The wife of former State Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Suresh Sallay has made a fresh appeal to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to extend her husband’s Detention Order, citing what she described as a critical and life-threatening cardiac condition.
In a letter dated Aug. 20, S.B.M.S.B. Sallay requested that her husband instead be transferred to remand custody under judicial supervision while continuing to receive specialised medical treatment.
According to the letter, Sallay’s health deteriorated during his detention, particularly after he began a hunger strike. He was transferred to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka on June 7 and subsequently moved to its Cardiology Unit on June 27.
She said Sallay later underwent a cardiac procedure during which an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) was implanted due to continuing heart problems.
His wife said the procedure requires close and specialised medical observation and warned that removing him from the National Hospital and returning him to Criminal Investigation Department custody could pose a serious risk to his life.
She urged the president, who is also the minister of defence, to allow the current Detention Order to expire and transfer her husband to remand custody, placing his detention and the ongoing investigation under judicial supervision.
She also stressed that neither Sallay nor his family intended to obstruct or interfere with the investigation and said they were prepared to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities.
The letter referred to the government’s consideration of replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, arguing that a further extension of Sallay’s Detention Order under the PTA was unnecessary given his medical condition.
Among her requests, Mrs. Sallay called for continued specialised cardiac treatment and post-operative care and urged authorities to ensure that no action is taken that could expose him to a foreseeable risk of further deterioration or death.
She described the letter as an urgent humanitarian appeal and sought the president’s immediate intervention “in the interests of humanity, justice, fairness and the preservation of life.” (Newswire)