ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s defence agencies are staying vigilant over intelligence information of an extremist group operating from the East, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said.
The Cabinet Spokesman’s comments come after a weekend media report with comments from the Minister of Public Security over an extremist group from the Eastern town of Kalmunai.
“At the moment, we have information that there is a group operating based in the Eastern Province,” Jayatissa, also Media and Health Minister, told reporters on Tuesday (4) at the weekly post-cabinet media briefing.
“The intelligence and security agencies are in the process of unearthing more information regarding that. At the moment we can say the security agencies are vigilant about their activities.”
The Sunday Times, quoting Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, reported that the Government has received intelligence reports of attempts to propagate extremist ideologies within the Muslim population in the Eastern Province.
Minister Wijepala had said the reports were based on information received by both the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and military intelligence.
“EXTREMIST IDEOLOGIES”
Minister Wijepala had said “surveillance of certain places of religious activity had found that children in particular were being indoctrinated in extremist ideologies” and “these extremist ideologies were contrary to the teachings of Islam”.
“Most of such activity has been reported from the Kalmunai area, and SIS and military intelligence units have both increased monitoring these activities,” Minister Wijepala was quoted to have said.
“We will not allow the spread of extremism and racism in the country again. We will take measures to nip such issues in the bud.”
Residents of Kalmunai told Economy Next that a group has been operating in the area for five years, though nobody has been arrested on any suspected terrorism-related activities.
The group, led by a professional, has been preaching against school education, doing professional jobs, and lavish spending for weddings.
MURKY PAST
Sri Lanka’s security agencies faced severe criticism for their negligence in addressing the rise of extremism in the Eastern Province, which ultimately contributed to the devastating Easter Sunday bombings in 2019.
In the years leading up to the Easter Sunday attacks by Islamist suicide bombers, groups had been spreading extremist ideologies and operating in areas in the Eastern towns of Kattankudy and Sainthamaruthu.
The negligence by the then government was further compounded by a lack of coordination between intelligence agencies and law enforcement, as well as political infighting that led to the disregard of crucial security warnings. (Colombo/March 04/2025)
