Won't shirk responsibility despite being unaware of prior terror attack warnings : PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that he will not shirk his responsibility over the recent terrorist attacks despite being unaware of prior warnings regarding the tragic incidents in the island .

Issuing a special statement today (Apr 26), the Prime Minister noted that intelligence reports warning about the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday were available prior to the incidents.

"As the Prime Minister of the country I take collective responsibility. I wish to express my sincere apologies to the public due to the lapses which had taken place in the government," Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

He also emphasised that these mistakes should not be committed in future since merely apologising would not suffice. "I take responsibility regarding that and I will remain committed," the Prime Minister assured in his statement regarding restoring of security and stability.

Mr. Wickremesinghe observed that the toursim industry and the country's economy have been badly affected in the aftermath of these incidents.

"The country is faced with losses amounting upto approximately USD 1000 billion. Sometimes this figure could be more. This is a serious situation. We must win the battle to uplift the country's economy as well," he pointed out.

Accordingly, he said that the government will take steps from next week onwards to rebuild the economy since the entire focus this week has been on the security of the country.

The Prime Minister, in his statement also noted that the USD 500 million grant received from Millenium Challenge Corporation, US today, would be utilised for development purposes in the country.