… questions his role as Eastern Commander in 2019
The parties in the Opposition have unanimously decided to submit a no-confidence motion against Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekera and hand it over to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne next Monday (11).
The decision was taken at a meeting held yesterday at the Opposition Leader’s office, where party leaders agreed to proceed with the motion, claiming that Jayasekera, during his tenure as Eastern Security Forces Commander, had failed to act on intelligence reveived regarding the activities of National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) leader Zaharan Hashim
Opposition MP Mujibur Rahman told the media that MPs had begun signing the motion yesterday at the Opposition Leader’s office, in Parliament. Alongside the no-confidence motion, MPs are also signing a resolution calling for the appointment of a select committee to oversee the drafting of a new Constitution in keeping with the NPP’s pledge, he said.
The Opposition has decided to move the no-faith motion against Jayasekera following very serious allegations made in Parliament, on 24 July, by Opposition MP Nizam Kariapper. He accused Jayasekera of having ignored a critical intelligence on Zaharan’s extremist activities, dating back to 2015. The revelations, he said, were detailed in a B report submitted by the CID to the Colombo Magistrate, which had allegedly been kept hidden for years.
“After the sacking of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in October 2018, Aruna Jayasekera, who was then Head of Intelligence in Batticaloa, was appointed Security Forces Commander in the East,” Kariapper said. “The Vavunathivu attack on the police happened during the same month. A cover-up ensued, leading to the imprisonment of an interpreter, while those who failed in their duties now sit in Parliament.”
Kariapper described the situation as “a verdict of King Kakille”, denouncing, what he called a miscarriage of justice. He also highlighted Jayasekera’s long involvement in military intelligence, including his service in the 1989 counter-insurgency unit, and later as the Army Intelligence Chief in the East before retiring in 2019 and forming an ex-military officers’ association.
Kariapper said the CID had, in April, recommended the cancellation of passports belonging to five intelligence officers accused of negligence. “Who is the powerful figure preventing action ?” he asked.
The Catholic Church has also called for Deputy Minister Jayasekera’s resignation to ensure an impartial investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks, adding further pressure on the government as the Opposition rallies around the motion.
Kalutara District SJB MP Ajith P. Perera said that the Opposition parties had unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against State Minister of Defence Jayasekera.
Perera told the media that the motion would be submitted to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramanayake next Monday (11).
By Saman Indrajith
