Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has claimed that a statement given to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) by the father of a child killed in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings could be “harmful for the country".
Speaking in parliament on Friday, Premadasa said the father of Vihanga Tejan, who was killed in the attack at Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel, had informed the UN rights office that he was dissatisfied with the lack of progress in investigations.
“This is harmful for the country,” Premadasa declared. “You must take steps to reassure the victims and give them the credibility they seek.”
The remarks come amid ongoing international scrutiny of Colombo’s handling of the Easter Sunday bombings, which killed more than 260 people. Victims’ families have repeatedly accused successive governments of cover-ups and political interference in the investigation.
Premadasa also demanded that parliament be given access to reports from the Cabinet Secretariat and the Attorney General that formed the basis for rejecting a no-confidence motion against Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara.
A group of opposition MPs submitted the motion in August, citing serious concerns over Jayasekara’s alleged involvement and conflicts of interest in the investigations. Jayasekara, who currently serves as Acting Minister of Defence, has faced increasing criticism from victims’ families over his role.
Premadasa, however, insisted there were “no personal issues concerning Aruna Jayasekara,” and said his call was for procedural transparency in how the motion was dismissed.
Premadasa’s remarks echo his earlier opposition to international accountability for mass atrocities. He has repeatedly dismissed calls for an international investigation into the Tamil genocide, insisting that domestic mechanisms are sufficient despite their repeated failures.