Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe lashed out during an interview with Deutsche Welle when asked for a response to serious concerns raised by the Channel 4 documentary on the Easter Sunday bombings and the need for an international investigation, earlier this month.
Read a transcript of the interview below.
_____
Interviewer: Let's go to what has become probably one of the biggest stories in Sri Lanka over the last couple of weeks, which is a Channel 4 report on the presumed collusion of members of the state with a terrorist group, in what is the worst terrorist episode…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Why do you treat Channel 4 as sacred?
Interviewer: I don't. I actually don't.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: A lot of people in Britain don't. Why are you only asking about Channel 4?
Interviewer: I'm not asking about Channel 4 specifically. What I'm saying is that there is a very, just a second, there is a very concrete accusation when there is an accusation of this size.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Because the media gives accusations. Why should I do this?
Interviewer: Well, I mean…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: The former Attorney General, the former director of CID has made accusations. Why are you only asking me about this?
Interviewer: It's really not just channel four it's a Catholic Church that is asking for an investigation. It's actually a former president under whom you served.
Ranil Wickremesinghe Look, I'm asking you that you didn't ask me that when I pressed you. Only you said that he wanted that former president after you. You came with the Channel 4 report as gospel truth. Can you let me answer?
Interviewer: By all means, please do.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Firstly, in regard to Channel 4, I have appointed a committee with a judge who's heading the committee, a former commander of the air force, and a well-known lawyer to go into it. Secondly, in regard to the...
Interviewer: There is nobody that believes that this commission has teeth enough to do anything.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: That is your view, that is not my view.
Interviewer: No, no, it's not mine, sorry. If I may ask you...
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no, let me finish off.
Interviewer: You don't need to answer if you don’t want, but I can ask.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Look, look, I am telling you. That is your view, not mine.
Interviewer: No, this is the Catholic Church.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Forget it, forget it. I am not asking the Catholic Church. I am giving a reply. That is only the... I am dealing with the Bishop's conference, not with the Cardinal.
Interviewer: Okay, what about…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Bishops conference wanted all the proceedings of the commission. I gave it.
Interviewer: They are looking for an independent investigation that is transparent.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: There was an independent commission that they agreed. Just because. As far as I am concerned. You don’t deal with the Bishops Conference, I do. And they come and meet me not you. You sit here, you take a piece of paper.
Interviewer: Certainly.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I have talked to the Bishops conference. I will talk to them when I go back again. The second, sorry, the second one is a parliamentary committee. So if there's any anything that is not done on this the Parliamentary committee will again go into it. It's Parliament that has to finally decide as far as president Sirisena’s matter is concerned, I am going to meet… He'll meet me when I come back and I speak to him because, since he appointed one commission, I want to ask him if he wants to… I have done nothing, I am not involved with. I am trying to resolve it.
Interviewer: I understand
Ranil Wickremesinghe: And you take a piece of paper by the Cardinal and you are… you are reading it out there. Have you spoken to The Bishop's conference?
Interviewer: Sorry?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Have you spoken to the Catholic Bishop?
Interviewer: No, no I haven’t.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Then you have no right to ask me this question.
Interviewer: Well, I think that’s an exaggeration, it’s in the public interest to ask the question.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: In the public interest I am answering. Who are you?
Interviewer: So, can we move on to the next question?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, you didn’t come here to ask questions, you tried to corner me! The government is not doing anything?
Interviewer: I have certainly not claimed that you’re not doing anything?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no, you, you, you take this Western attitude out! You are doing it!
Interviewer: I think it's actually the case that you have several people that have requested an international aided independent investigation of the Easter bombings
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Sri Lanka government doesn't have international inquiries full stop. It's, it's the… Few people may have asked but Parliament doesn't and there is. I forgot to tell you the FBI reports which says that no one outside was involved. We had the FBI, we had the Scot-, British police, we had the Australians, we had the Indians, we had the Chinese all there. And the Pakistanis.
Interviewer: You do realize that this makes it look like you're paying lip service to the question of accountability?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I’m not, I’m not…
Interviewer: I’m not saying that you are but it makes it *look*...
Ranil Wickremesinghe: If the FBI has come in, if the Indians have come in, if the English have come in, if the Australians have come in, if the Chinese have come in, and if those secret services have agencies that have given reports then what are you saying?
Interviewer: Well I'm saying that…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: What I’m saying is you're talking nonsense!
Interviewer: It might well be but you have a long history…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No no.
Interviewer: Let me ask the question. You can answer whatever way you want but if you would let me ask the question then at least we could get to that.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no, no, I'm telling you don't come and accuse me that is not the way you run. look I have been doing this game long before you.
Interviewer: I believe you.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I've been running. I've been involved in television I've been in media.
Interviewer: That's perfectly fine. You will not accept..?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no. I'm telling you we have a thing that the Western media thinks we are bad. the way we have inquiries, we are by using Sri Lankan Personnel. Now you are saying… Look that is out. It is out. We will not have international inquiries on any issues. UK hasn't got. Germany hasn't got. what have you got? what international inquiry are you going into? what are the ones that UK has gone into? why this poor Sri Lankans, Asians? You think we are second class?
Interviewer: No, I don't. At all. I actually think…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Okay do you think we are second class?
Interviewer: I don't.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Then why are you asking that?
