror. Cardinal Ranjith said “Police only viewed the CCTV footage in the church for some reason. The Sanchristian (caretaker) of the church was arrested only by viewing the video clips which were recorded after 3:00 pm on that day. I requested the parish priest to view the video clips recorded the whole day. It is revealed by the CCTV footage that a suspicious man enters the church and keeps something on the ground. Then he wears the traditional ‘sign of the cross’ which is a religious tradition practiced by the Catholics when entering the church and worshiping. However, this person does it in the wrong way. It could be concluded that through this man's action, he was not a catholic. Also, this person came in limping and when going back from the church he was walking in a stable manner. In such circumstances, we appeal to the police to conduct a proper investigation. One should not wear the uniforms if he cannot do his job in a proper manner.” Read less...

Inspector General of Police (IGP), C.D. Wickramaratne on January 14 said that the Police have recorded statements from 14 individuals with regard to the recent recovery of a hand grenade from inside All Saints’ Church in Borella of Colombo District, reports Ada Derana. The Police chief said the footage obtained from the CCTV at the church is used in this probe, which is still in its preliminary stages. The investigating officers are examining pieces of scientific, technical, exploratory and personal evidence with the assistance of experts in related fields, he added. A comprehensive investigation is being conducted to uncover the perpetrator who brought the explosive material into the church, the purpose of setting it up and those who aided and abetted him, IGP Wickramaratne stressed. The Police chief pledged to bring all those who are linked to the said incident to book without delay. Read less...

Defence Secretary General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne on January 15 dismissing allegations made by the Colombo Archbishop on the Police investigations into the discovery of a hand grenade at the Borella All-Saints’ Church said that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will conduct thorough probe into Church grenade incident, reports Daily News. Speaking to the media after meeting with Chief Prelates of Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters, Defence Secretary Gunaratne said the CID has a good knowledge of the investigation and he hopes that they would conduct a proper investigation beyond the expectations of the Cardinal to capture the suspects and bring justice. On January 13, the Colombo Archbishop said that the Catholic church was not satisfied with the Police’s investigation into the recent discovery of a hand grenade at the All-Saints’ Church in Borella. Read less...

A retired doctor has been arrested in connection with the hand grenade planted inside All Saints’ Church in Borella of Colombo District, reports Ada Derana on January 18. He was taken into custody in the area of Piliyandala by the crime’s investigation unit of the Colombo South Division. According to the Police, lengthy interrogations into the 65-year-old suspect who was apprehended in the Panamura area in Embilipitiya had led the investigators to the arrest of this retired medical officer. Reportedly, the suspect, who previously served as a doctor of the Piliyandala District Hospital, had later run a private medical clinic in the proximity of the hospital. Investigators have uncovered that it was this retired doctor who handed over the hand grenade and money to the first suspect and the reason for this is yet to be uncovered. Read less...

The All-Saints’ Church Parish Council on January 17 expressed displeasure over the investigations into the discovery of a grenade inside the church premises, reports Colombo Gazette. Issuing a statement, the All-Saints’ Church Parish Council questioned the decision by the Police to arrest suspects even before viewing CCTV footage. It also questioned the decision by the Police to later view only CCTV footage recorded after 3pm the day the grenade was found and not footage recorded earlier in the day. The All-Saints’ Church Parish Council also strongly condemned the ‘cowardly and irrational’ acts of those who placed the grenade inside the church. Read less...

Opposition parliamentarians including the MPs of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), on January 18 boycotted the tea party hosted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for parliamentarians and guests after presenting the Government’s policy statement in Parliament, reports Colombo Page. The tea party was held at the Parliament restaurant after the President delivered the Government’s policy statement following the ceremonial opening of the second session of the 9th Parliament. The other political parties that boycotted the tea party were the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella has said that the tea party was boycotted as the President’s policy statement did not offer any solutions to the burning issues of the people. He said the policy was merely a statement. Read less...

Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon on January 18 said before the trial-at-bar at the Colombo High Court that former IGP Pujitha Jayasundera had given a prior warning about the Easter Sunday attacks on Catholic Churches to four of the top police officers including DIG Western Police and to the DIG-in-charge of the STF, reports Daily Mirror. DIG Tennakoon made this assertion before the three judges of the trial-at-bar giving evidence, led by Deputy solicitor General Dileepa Pieris. DIG Tennakoon further said that on the day the suicide attack took place he was on leave. He also asserted that the information over the attack was given to the IGP by the State Intelligence Unit which the IGP had communicated to his subordinates to take appropriate action. The Attorney General had indicted former IGP Jayasundera before the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar on 855 charges for his failure to take appropriate action to prevent the terrorist attacks that took place on Easter Sunday 2019 despite receiving adequate intelligence reports. Read less...

