Sri Lanka descended to the depths of despair in terms of its internal security with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe calling the breakdown of communications, a ‘very very very expensive mistake.” Mr. Wickremesinghe did not specify whose mistake it was. He also denied that there was any difference between him and the President.
In the meantime the Judicial Medical Officer’s department in Colombo revised the death toll downwards from 359 to 253. The JMO also revealed that they had several bags of ‘body parts’ which would push the death toll upwards. To establish the identity of the ‘body parts’ the JMO confirmed that a database of DNA reports was being complied.
In spite of the appalling breakdown of communication as the PM put it to Britain’s Channel 4 TV network Sri Lanka’s controversial Prime Minister refused to accept responsibility only saying that he was unaware of the reasons why he had not been informed.
However previously Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was quoted by the TV networks as stating that the PM had indicated a prior knowledge but that it (law and order) was not within his purview.
This seeming difference in the PM’s statement has not augured well.
In the meantime hotels started to report ‘massive’ cancellations and also reported tourists cutting short their stays in Sri Lanka. Chaotic scenes at the Colombo International Airport added to the negative experience tourists had in Sri Lanka.