Interviewer: Because you have a history of commissions since 2008, at least, till today that have essentially produced nothing. I can list them for you. Udalagama, Lessons Learned…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Can I tell you? These were the commission about the Easter blast. There have been enough of those we have acted on all that. On reconciliation is a different matter. There are commissions we have acted on, and we haven't.
Interviewer: Mr Wickremesinghe. There is a long..,
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no.
Interviewer: You have to let me talk at some point
Ranil Wickremesinghe: If you think that we are third rate country.
Interviewer: I don't, I don't.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no, you, you, you have got it wrong. So if you can’t talk.
Interviewer: It’s not the claim and it's not what I said.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: You came and shout at me.
Interviewer: I'm not shouting at all.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: So therefore, I am asking you the questions.
Interviewer: Here is the next question. As a matter of fact I mean there is now the last report of the UN, and human rights in Sri Lanka remains dismal. So much so that now the American Congress has 12 people from across the aisle that are actually asking the Biden Administration to put pressure on your government to figure out how you're going to actually curb what are abuses. You have just announced a couple of months ago a new Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the ones I just listed had essentially no teeth.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Sorry, no that's it. you got it wrong that is not a normal presidential commission. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be agreed with these countries, that we have established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. At the moment discussions on with the parties plus the government and by… we are talking with the Western governments.
Interviewer: Indeed.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: These senators may put this in… we are talking with the Western governments and the Truth and Reconciliation bill will come to Parliament before end of the year. Since I took over there has been no major issues.
Interviewer: You can actually go yourself and I'm sure you have seen the UN report for less than a month ago that is still talking about…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no.
Interviewer: May I finish the question? Can I finish the question?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no I'm telling you can exactly that UN report has been rejected!
Interviewer: By whom?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: The government of Sri Lanka has rejected it!
Interviewer: Okay the government of Sri Lanka rejected it.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: So who has given it? I am not accepting that UN report.
Interviewer: So the UN is wrong on this?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Not the UN. The Human Rights Commission is wrong, yes.
Interviewer: The Human Rights Commission is wrong. Clearly, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch are wrong as well.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: The Human Rights Commission is wrong.
Interviewer: Okay. So the fact is that…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: The report was written by the human rights commissioner. If Amnesty International say there is something new let them come.
Interviewer: Will you commit to having a criminal investigation? I mean there are ministers in your own government that are requesting…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Who? Who are the ministers?
Interviewer: Well Fernando I believe.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Which Fernando?
Interviewer: look the question is, would you agree to have the criminal investigation department…?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, no, you tell me that, I have. So I have two ministers. minister of commerce is a Fernando. Minister of tourism is a Fernando. Neither of them have asked for it. You have made a serious accusation, you tell me the Fernando.
Interviewer: What is the serious accusation?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: That two ministers on my cabinet want an investigation.
Interviewer: That’s not an accusation, that’s actually in the public domain.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Well that means you’re wrong.
Interviewer: Can I ask you a follow on?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: As far as I am concerned… under the law only the police can investigate like in your country.
Interviewer: Right.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: And then if the police reports to the magistrate, the magistrate can order further inquiry.
Interviewer: Would you bring the criminal investigation department to investigate?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Certainly. Certainly they're investigating. they're already there.
Interviewer: Okay and there will be absolutely no question of an international observers or collaboration?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No, I do not see the need for it. Do you have international obervers in your cases?
Interviewer: Between sixty thousand and hundred thousand people disappeared in Sri Lanka and you still have…
Ranil Wickremesinghe: At the end we have to still work. I think the numbers are supposed to be less.
Interviewer: So it's basically something that can be cavalierly dismissed?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: We have a missing persons commission that's going into it.
Interviewer: That has been going into it for a while.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I became president only one year ago.
Interviewer: Well you’ve been prime minister. You’ve been in power six times.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Yeah, so?
Interviewer: So this is part of a country that you have inherited but you have also built.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: All these were set up, the last commission... was set up when I was prime minister. You stop it, I stop it, we go off. Right. You are shouting, I am being bad.
Interviewer: Why can't you answer?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: you haven't done this, your homework properly. you come to come and shout and saying that we are violating human rights - we are not.
Interviewer: There is a very, there is a very strong case.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I disagree.
Interviewer: Can I ask you a last question perhaps? Obviously you can completely disagree with this but in fact there are like a lot of people in the centers of power around the world that you actually are now reliant on that believe this to be a very serious issue and to believe to be Sri Lanka - let me please finish this question - believe actually Sri Lanka to have not delivered on accountability, not delivered on Justice. What you're promising for many of these people is essentially moot. Are you concerned that this kind of attitude will compromise what actually you now need from the international community? Is this a concern at all?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: I am working with the International Community on putting this right. We are working together with them. They know we are doing it. We are discussing everything. My foreign minister is discussing with them all the time and they know all that. so what you have got is a lot of bunker.
Interviewer: *attempts to speak*
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Hold on, you asked the question. I gave a reply. It’s over right?
Interviewer: This is not a concern at all?
Ranil Wickremesinghe: No because we are doing it with the country I respect human rights. I have the best record you just come here and Shout.
Interviewer: Thank you very much president Wickremesinghe.
Ranil Wickremesinghe: Thank you. Thank you.
