Security at churches across Sri Lanka beefed up for Easter

COLOMBO: Security at churches across Sri Lanka have been beefed up ahead of Easter on Sunday, police said on Saturday, in the wake of the April 2019 coordinated attacks on tourists and minority Christian community in the country in which 270 people were killed
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“We have tightened security of churches by deploying over 12,000 security personnel,” Senior Deputy Inspector General and police spokesperson Ajith Rohana told reporters here.

Sri Lanka’s police and military will give protection to 1,944 churches around the country on the second anniversary of an Islamist suicide bombing attack, Deputy Inspector General Ajith Rohana said.

“A special protection will be given to 1,944 churches island wide with more than 12,040 armed forces personnel providing security for the general public that comes for the prayers,” DIG Ajith Rohana said

Bombers hit several churches and hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday, 2019.

The first two explosions occurred almost simultaneously at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Colombo, and St. Sebestian’s Church in Katuwapitiya Katana.

Explosions were also reported from the Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa, and three luxury hotels in Colombo: the Shangri-La, the Kingsbury and the Cinnammon Grand.

The blasts caused 259 deaths including 30 foreigners marking it as one of the largest suicide bomb attacks in history.

Sri Lanka has had conducted to Presidential commissions of inquiry over the incident where a warning given by neigbhoring country on impending attacks was not acted upon.

Minister PrasannaRanatunga said a ministerial committee appointed to study which studied the report on a Presidential Commions and the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security of the parliament will hand over the to the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (5).