Dilrook Kannangara

Information on the Easter Sunday attack tickles in slowly. Based on available information, the radical group members that carried out the attack had agreed not to attack Sinhalese, especially Buddhists when some of them had suggested otherwise. Going by this decision, they avoided Sinhalese in their attacks except on the occasion of the Katuwapitiya Church attack.

Based on available information, it was not on the plan. However, the Tamil partner of the attacker had intervened in the terrorist act. Most likely her involvement was to target this church which resulted in a complete change of the ethnic profile of victims. Unlike others (wives, family members, etc.) who were close to those involved in the attack, this woman fled. Others stayed back. Obviously, she had her strong reasons to flee. India hasn’t co-operated with Sri Lanka on this woman despite many agreements and understandings to share information on terrorism between the two countries!

Then there is the failed” attack on the Taj Hotel. It is obviously a red herring as no other bomb failed to detonate or no other bomber failed in his mission. It was an obvious misleading piece deliberately planted to distract. Taj is an Indian investment and it’s very unlikely the attackers would attack it. The staged drama was only a distraction. However, the suicide bomber later killed himself! Funny bomb!

Based on available information all fingers are pointed at India which exploited radicalized Islamic extremists to carryout the attack as punishment for Sri Lanka’s continued closeness to China (despite India engineered regime change in 2015). India uses this very same technique in Pakistan where it exploits anti-Pakistan Islamic extremists against Pakistan. India also used radicalized Islamic elements to launch attacks against Bodh Gaya a few years ago, just after the Indian supreme court decided to handover the shrine to Buddhists from Hindus. After the small-scale numerous bomb attacks blamed on Islamic terror, the Indian central government took over the administration of the shrine under their charge claiming security.

Explosive devices used in the Easter Sunday attack were the same used by Tamil terrorists. Bomb making allegations of a local copper plant proved misleading and all suspects were released recently. Totally absurd theories are floated by politically motivated persons and those who want to hide the Indian connection by blaming a legitimate sea marshalling operation that maintains approved floating weapons warehouses to fight pirates. Obviously, no one fights pirates with suicide bombers! This piece of evidence is also incriminating of the Tamil and Indian connection.

The Tamil-Islamic terrorist connection is nothing new. US based investigators and a Singapore based terrorism expert uncovered it separately in 2001. When the government is keen to get to the bottom of the matter, Tamil and Muslim extremist elements joined forces in Sri Lanka calling them P2P” and also heavily canvassed against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. Does the Indian facilitated Tamil-Muslim amity in 2013 called Singapore Principles have anything to do with this?

The claim that Indian agencies informed Sri Lankan authorities is misleading. Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Turkish, Arabic and US agencies made the same revelation before India. The Indian communication also points to a red herring than a genuine attempt to warn Colombo as it came later than others.

While all Tamil and Muslim political parties are mum about India’s role in the attack, national parties also keep silent for a completely different reason. This too is nothing new. When India created and funded Tamil terrorists in the 1970s, very few politicians stated it in public. For the same reasons. The three very senior politicians who were bold enough to publicly state it were killed within just 18 months during 1993-94. Their alleged killers also died with them burying evidence and hiding their Indian tracks.