The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar on January 19 concluded recording evidence in a case filed against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando relating to the Easter Sunday bomb attack, reports Daily Mirror. Deputy Solicitor General Sudarshana de Silva appearing for the Attorney General informed court that the prosecution has concluded hearing evidence in the case. Accordingly, the High Court Trial-at-Bar bench announced that order regarding calling for defence evidence will be delivered on February 18. The Attorney General filed indictments consisting of 855 charges against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara. The two former top officials have been accused of failing to take measures to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite having prior knowledge of the attack. Read less...

While quoting the President’s National Policy speech which was delivered in Parliament on January 18 over the Government’s ‘prime responsibility towards reconciliation and providing such facilities to these people without discrimination’ Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP M A Sumanthiran on January 19 stated that statements on reconciliation without discrimination is an insult to those in North and East, reports The Sunday Morning. He made this statement while speaking in Parliament. Sumanthiran said “What is more important is what the President identifies as ‘facilities’. They have not been fighting for facilities, but fighting for equal citizenship, their rights for self-determination, the right for self-rule, for shared powers of governance and for the President to reduce all of that to a level of saying that there are basic facilities that are necessary, and that is what we bring about in reconciliation. This also says much about the President’s understanding of this national problem.” Read less...

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) on January 19 recovered several firearms and swords in the house of retired doctor who was arrested in connection with the recovery of a hand grenade at the All-Saints’ Church in Borella of Colombo District, reports Daily Mirror. The Police have found four pistols, a revolver, two swords, a Rambo knife and an unidentified firearm from the residence in Piliyandala of Colombo District. The retired doctor was arrested on January 19 after information about him was revealed during a lengthy interrogation of the suspect arrested in Embilipitiya town of Ratnapura District. Read less...

A suspect was arrested on January 20 by the Colombo Crimes Division in the Ranna area of Hambantota District for allegedly supplying bombs to a retired Medical Superintendent to be placed at the All-Saints Church in Borella of Colombo District, reports Colombo Page. The suspect was arrested by a special Police team that went to the Ranna area on the information obtained during the interrogation of the retired Medical Superintendent who was arrested by the Colombo South CID. Read less...

Foreign Ministry on January 21 noted with regret that the Sri Lanka section of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) ‘World Report 2022’ depicts an exaggerated and unduly negative picture of the current human rights situation in the country, reports Colombo Page. Issuing a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Sri Lanka follows a policy of constructive engagement with the international community including with international NGO’s such as HRW on matters related to human rights, and we recognize their constructive role as human rights defenders. “However sensationalized and biased reporting during a particularly challenging global economic and social environment risks igniting and aggravating domestic discord. We highlight the importance of responsible, balanced and impartial reporting,” the statement said. Read less...

In an address to Parliament on January 21, C. V. Wigneswaran, said that Tamils will not sell their birth right, reports Tamil Guardian. He said “If the Tamils are forced to live within an occupied territory, if they are deprived of even the existing feeble political rights, if they are sufficiently terrorized, if they are stifled and starved, the Tamils would sell their birth right to a pot of porridge”. He also criticised the inflated military budget noting that, “nearly a fifth of the Country’s wealth is utilized even today for so-called security and to pamper the Military”. Read less...

Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) spokesman Daya Master alias Velayudam Dayanidhi has been sentenced to two years in prison suspended for a period of five years on January 24 by the Vavuniya High Court Judge Manikkavasagar Ilanchelian on charges of aiding and abetting the uprising of the LTTE, reports Daily News. Attorney M. A. Sumanthiran appearing for Daya Master in High Court accepts the fact that he is guilty and that he served the LTTE for a monthly salary. The case was filed against Daya Master on October 19, 2018 by the Attorney General on the grounds that he had committed an offense punishable under the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 7 of 2006, according to information provided by the Counter-Terrorism Unit. Read less...

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan said his party was not averse to any discussion on the vision and programme of the Government presented by the President, reports Daily News on January 25. Sampanthan said “If the discussions between the TNA and the President are to discuss only the vision and programme of the Government presented by the President, the TNA will not be deceived and will not be disappointed by participating in such a discussion.” Sampanthan also said that the party was not ready for any discussion if the topics were personal and only of interest to the President and the Government. He also said an analysis of the vision and programme presented by the President recently showed it did not have any concrete measures to address the issues faced by the Tamil people. Read less...

Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya on January 25 directed the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) to expedite the investigation into the discovery of a live grenade in the All-Saints Church in Borella of Colombo District, reports Colombo Page. The Magistrate also directed the CCD to inform the court of the progress of the investigation into the suspects, who are being detained and questioned on detention orders in connection with the incident, on February 2. Read less...

