Puttalam DIG Chammika Siriwardana said that Sri Lanka suffered a civil war for 30 years and during that period; many people, both civilians and members of the armed forces; lost their lives. Therefore, the country should not be pushed back to such a situation again.
He said, “In this country, Muslims live in harmony with all other communities. Therefore, we should not make any rash decisions. The perpetrators behind this belong to a small group. Hence, our goal should be to stop them and them alone.”
He was speaking at an awareness programme on the security of the towns and religious places in Puttalam, which was held on Wednesday morning at the Puttalam Muhiyadheen Jumma Masjid. The event was arranged by the Puttalam Police and more of such programmes are to be conducted at the Buddhist Centre, as well as Hindu kovils and Catholic churches.
“We have identified around 180 persons who are suspected to be connected to this incident. The origins of this group have been traced back to Kattankudy and it had spread to other parts of the country from there,” the Puttalam DIG said.
“The LTTE fought against the Government of Sri Lanka as they sought to obtain a separate state. These terrorists claim that this attack was in retaliation to the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, but that argument is ludicrous,” he added.
DIG Siriwardana said, “This country is a beautiful country and all its communities live in harmony. Therefore, if you have any information on the suspects, please contact the authorities.”
Puttalam District Secretary H.N. Chithrananda, Puttalam District Jammiyathul Ulama President Abdullah Mahmood Alim, Puttalam Superintendent of Police J.A. Chandrasena, Puttalam Police OIC Anura Gunawardena, and several high-ranking officials from the armed forces participated in the event.