{"id":108886,"date":"2020-11-21T15:21:04","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T22:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=108886"},"modified":"2020-11-21T15:21:04","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T22:21:04","slug":"the-pohottuwa-government-of-sri-lanka-part-2-c5e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/11\/21\/the-pohottuwa-government-of-sri-lanka-part-2-c5e\/","title":{"rendered":"THE POHOTTUWA GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA Part 2 C5e"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n

EASTER SUNDAY\nBOMB BLASTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is\nspeculation that Western intelligence agencies had a hand in the\nwell-coordinated, precision-timed Easter suicide bombings in Sri Lanka, said\nLasanda Kurukulasuriya.  How otherwise\ncould a little-known group, \u2018National Thawheed Jamaath\u2019    have orchestrated such a feat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Easter\nbomb attacks in Sri Lanka  are a part\nof  a series of puzzling attacks by\nlittle-known terror outfits , taking place in several countries, said Lasanda.\nBut  there is one common factor. All the\ncountries facing such attacks have been states benefiting from China\u2019s Belt and\nRoad Initiative (BRI). They include \nMyanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Myanmar in\n2017 a little-known terrorist group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army\n(ARSA) staged attacks on security posts in Rakhine state, sparking a crackdown\non the Rohingya community. Rakhine state is home to Sittwe port and a starting\npoint of BRI projects linking Myanmar with China\u2019s Kunming city. The leader of\nARSA is said to be  a Rohingya born in\nPakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nPhilippines, whose President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 threatened to ditch its\nlongtime military alliance with the US and turn to China, faced an attack by\nISIS terrorists in 2017  in Marawi,\nhelping USA to further consolidate their military presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five people\nwere killed in Pakistan\u2019s Baluchistan province, in   June 2019 \nin an attack on a star class hotel located near the port of Gwadar,\nwhich is being modernized under China\u2019s BRI. Baluch separatists claimed\nresponsibility. Thereafter Baluch Liberation Army carried out a dozen attacks\nin 2018 against Chinese-linked projects. In November, the group attacked a\nChinese consulate in Karachi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these attacks had some sort of \nlink to ISIS. ISIS  sudden appearance everywhere China is\nattempting to do business,  fits\nWashington\u2019s use of extremism to manipulate \nsituations wherever its standing armies cannot afford to intervene.  Also, such attacks offer an entry-point for\nWestern-sponsored counter-terrorism activity or humanitarian assistance, said\nLasanda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISIS, like Al Qaeda before it, is a creation of the  US intelligence agencies. There is ample\nevidence in defence related research papers, to prove that ISIS was created,\nsponsored and used by US secret agencies in pursuing the US foreign\npolicy.  It was used to intervene  in countries of strategic importance.  The \ninterventions were for regime change, weakening the state, disintegration\nof society and finally invasion\/occupation by US army, said K.M.Wasantha\nBandara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The targeting of Sri Lanka was \ntherefore not surprising. Two of the\nsea-front hotels that came under April attacks, Shangri La and Kingsbury,\noverlooked the $1.4 billion Port City project, China\u2019s single biggest\ninfrastructure investment in Sri Lanka.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts also observed that when US Secretary\nof State Pompeo visited in October 2020, he made a special visit to St\nAnthony\u2019s church, Kochchikade, one of the churches affected by the bomb blast,\nand said that the bomb blast was the work of ISIS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon after\nthe bomb attacks, Western intelligence agencies rushed in to assist in the\ninvestigations. A team from the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) of the\nUnited States  arrived in Sri Lanka  on \nApril 23, two days\nafter the bomb blast,  to assist in\nthe investigations.  Britain sent in\nten or twelve Mi-5 (intelligence) personnel. There were over  40 such foreign personnel in Sri Lanka\naltogether, said Wimal Weerawansa in Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FBI team\ncame reportedly at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka. All the\nforeign agencies worked along with the CID. They did so on our request,\u201d said Police\nspokesperson, SP Ruwan Gunasekera.<\/em> But\nPresident Sirisena said we did not invite them. They came on their own. My\npeople are complaining that they cannot go ahead with their work since each\ngroup is asking them for briefings\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 No information has been revealed, to date, on\nthe work carried out by the foreign agencies (said to be \u2018technical\u2019\nassistance) or on how these inputs assisted the CID in its probe, observed\nLasanda . <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unnamed US\nembassy official reportedly told a group of journalists that the FBI assisted\nin analyzing the suicide bombers\u2019 phone data, continued Lasanda. There is\nreason to believe however that the FBI in fact REMOVED the suicide bombers\nphones and other devices at an early stage, pre-empting the retrieval of vital\nevidence by local investigators.