Sri Lanka today commemorates the one-year anniversary of the coordinated terror attacks that left the country devastated on the 21st of April 2019.
A two-minute silence was observed at 8.45 am in remembrance of the victims of the tragic carnage which killed over 250 including foreigners and injured at least 500 people.
On Easter Sunday last year, in a coordinated move by a local militant group called National Thowheed Jama’ath, bombs were detonated at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapiriya, Zion Church in Batticaloa, Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Shangri-La hotels in Colombo, a guest house in Dehiwala and at a housing complex in Dematagoda.
Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency immediately after the bombings and probes were launched into the incident, which led to the arrest of many who have had links to the suicide bombers.
Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith recently appealed to all Sri Lankans to observe a two-minute silence at 8.45 am in remembrance of those who were victimized by the catastrophic attacks.
In his sermon at a Mass celebrated at his residence this year’s Easter Sunday, the Cardinal said “Some misguided youths attacked us and we as humans could have given a human and selfish response,” adding that But we mediated on Christ’s teachings and loved them, forgave them and had pity on them.”
As Sri Lanka is currently under curfew owing to the local outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, public congregations to commemorate the Easter Sunday attacks have been called off.
The general public was accordingly requested to light a lamp and observe religious practices at homes.
(Ada Derana)