The Cabinet on Tuesday urged former State Intelligence Service director Major General (Retired) Suresh Salley to fully cooperate with the Easter Sunday probe by disclosing everything he knows, even as opposition figures pushed back against an MP’s claim that his personal laptop contains classified terrorism intelligence.
Cabinet Spokesperson and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing that as a former intelligence and military officer, Salley should hand investigators any information that could assist the inquiry, Ada Derana reported. “The best thing Suresh Salley can do is disclose what he knows about the Easter Sunday attacks and assist the security authorities. There is no point in hiding information,” he said.
On detention conditions, the minister said no special prison cell or separate facilities had been provided to Salley and that standard procedures applicable to detainees held under detention orders were being followed. Family visits and food deliveries were permitted, and medical treatment was being offered without delay. Health and security authorities were closely monitoring his condition, he added.
Hours earlier, Democratic National Alliance National Organizer Niruksha Kumara called claims that Salley’s laptop contains classified intelligence on terrorism in Sri Lanka “a serious issue,” NewsFirst reported. The claim was made earlier by Sri Lanka Freedom Party MP Dayasiri Jayasekara at a public event in Kandy. Niruksha questioned how a retired intelligence chief could possess classified material belonging to the State Intelligence Service, and asked how the MP himself came to know what was allegedly on the device. He urged politicians not to make statements based on unverified information and warned against politicising sensitive national security issues.
The exchanges add to a busy week around the Salley detention. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka said its probe into alleged mistreatment in CID custody was continuing after a cell inspection flagged inadequate ventilation, while the CID rejected Manori Salley’s request for daily lawyer access and retained the existing court-ordered Wednesday meetings. The Health Minister had earlier in the week pushed back against family claims of a critical condition, saying Salley was stable at the National Hospital. The original detention sits inside the broader Attorney General’s case that names him as a “key driving force” of the Easter Sunday attacks.
