The Rajapaksa regime has operated in supportive of Muslim and Buddhist extremist groups including National Thowheed Jammath and Bodu Bala Sena, Cabinet Minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said.
Minister Senaratne pointed out that it was under the previous government that Sharia Law was gazzetted on April 19, 2013.
“All Islamic fundamentalist countries follow the Sharia Law. All the colleges that teach fundamentalism were established under this Sharia Law. Two hundred Mosques were established during the former-regime under this same law,” Minister Senaratne further pointed out.
Minister Senaratne also alleged that former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa “is the father of establishing radical Islam in Sri Lanka.”
Minister Senaratne made these observations at a press brief held at Temple Trees yesterday evening.
Reading from a report, Minister Senaratne said, “The intelligence authorities have now established that during the Rajapaksa regime, a secret account of the Defense Ministry had allegedly funded the National Thowheed Jammath, Bodu Bala Sena and other Muslim and Buddhist extremist groups. The Secretary of the NTJ Abdul Razik has been an Army Intelligence Member. A closest alia of Ex- Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, now a retired Major General had coordinated these Sinhala and Muslim extremists. He was also head of the Special Security Operations Committee that functioned under Gotabhaya’s instructions during the last Presidential Election. The committee had planned the conspiracy to seize power on January 08,” the Minister alleged.
Minister Senaratne also pointed out that 26 members of the NTJ including Razik, have been paid salaries via the intelligence agencies.
“Now Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says that he will tackle radical Islamists operating in the country. He probably can tackle them considering that he was the one who was behind the breeding of these extremists.” Senaratne alleged.
Minister Senaratne also spoke of a chain of events that highlighted a connection between the recent news stories that hinted a major political change in the country and the Easter Sunday terror attack.
“In one of the newspapers, it was said that a major political change would take place after April 15. In parallel to this news, the Media Secretary-Media Director of President Maithripala Sirisena has also updated his Facebook which says that a significant change will take place in the country after April 15. The post said the change could be a “heart wrenching and a terrifying terrorist attack.” This post was published on April 16. The said terror attack did take place on April 21 and the post mentioned was removed immediately on April 22. This media secretary allegedly has close connections with Ex-Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando as well. They knew of this terror attack beforehand. I demand that President look into these developments. This put his life in danger as well,” Minister Senaratne pointed out.
Meanwhile, Minister Senaratne pointed out that photos are available which prove that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, MP Udaya Gammanpila and MP Wimal Weerawansa had allegedly met with the members of the NTJ as well.
“Then government member M.L.A.M. Hisbulla and Dullas Alahapperuma signed agreements to establish a Sharia University. Now they are demanding it be abolished,” Senaratne said.
Referring to Retired Major General Kapila Hendawitharana, Minister Senaratne alleged that “Hendawitharana was the Chief Security Officer of Shangri-La. Are you asking a man who couldn’t save the Shangri-La to protect this country?”
Meanwhile, Minister Senaratne also revealed that the leader of the Islamic terrorist movement in Sri Lanka has been taken into custody by the Security Forces.
According to Minister Senaratne, the said leader is a Sri Lankan and he is responsible for the entire operation of the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Senaratne pointed out the National Thowheed Jammath is the armed wing of the Islamic terrorist movement in the country.
Minister Senaratne said that the leader arrested was not Mohammad Cassim Zahran. “The latter couldn’t have been the leader of NTJ. If he was, he would not have committed suicide,” he said in reply to a question posed by a journalist.
Asked if the arrested members of the NTJ have admitted that they were the armed wing of the terrorist movement, Senaratne said that some of them have admitted and some have been identified as attackers.
“We shall be arresting all the Islamist fundamentalists, since fundamentalism is the beginning of terrorism,” Senaratne also said.
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