Colombo: Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remembered 2019 suicide attacks which left over 200 persons dead in his message on Easter Sunday while the country was engulfed in a curfew to combat Coronavirus.

“The Christian community in Sri Lanka, together with their brethren all over the world celebrates East, the commemoration day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with utmost devotion,” President Rajapaksa said.
 
“The devotees are shocked and saddened by the Corona pandemic faced by the world community today.

In 2019 Islamist extremist groups mainly Sri Lanka’s East that sprang up during a long running war with Tamil separatists carried out suicide blast on Churches and hotels.

The blasts were followed by nationalist attacks on Muslims businesses and mosques.
 
President Rajapaksa swept to power in November 2019, with an electorate angered against the then-administration which had not taken action despite multiple warnings from India about impending attacks.

“The Easter festivities in the past were full of joy and delight,” President Rajapaksa said. “However last year it left a sorrowful memory of pain and loss.

“Even today the shock has not been fully erased.

“The commitment of the government is to ensure justice for the people who suffered.”

Sri Lanka is under nation-wide curfews to combat the spread of Coronavirus and flush out any infected contacts that may have escaped aggressive contact tracing carried out by the health authorities and intelligence services.

Up to April 11, Sri Lanka has confirmed 199 persons with two new persons being confirmed on Saturday. (Colombo/Apr12/2020)

https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-president-remembers-2019-attacks-in-easter-message-amid-coronavirus-65288/