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Kottegoda first witness before PSC on Easter Sunday attacks
Defence Secretary Shantha Kottegoda will be the first witness summoned before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to look into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
Retired General Kottegoda will appear before the PSC on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, advertisements are also due to be published in national newspapers this week, asking the public to submit any information that maybe relevant to the PSC inquiry.
PSC member Ashu Marasinghe said the people would be given 14 days to send in any information or proposals. “Information or proposals can be submitted either as individuals or organisations. The committee, however, will not accept anonymous submissions,” he told the Sunday Times.
After reviewing the information or proposals, the PSC would summon those who had sent them, depending on the relevance of the submissions, he added.
Some committee members had asked the Speaker to allow the media to cover the PSC sittings. “There is still some confusion whether this can be allowed under existing regulations, but in the event it is not, we have asked that the committee be allowed to brief the media at the conclusion of each day’s sittings,” Prof. Marasinghe said .
He said he was personally of the view that President Maithripala Sirisena should be invited to appear before the PSC to testify in his capacity as the Minister of Defence and Law and Order as the armed services and the police department come under him. “We’re currently looking into whether that is legally possible,” he said.
The PSC is tasked with investigating and reporting back to Parliament on whether the law enforcement authorities possessed prior intelligence relating to the attacks; whether there were deficiencies in the State machinery that led to the inability to prevent such attacks or mitigate their effects; whether any other factors contributed to such terrorist attacks; what action should be taken to prevent such attacks in the future; and any other matters connected or incidental thereto.