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the\nbombers are dead. Their electronic devices have been taken away by the US\nFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is helping the Lankans in the\nprobe,\u201d an Indian Home Ministry official told the Indian Express.  Unless the\ndata from these devices is made available, little will be known of the bombers\nlinks\u201d .  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means\nthat Sri Lankan investigators, and the rest of the world, will not  get to know what was recorded in those\ndevices, that might have given a clue as to who the suicide bombers\u2019 immediate\nhandlers were, commented Lasanda.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question then arises as to whether the Americans in fact\nsabotaged the investigation, under the pretext of assisting with forensic\nanalysis of the phones and devices, calling it \u2018technical assistance.\u2019  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether the FBI had \u2018taken away\u2019 the bombers\u2019 phones, Police\nSpokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera  replied\nthat he was \u2018unable to give that information.\u2019 He also did not say whether the\nSri Lankan investigators  had the opportunity\nto analyze the devices before they were handed over to the FBI, and whether the\ndevices had been returned, said Lasanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is now\nvery clear, and beyond any doubt that the US government is contemplating a\nmilitary intervention in Sri Lanka, when \na suitable situation arises, said analysts. The Easter Sunday bomb\nexplosions were planned  to provide such\nan opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bombings,\nwhich targeted Catholic churches and 5-star tourist hotels,  came like a bolt from the blue. They\ndevastated the peace and relative stability that prevailed in the island,\nobserved Lasanda. The attacks were intended to bring the country to a\nstandstill. The country did come to a brief stand still. Shops and schools were\nclosed, all activities cancelled, people were asked to stay in their houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also\naffected the economy . The attacks on hotels affected the tourist trade Hoteliers\nsaid they were heavily indebted to banks and would find it impossible to pay\ntheir dues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small and\nmedium stakeholders in the industry, such as internal airlines, cabs , taxi and\nthree-wheel drivers, tour guides , tour operators and those engaged in the sale\nof gem and jewellery to tourists,  small\nvegetable and fish suppliers to the hotels and restaurants, small shop owners,\nsurfing board suppliers and supporting labour, helpers and material suppliers\nto the construction industry in the hotel sector, were  also affected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the “Shock Doctrine” theory,  which we are told has been successfully\ntested by CIA, a massive shock exerted on a society through extreme violence\nwill lead to a state of confusion and weakness which will help the US to walk\nin and  take over that country. The \nconcept  of \u2018Shock Doctrine\u2019 was\napplied to economic change, by its author, Naomi Klein, but it is far more\napplicable to political change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When disasters take place, citizens are too emotionally and\nphysically distracted by the  disasters\nto mount an effective resistance, and US will be able to  intervene, observed analysts.  If there are any more suicide bomb attacks or\nif wide spread communal violence could be instigated, the US Army will get the\nchance to enter the country, said critics. They could use R2P added others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

USA\nthought   that after the Easter attack\nthere will be a more violence, extreme disorder and\nchaos. That did not\nhappen. The security forces ignored President Sirisena and Prime Minister\nRanil Wickremesinghe  and  acted fast. They possessed the necessary intelligence.\nThe second set of bombs was prevented. Those bombers died at Senthamaru.\nSecurity forces then started to arrest those preparing for the third bomb blast.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore,   these attacks did not create the anticipated\n\u2018Shock\u2019.  Instead there was remarkable\nresilience . There was   deep anger \nand  a firm wish to see to that\nthese attacks were not repeated.  