The Hon. Stepni (Stephanie) Fernando

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Easter attack victimized both Catholics and Muslims. Previous governments followed racist agendas—stoking discord for political gain. We govern with national unity.

¶ 02 Two hundred seventy-four died; around 600 were injured. In my district, at Katuwapitiya, 115 died and about 300 were injured. I visited that church; it was a pool of blood. Even then, some tried to provoke ethnic clashes and attack Muslim homes. But Catholic leaders—the Cardinal and parish priests—worked tirelessly to stop escalation. Because of their peace, our country avoided a large-scale Sinhala–Muslim conflict. I commend the Cardinal.

¶ 03 Our economic collapse began after Easter. The government at that time—Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maithripala Sirisena, Sajith Premadasa—was warned by intelligence of impending attacks but did nothing to protect the public. Some fathers warned their children not to go to church that day, but the State did not protect the people.

¶ 04 After the attack, many Muslims suffered; in Negombo, many had to abandon businesses. The National People’s Power government will punish all perpetrators and deliver justice. The attack shook the world; tourists died; tourism collapsed; other businesses fell. We will investigate all events and punish all offenders.