PROVOKING THOUGHT

Betrayal of Trust: Six Years After the Easter Bombings, Sri Lanka’s Government failure is an absolute disgrace.

Today, October 19th 2025, marks 2,406 days since the devastating Easter Sunday bombings shook Sri Lanka, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and despair in their wake. On April 21, 2019, coordinated suicide bomb attacks targeted churches and luxury hotels, claiming the lives of 270 innocent people and injuring over 500 others.

The painfully slow progress the investigation has traversed in is to create nothing more important than public distrust.

The attacks, initially said to have been claimed by the Islamic State, were a brutal reminder of the threat of terrorism and the importance of ongoing vigilance. Investigators have cast doubt on the Islamic State angle. If at all that angle is nothing more than a red herring.

A singular and spectacular judgement call was made by now disgraced Nilantha Jayawardena who was ejected by the Police Force for his role in derelicting his fundamental duty of care to the sovereign people of Sri Lanka. Criticism of Nilantha Jayawardena is even more potent considering he had military intelligence sent by India’s  RAW. Inspite of the devastating advisory coming to him a full two weeks before the event, Jayawardena failed to bring this to the notice of Churches or hotels and the public at large. The carnage that followed was inevitable. And what was the motive for this attack? Why was the Taj Hotel spared, did Jameel kill himself or was he blown up by remote control after he met with Intel personnel? Indeed did he meet such people at all? 

However, as the years have passed, it has become abundantly clear that the government's response to the attacks has been woefully inadequate and certainly disgraceful.

A Conspiracy of Silence: 

Despite promises of a thorough investigation and swift justice, the government has yet to hold those responsible for the attacks accountable. The lack of progress is staggering, with key officials implicated in the attacks and some still occupying positions of power.

Gothabya Rajapaksa the political beneficiary of the fear psychosis generated by the Easter bombings, described the Channel 4 documentary on the subject as being, “absurd … a tissue of lies”.

If anything, it is the state lethargy and lack of commitment, that is 'absurd' and the various statements and undertakings that has proven to be 'a tissue of lies.'

Faraz Shauketaly

The world stands aghast at the carnage happening in the so-called 2-state areas of Israel and Palestine. As we write over 9,200 are dead and 24,600 have been injured.

Everyone talks of the Israeli right to defend itself; the point being missed here – and we would like to ask why – is that the people of Palestine also have a right to live their lives however convoluted that existence undoubtedly is.

HAMAS is a political authority that has earned the franchise of the people in the Gaza. All the public services were made available by them, elected to so do by the people of Gaza. 

As much as the LTTE in Sri Lanka had their political wing, as events have shown there is a renegade group of pro-Palestininan life, who pass themselves off as being representative of the Palestinian people. Internationally they would be called terrorists and the Israeli reference to them (HAMAS) being IS and IS is HAMAS rings true.

However the State of Israel cannot in the guise of eradicating the terrorist virtually carpet bomb legitimate civilians in the North Gaza. That is tantamount to a perversion of the various treaties in place to protect humanitarian concerns globally.

As much as they may not like it Israel must be forced to stop its cavalier attitude of bombing so-called outlaw positions in the full knowledge that the target will necessarily involve the wonton loss of civilian life. Over 2,000 children have perished. The numbers are rising not abating. The world watches aghast.

Israel has run raids in Syria and in the Lebanon. Is Netanyahou trying to get beyond himself by starting a war in the area. Is the Israeli PR machinery so narrow in their focus that they fail to discover the carnage that is happening in the Gaza right now? Perhaps the UN should consider revoking the Israeli membership of the UN. 

As much as you, me or anyone else, the Palestinian People (wherever they may be – Gaza or the Westbank )  simply do have a right to life. That’s a fundamental part of the United Nations Charter.

It is about time that the world listened to itself and took a firm hand in reining in the horses – stop an end to the genocide that is happening before our TV screen.