President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presided over the launch of two major healthcare infrastructure projects today (16) in the Northern and Eastern provinces, marking the start of construction on a new Cardiology Unit at the Trincomalee District General Hospital and an Accident and Emergency Unit at the Mannar District General Hospital.

Both projects, funded through foreign assistance, are aimed at expanding specialised medical care outside the Colombo region and bringing critical treatment services closer to communities that have historically had to travel long distances for such care.

The Trincomalee Cardiology Unit, being built at a cost of Rs. 2,403 million with financial support from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Health and Medical Services Improvement Project, is intended to consolidate comprehensive cardiac diagnosis and treatment services for the people of the Eastern Province at a single facility.

The eight storey building will house modern operating theatres, outpatient services, inpatient treatment facilities and fully equipped laboratories, with construction scheduled for completion by May 2028.

New Accident and Emergency Unit for Mannar

In Mannar, construction has begun on a new Accident and Emergency Unit funded through a Rs. 600 million grant from the Government of India, with the facility expected to be fitted with modern equipment to strengthen emergency and trauma care services in the district.

The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2028, after which residents of Mannar will be able to access emergency trauma care and other specialised treatment without needing to travel to Colombo or other major cities.

Alongside the construction work, the government has already begun arrangements to provide the hospital with the medical equipment and trained staff needed to operate the new unit effectively.

Sri Lankan-born politician Kamzy Gunaratnam has been appointed Norway’s new Minister of Transport, marking another milestone in her political journey from Jaffna to the Norwegian Cabinet.

The Norwegian government officially appointed Gunaratnam to the post on September 11, replacing Jon-Ivar Nygård. As Transport Minister, she is responsible for policies relating to the transport of people and goods, as well as postal services.

Born Khamshajiny Gunaratnam in Sri Lanka in 1988, she moved to Norway with her family as a young child and later became active in Norwegian politics through the Labour Party.

Gunaratnam entered the Oslo City Council in 2007 at the age of 19 and went on to serve as Oslo’s deputy mayor from 2015 to 2021. She was elected to Norway’s Parliament, the Storting, in 2021 and was re-elected for the 2025-2029 term.

She is also a survivor of the 2011 Utøya massacre, when a gunman attacked a Labour Party youth camp.

Gunaratnam has continued to maintain an interest in developments in Sri Lanka during her political career in Norway.

In February 2026, she raised Sri Lanka’s human rights situation during a debate in the Norwegian Parliament, recalling that she was born in war-torn Sri Lanka in 1988.

She also specifically referred to the discovery of human remains at Chemmani in Jaffna and raised concerns over unresolved questions surrounding people who disappeared during the conflict.

Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, and two alleged military intelligence informants have been further remanded until September 29 over their alleged involvement in a series of killings in Batticaloa in 2008.

Batticaloa Magistrate A. Darshini issued the order today (15) during a hearing conducted via video conference.

The CID arrested Pillayan and the two suspects in connection with the killings, which included the shooting deaths of a police officer and others, as well as the abduction and killing of a businessman.

During today’s hearing, the CID made submissions on the ongoing investigation. The counsel who represented Pillayan also raised concerns regarding his prison meals and requested telephone contact between him and his mother.

The Magistrate ordered prison authorities to submit a report on the matter on September 22.

The court also renewed the arrest warrant for another suspect in the case who is believed to be in London. The CID said a request had been sent to Interpol seeking assistance in arresting him.

Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris today (15) informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that investigations had uncovered information suggesting that Military Intelligence had prior knowledge of the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks but deliberately withheld vital intelligence, allegedly allowing the attacks to take place.

The allegations were made during the latest hearing of the case against three suspects, including former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay, in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Shani Abeysekara, who heads the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), appeared for the prosecution along with Additional Solicitor General Peiris.

Peiris also raised concerns over the continued failure to produce medical reports relating to Suresh Sallay, who has been receiving medical treatment since June 7.

“Today marks 100 days since the third suspect, Suresh Sallay, has been receiving medical leave,” Peiris told court, alleging that the medical leave was being used to obstruct investigations and protect those he described as Sallay’s “employers.”

The prosecution questioned why the Director of the Colombo National Hospital had not yet submitted reports concerning Sallay’s current medical condition, despite an earlier court order.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena confirmed that the reports had not yet been received.