An\nimmediate message to this effect was sent to the Muslim community through a\nsilent boycott of Muslim shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a\nshort-lived spell of politically-instigated violence in the North Western\nProvince and Gampaha district. Apart from this, \ncommunal harmony was maintained. In a highly volatile situation where a\nreligious minority had been targeted by extremists of another religious minority,\nthe Sangha and the Catholic Church led by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, head of the\nCatholic Church ensured that there was no religious rioting, observed Lasanda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal  Malcolm Ranjith said openly  and repeatedly that foreign forces were behind\nthe attacks, it was not a local development. He publicly and repeatedly asked\nfor a proper inquiry into the bomb blasts. \nIt is only then that the truth will emerge.\u201d The\ninvestigations conducted by the \nYahapalana  government are a\nsham\u201d  he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catholic MPs  Johnston\nFernando, Nimal Lansa, Indika Anurudda, Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Sanath\nNishantha and Arundika Fernando  wrote to\nthe President, asking for a proper inquiry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this letter, they said that His Eminence Cardinal Ranjith  has mentioned on numerous occasions that\nneither he nor the Christian community has any faith in the manner\ninvestigations are carried out. Certain political leaders in the\ngovernment  had provided political asylum\nto persons connected to  event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The implication was that the Yahapalana government was also\ncomplicit in the bomb attacks. Since the Yahapalana government was seen as a\npuppet government of the US, this was possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One aspect of this event has been ignored. Mahinda Rajapaksa\u2019s\nappointment as Prime Minister  in October\n2018  was dismissed on the grounds that\nit went against Fundamental Rights. The appointment, was however,  perfectly legal.  Ranil Wickremesinghe had  to be freshly sworn in once  Rajapaksa was dismissed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, if the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had been allowed to\ncontinue, then there would not have been an Easter Sunday bomb blast.  Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya Rajapakse\nwould have seen the significance of Mawanella, Vanatha villu and the\nKattankudy  motor cycle . They would have\nresponded promptly to the Indian alert. The Catholic Church would have been\ninformed. Hotels would have been alerted. \nIt was observed that  civil\nsociety had been jubilant when Mahinda Rajapaksa was removed from the post of\nPrime Minister .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the April Bomb explosions, there  were two other \u2018clandestine US operations in\nColombo\u2019.   Soon after the April 21 bomb\nexplosion two US government employees were detected at the Hilton Colombo\nResidencies with explosives detectors. Sniffer dogs had traced the equipment to\ntheir apartment, reported Island.<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thereafter, security staff at the Hilton Colombo had thwarted an\nattempt by five US government officials to check in along with six boxes on the\nnight of July 30, 2019. The American\ndelegation had declined to allow the security staff to scan the boxes. The US\ndelegation had then handed over one of the six boxes for scanning and loaded\nthe rest to a US embassy vehicle and moved them somewhere else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wimal Weerawansa    released\nvisa photographs of the entire US team to the media, alleging the group had arrived\nin a private aircraft. The five-member team had left two days later without the\ncontroversial cargo. Weerawansa asked\nwhether the boxes that were sent away in a US embassy vehicle were still in the\ncountry or spirited out when the team left for the Maldives. What  did those boxes contain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These boxes had evaded checks at Customs too. Nagananda\nKodituwakku sought information from Director General, Customs regarding the\ncircumstances under which her officers exempted US military cargo from\nmandatory checks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former UPFA MP M.M. <\/em>Zuhair\ncommented: “The alleged refusal by six US nationals to subject five of\ntheir \u2018mystery\u2019 boxes to scanning and security clearance at the Bandaranaike\nInternational Airport and also later at Hilton Colombo Residences on 30 July\n2019, warrants a credible investigation to ascertain the contents of the boxes\nand whether the US personnel were entitled to any privileges of non-disclosure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Nothing prevented the six US military personnel from\nsubjecting their baggage to scanning even if they were accredited diplomats.\nDiplomatic bags containing diplomatic communications and correspondence are\nprotected from being opened. Personal baggage of accredited diplomats cannot be\nused for smuggling prohibited or restricted goods, said Zuhair. (Continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS EASTER SUNDAY BOMB BLASTS There is speculation that Western intelligence agencies had a hand in the well-coordinated, precision-timed Easter suicide bombings in Sri Lanka, said Lasanda Kurukulasuriya.  How otherwise could a little-known group, \u2018National Thawheed Jamaath\u2019    have orchestrated such a feat. The Easter bomb attacks in Sri Lanka  are a part of  a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108886\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}