The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, there is a vital maxim: justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done. The Hon. Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake, described the Easter attacks as an incident orchestrated by the Rajapaksas via their agents within the State to create a fear psychosis and justify a Gotabaya-led return to power. I agree. That means the political influence of those defeated in 2015 remained strong within the State even four years later to execute such an incident.

¶ 02 Can anyone who truly wants justice believe that a State structure influenced by 20 years of power—10 in office post-2006 and another prior—could be cleansed in six or seven months after you came to power? When the State is an accused party, segments corrupted and politically influenced, you cannot expect justice from internal investigations. It violates natural justice: how can the accused investigate itself?

¶ 03 That is why I disagree with merely setting up an independent Prosecutor’s Office with international assistance. For a crime like Easter, where the State is an accused party, the investigation itself must be international. You do not have independent control over the State. Even the Minister of Justice had to go to CID to complain about sabotage when his PhD listing in Parliament was questioned. That shows how deep political influence runs. Under these circumstances, genuine justice will not be achieved; at best, you will catch small fry.

¶ 04 Recall Chemmani mass graves and Tamil experiences. You supported the Chandrika Government—the accused party in Chemmani. In 1996/97, despite a dock statement in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case that 500-600 bodies were buried in Chemmani, only 15 were found. Current mass graves are a few meters from the original site; yet the State did not even look 100 yards further. This is what happens when the State is accused. This is not a Tamil, Sinhala, or Muslim matter; it is about legitimacy of investigations so victims feel justice.

¶ 05 Therefore, an international investigation is needed where the State is the accused, as in Easter. As for Chemmani and war crimes, your President says there will be no prosecutions, only a Truth Commission; you were accomplices; you supported the war. If you want to fix a broken State, do it in a way victims can trust.

¶ 06 One more matter: On 24 October 2024, Mohamed Suhail Mohamed Rifai, from Mawanella, a cabin crew trainee, was arrested by Dehiwala Police for not carrying his NIC while renting a room. He was produced in court on 25 October; after his father produced the NIC, he was released, went home to Mawanella, and was then re-arrested that night by Dehiwala Police. He has been detained for nine months under the PTA because of a phone post supportive of Palestinians and against Israelis—an emoji of an Israeli flag with a person pricking it with a sword. How can that be a PTA offence? This is absurd and fuels public prejudice against the State. You say the PTA will be used properly—on what grounds? Intervene and release these people. It is unacceptable.