Police officers have pushed back protesting Tamil mothers in Vavuniya District on January 26 as they demanded justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones outside a Justice Ministry meeting Vavuniya city, reports Tamil Guardian. The relatives had gathered outside the Vavuniya District Secretariat as the Sri Lankan Justice Ministry’s mobile service visited. A mobile service called 'Access to Justice' covering the entire Northern Province was launched on January 25 to educate the public about the services provided by the Ministry of Justice and its agencies to the people of the Northern Province. Read less...

The Tamil Nadu Police have blown the lid off an international network of former members or sympathisers of the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) allegedly involved in raising funds for reviving the movement, reports The Hindu on January 27. Mary Francisco (51), a Sri Lankan national, who was detained by the immigration authorities in Chennai recently and handed over to the ‘Q’ Branch-CID of the State Police, revealed how the accused persons operating from European countries deployed operatives to draw huge money from dormant accounts using fake identities/documents. She was intercepted at the Chennai Airport as she was preparing to board a plane to Mumbai. The suspect was found to possess an Indian passport obtained with fake documents. Read less...

Government on January 27 published the amendments made to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) No. 48 of 1979, reports Ada Derana. Thereby, the aggregate period of detention of a person under a detention order will be reduced from 18 months to 12 months. The amendments will enable magistrates to visit the place of detention to ensure that the suspect is protected to the extent provided for in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act, No. 22 of 1994, Meanwhile, a detainee will be allowed to apply for a remedy guaranteed under Article 126 or 140 of the Constitution. In addition, the amendments will enable the suspect to be produced before a judicial medical officer to ensure that such person has not been subjected to torture and provide for holding trials on a day-to-day basis to ensure the expeditious disposal of cases. Read less...

The Justice Ministry, during a mobile programme in the Northern Province on January 29, distributed SLR 100 million to the families of missing persons who were affected by the war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorism, reports Colombo Page. ‘Access to Justice Mobile Service Program’ was launched in the Jaffna District under the patronage of Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda and Justice Minister Ali Sabry at a ceremony held at Jaffna Central College on January 29. The main objective of this mobile service is to educate the people in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya Districts of the Northern Province about the roles played by the institutions under the Ministry of Justice and expeditiously provide the services of those institutions. Read less...

In a massive rally on January 30, thousands of Tamils in Jaffna District have come out to protest against the 13th Amendment and have demanded recognition of Tamil nationhood and sovereignty through a federal structure, reports Tamil Guardian. In a public statement, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) said “Even after a genocide in 2009, Tamils have handed consistent and unanimous mandates via democratic elections, rejecting a Unitary state, and demanding that their nationhood be recognized. Any solution that is imposed on us within the Unitary state i.e., 13th Amendment or any other structure instead of a federal structure that recognizes Tamil nationhood, its sovereignty, the Tamil homeland, and the right to self-determination betrays the mandates of the Tamil people." Read less...

The National Peace Council (NPC) has urged the Government to take steps to bring about reconciliation as it launches its ‘Adhikaranabhimani’ programme, reports The Island on January 31. The NPC has said that according to the Ministry of Justice, which is coordinating this work, it is meant to provide ameliorated access to justice for people of the Northern Province. Several Government institutions, including those set up under the reconciliation process of the previous Government, will be conducting two-day mobile clinics. The participating institutions include the Legal Aid Commission, Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), Office for Reparations, Office on Missing Persons (OMP), Department of Debt Conciliation Board and the Vocational Training Authority, to mention some of them. While welcoming the launch of the Adhikaranabhimani, the NPC considers it essential to recognise that transitional justice-related issues of this nature need to be victim-centred. Read less...

Journalists a held a protest in Jaffna District on January 31 to mark 'Black January' and to demand investigations into the numerous assassinations and disappearances of media workers on the island, reports Tamil Guardian. Protesters hoisted black flags as they drew attention to the lack of impartial investigations into the murders and attacks on journalists. “All the murdered journalists in Sri Lanka were assassinated for the sole reason that they were trying to uncover the truth and defend Sri Lanka's democracy. But so far no one has been able to bring justice to the families of any of these murdered journalists” their joint statement read. Read less...

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan on January 31 has written to the Heads of Missions of the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) claiming that Sri Lanka has not taken any meaningful steps to address its post war commitments in the last 12 years, reports The Sunday Morning. Sampathan claimed that the most serious danger the Tamil people face is the issue of Land Grab that is going on in the pretext of archaeological explorations, Wild Life protection and protecting of forest reserves, in addition to driving the Tamil people out of their traditional habitats. He said “The government is engaged in a programme of demarcation of divisional boundaries, and colonisation of historical Tamil speaking areas with new Sinhala settlers, so as to render any future settlement of the Tamil question nugatory. In this situation of uncertainty, Tamil people are leaving the country and seeking refuge abroad, in the interests of their own safety.” Read less...