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Dhaka attack: Lankan couple escape unhurt
View(s):The Sri Lanka High Commission in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka put out a warning to Lankans residents to avoid unnecessary travel in public places in the wake of the terrorist attack there which left at least 20 persons, all foreigners, dead.
A Lankan couple who were dining at the ill-fated Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka were among the few who were rescued when the terrorist attack began on Friday night. The couple identified as Harikesha and Shyama Wijesekera was among the few who escaped unhurt.
Ms.Sesath Thambugala, Sri Lanka’s Acting High Commissioner in Dhaka said the couple, longtime residents of Dhaka, did not suffer physical injuries but was suffering from trauma. They are at a hospital in Dhaka undergoing counselling.
Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Harsha De Silva said that from the moment MFA heard of the incident, the Lankan Mission in Dhaka had kept monitoring the situation and was in touch with security and diplomatic officials in Dhaka.
The two Lankans were among a large number of diners at the café which is popular with diplomats and expatriates when the terrorists entered the cafe and took the staff and diners hostage. After several hours of a standoff, Bangladeshi troops stormed the café .The attack left 20 foreigners dead, mostly Italian and Japanese nationals, while six of the attackers were also killed.
| President condemns Dhaka attack President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday condemned the terrorist attack on a restaurant in the diplomatic conclave in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In his message of condolence to the Government and the people of Bangladesh, the President said the Government and the people of Sri Lanka strongly condemned terrorist acts in all their manifestations, as they involved the lives of innocent civilians. “At this hour of grief, the Government and people of Sri Lanka stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Bangladesh, in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism,” a statement from the President’s Office said, stressing the need for urgent and sustained regional and global cooperation to eliminate the menace of terrorism. (Please see ST 2 for detailed story) |