UPDATE: PSC on Easter Sunday terrorist attacks commence sittings

UPDATE: The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to probe and report to Parliament on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks commenced its first sittings in Parliament a short while ago. The sittings are open to media. 

By Sandun Jayawardana

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to probe and report to Parliament on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks commenced its first sittings in Parliament a short while ago. The sittings are open to media. 

This is the first time that a PSC’s sittings have been opened to the media in Parliament history.  Defense Secretary General (Rtd) Shantha Kottegoda will be the first witness testifying before the committee. 

PSC Chairman Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri is not present today. Accordingly, Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne will preside as Acting Chairman.

Committee members Dr Rajitha Senaratne and M.A. Sumanthiran are currently overseas. However, the committee has power to decide its quorum and it was announced that enough members are present to conduct sittings.

In his opening remarks, Acting Chairman Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne said the attacks tore the social fabric, which is the glue holding the country’s society together. “Rebuilding that is the challenge that the country as a whole now faces,” he stressed.

He said committee members were politicians. “However, we will now have to take off our politicians’ garb when discharging our duties as PSC members,” he explained.

He said opening the PSC sittings to the media was both an opportunity as well as a challenge and urged the media to cooperate by reporting proceedings accurately. 

PSC on Easter Sunday attacks to meet today ; proceedings open to the press

The Parliamentary Sitting Committee which was appointed to investigate into the Easter Sunday attacks will convene with proceedings open to the press from today (May 29).

Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri heads the Committee which was appointed on May 22.

The committee has been tasked with investigating whether the relevant authorities had received intelligence warnings prior to the attacks and if so, why steps were not taken to act upon them.

The shortcomings in the country's security apparatus, and the contributing factors to such acts of terrorim will also come under close scrutiny before the committee.

In addition, the committee will also launch a probe to determine whether any parliamentarian or minister had played a political hand in influencing the Easter Sunday terror attacks on April 21.