Cabinet Approves New Oversight Committee for Easter Attack Recommendations

Sri Lanka's Cabinet has granted approval for the establishment of a new oversight committee tasked with formalizing and monitoring the implementation of recommendations concerning the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The proposal for this committee was put forward by the President, acting in his capacity as the Minister of Defence. Its primary objective is to ensure the effective execution of findings from both the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) and the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security. While the Cabinet had previously approved the implementation of these recommendations on May 17, 2021, a systematic and formal mechanism for practical oversight and progress evaluation was reportedly lacking. The new committee will operate under the supervision of the Presidential Secretariat, comprising representatives from relevant ministries and institutions, alongside an expert in counter-terrorism and national security, to prevent similar destructive events in the future.