IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 346 
Recognizing the devastating April 21, 2019, terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka 
and observing 10 years since the end of Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil 
war, which ended on May 18, 2009. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2019 
Ms. TITUS (for herself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. 
ADERHOLT, Ms. OMAR, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 
YOHO, and Mr. CHABOT) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the devastating April 21, 2019, terrorist bomb-
ings in Sri Lanka and observing 10 years since the 
end of Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, which ended 
on May 18, 2009. 
Whereas, on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, terrorists deto-
nated bombs in the Sri Lankan cities of Batticaloa, 
Colombo, and Negombo, killing more than 250 people, in-
cluding 45 children, and injuring at least 500 others; 
Whereas the victims came from more than a dozen countries 
and included people worshipping at Easter services at 
Zion Church in Batticaloa, St. Anthony’s Shrine in 
Kochchikade, Colombo, and St. Sebastian’s Church in 
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•HRES 346 IH 
Negombo, as well as the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri- 
La, and the Kingsbury hotels; 
Whereas four American citizens were killed in the attacks; 
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has identified the 
group National Towheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) as responsible 
for the attacks; 
Whereas following the attack, ISIS-affiliated social media ac-
counts published a video depicting NTJ members believed 
to be the attackers pledging allegiance to ISIS and said 
that the attackers targeted nationals of counter-ISIS coa-
lition member nations and Christians in Sri Lanka; 
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation has deployed a 
team of agents to Sri Lanka to support the Sri Lankan 
Government’s investigation into the April 21 terrorist at-
tacks; 
Whereas the April 21 terrorist attacks were the deadliest in 
Sri Lanka since the end of that country’s civil war that 
concluded on May 18, 2009; 
Whereas Sri Lanka has worked toward transitional justice, 
reconciliation, and reform since the end of the country’s 
decades-long civil war and has pledged to strive for fur-
ther progress on these fronts, which are essential for a 
lasting peace, ethnic and religious harmony, and a pros-
perous future for all; 
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has expressed its com-
mitment to addressing the needs of all ethnic and reli-
gious groups, ensuring all may live in security, equality, 
and dignity, and has recognized the necessity of a polit-
ical settlement to build a peaceful, equitable, and demo-
cratic society; 
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•HRES 346 IH 
Whereas reconciliation is a long-term process that must be 
led by the Sri Lankan government and driven by the peo-
ple of Sri Lanka, including civil society and nongovern-
mental organizations; 
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has expressed its com-
mitment not to allow the emergency powers instituted fol-
lowing the April 21 terrorist attacks to infringe upon the 
civil liberties and human rights of Sri Lankans; 
Whereas the use of such emergency powers should not be al-
lowed to exacerbate ethnic or religious conflict or to jus-
tify the abuse of the rule of law; and 
Whereas the United States is home to a large Sri Lankan di-
aspora that has become an integral part of and made sig-
nificant contributions to American society: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) offers its deepest condolences and sym-
pathies to the families and friends of the victims, 
those who were injured, and all those affected by the 
April 21 terrorist attacks; 
(2) acknowledges the 10th anniversary of the 
end of the country’s civil war and calls on the 
United States Government to continue to support 
Sri Lanka’s efforts to advance justice, account-
ability, and reconciliation throughout the country, 
and the healing of all people that have been affected 
by the war and the April 21 terrorist attacks; 
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(3) calls on politicians, civil society, and all Sri 
Lankans not to allow the April 21 terrorist attacks 
to impede Sri Lanka’s efforts to address the root 
causes of the civil war, the government’s responsi-
bility to protect citizens of all communities, or the 
government’s efforts to address accountability and 
reconciliation; 
(4) calls on the Sri Lankan government to en-
sure the protection of vulnerable communities, in-
cluding religious and ethnic minorities, to prevent 
acts of violence directed against any particular com-
munity; 
(5) acknowledges the importance of parties 
reaching a long-term political settlement that helps 
advance mutual respect and reconciliation in the 
country; and 
(6) calls on the United States Government to 
implement policy with regard to Sri Lanka that im-
proves economic and trade ties as well as human 
rights and addresses counter terrorism and security 
sector reform, while supporting initiatives that focus 
on accountability and reconciliation. 
Æ 
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