<p>President Maithripala Sirisena said the Easter Sunday bombings were a "cowardly attempt" to discourage his nationwide narcotics crackdown.</p>
<p>Sirisena, speaking at a ceremony in Colombo, said that he had given continous leadership throughout his political career to prevent destruction caused by the drug menace. He claimed that the island was able to reap many benefits of drug prevention programmes before the deadly attack.</p>
<p>The President had signed a declaration to impose capital punishment for drug traffickers earlier this year but was met with concerned opposition parties. </p>
We need your support. Every contribution counts.
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.