Country has entered the sphere of global terrorism : PM Wickremesinghe

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivering a special statement in Parliament today (Apr 23) said that the country has entered a sphere of global terrorism.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said "This is different from the war we fought in the country. There was a political objective then. This is very different."

The Prime Minister was interrupted throughout his speech by opposition parliamentarians despite today's session commencing with a two-minute silence in remembrance of those who had lost their lives during the recent tragedy.

Mr. Wickremesinghe noted that the police, tri-forces, and the Special Task Force (STF) are currently taking measures to arrest those involved in the recent explosions.

This has been identified as an organized long term terrorism act, the Prime Minister said adding that special security personnel have now been deployed to arrest suicide bombers.

“We have now given powers to the Army to detain suspects under the “state of emergency” which came into effect since yesterday,” he pointed out.

During his address, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that international support is available and it is now time to face this issue.

He also pointed out that the recent attacks had targeted the country’s economy and also the tourist industry. Accordingly, the government has taken steps to implement a special plan in order to protect the tourism industry, he said.