Govt. responsible for recent attacks ; Opp. MP's ready to support recovery efforts : Opp. Leader

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that the government must bear responsibility of the tragic Easter Sunday attacks.

Speaking to media yesterday (Apr 22), Mr. Rajapaksa said that he was not satisfied with the measures taken by the government with regard to the current situation.

Accordingly, he said that the safety of the people must be ensured immediately and therefore the opposition members were ready to assist the government with the same.

"We aren't satisified with the government's measures concerning the attacks. This is because prior notice was given regarding such incidents. The deaths of a large number of people could have been prevented if proper awareness was made," the opposition leader said.

However, he noted that it is not the right time to point fingers at each other and instead it was important to support the restorative measures of the government since this is a national problem which concerns the country as a whole.

"It is indeed sad to witness a sitation arising like this less than 10 years after the 30 year long war," the former President noted adding that an inquiry must be conducted to determine how certain suspects of the Easter Sunday attacks were released previously.

He also questioned as to why the other suspects were not arrested despite the police having a list of 90 suspected names. "Undue influence had thawrted the process of apprehending these suspects. That's the truth," Opposition Leader Rajapaksa noted.