Global Sri Lankan Forum appeals to President over Suresh Sallay’s detention

The Global Sri Lankan Forum appealed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to extend the detention order issued against former Director of the State Intelligence Service Major General (retd.) Suresh Sallay under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

His second detention period is due to expire on August 28.

In a letter to the President, the organisation claimed that Sallay’s name was not mentioned as a suspect or an accomplice in any formal investigation, police report, or Presidential Commission report into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Forum alleged that his arrest was based on an unsubstantiated statement made by an individual currently living under political asylum in France after fleeing Sri Lanka while facing an arrest warrant.

It called for any allegations against Sallay to be dealt with through the courts, arguing that continued detention without sufficient evidence could undermine public confidence in the justice system and affect the morale of national security and intelligence personnel.

Meanwhile, Sallay’s wife also wrote to the President for a second time, urging that his detention order not be extended and that he instead be transferred to remand custody, citing his serious heart condition.

She said Sallay requires continuous specialist medical supervision following a cardiac surgical procedure and warned that removing him from the National Hospital and returning him to CID custody could pose a serious risk to his life.