President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando, appearing for Major General Suresh Sallay, also asked whether the court had received the findings of a five-member panel of specialist doctors appointed to assess his client’s mental condition and determine whether he had been subjected to torture.

The Magistrate said the panel had requested additional information from the Director of the Colombo National Hospital and that, although the court had subsequently issued the necessary orders, the requested reports had still not been submitted.

Peiris then alleged that there was a “medical conspiracy” surrounding Sallay’s continued stay at the National Hospital, questioning the extent of treatment being provided to him.

He asked the court to order the hospital director to appear with a detailed report on Suresh Sallay’s medical condition.

Allegations concerning Military Intelligence

During his submissions, the Additional Solicitor General made several serious allegations concerning the conduct of Military Intelligence in the period leading up to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

According to Peiris, investigators had recorded a statement from an intelligence informant, identified as Kambiyan Thavalan, who had allegedly been providing information to the Sri Lanka Army about extremist groups since 2014.

Peiris told court that the informant had provided specific intelligence about the planned attacks in the days immediately preceding Easter Sunday, including information on the day before the attacks.

However, he alleged that the relevant Military Intelligence unit failed to communicate the information to other security agencies.

The prosecution further alleged that an organized group within Military Intelligence had sought to protect Zahran Hashim and conceal those allegedly responsible for the attacks.

Peiris also referred to the 2018 killing of two police officers in Vavunathivu, claiming that the investigation had initially been directed toward former LTTE members.

He said Colonel Maddumage, who was then in charge of the Giritale intelligence camp, had subsequently provided written information identifying Zahran as being responsible.

Peiris alleged that those who concealed such information were connected to Suresh Sallay.

Other individuals named in court

The prosecution also referred to several other individuals during the hearing, including former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and a Mannar businessman identified as Alawdeen.

Peiris alleged that Bathiudeen had provided political protection to individuals connected to the attacks.

He also alleged that Alawdeen, described as the father-in-law of Shangri-La bomber Inshaf Ahmed, had provided speedboats allegedly used by Zahran and his associates to travel to India before the attacks.

The prosecution further alleged that Alawdeen’s daughter, who was married to Inshaf Ahmed, had been released from detention during the presidency of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and claimed that Alawdeen had supported Rajapaksa’s election campaign.

Peiris said investigators would record statements from political figures, including the current Opposition Leader and other MPs who had previously raised related allegations in parliament.

Intelligence warnings allegedly ignored

The court also heard allegations concerning former State Intelligence Service Director Nilantha Jayawardena.

Peiris said Police Inspector Ranjan Senarath Bandara, who had been attached to the intelligence service’s extremist division, had submitted a list containing the names of 94 suspected extremists to Jayawardena before the Easter attacks.

The list allegedly included the names of Zahran and his brother Rilwan.

According to the prosecution, Jayawardena had instructed the officer to investigate further. Peiris alleged that the officer subsequently met Zahran’s brothers but did not arrest them.

“If they had been arrested at that time, the Easter attacks would not have occurred,” Peiris told court, arguing that this indicated that elements within the State Intelligence Service had also been aware of information concerning the attacks but failed to act on it.

Sainthamaruthu deaths under investigation

The prosecution also raised questions about the deaths of 16 individuals linked to the attackers in Sainthamaruthu on April 27, shortly after the Easter attacks.

Peiris said investigators were examining whether all 16 individuals had necessarily died by suicide and whether some could have been taken into custody.

He alleged that, because the area was under Army control at the time, investigators were examining whether members of the military had deliberately prevented the surviving individuals from being arrested in order to stop further information about the attacks from emerging.

Defence rejects prosecution allegations

President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando rejected the manner in which the prosecution had presented its allegations.

He argued that statements contained in B reports were not themselves evidence and said he would not attempt to respond to every allegation at this stage.

Fernando also challenged the prosecution’s comments about Sallay’s medical condition, emphasizing that he was a lawyer rather than a medical professional.

He asked the court to follow proper legal procedures and obtain the relevant medical reports concerning his client.

Hospital director ordered to appear

After considering the submissions, Magistrate Pasan Amarasena ordered the Director of the Colombo National Hospital to appear before court on September 22 and explain why the requested medical reports concerning Suresh Sallay had not been submitted.

The Director was also ordered to produce the relevant medical reports.

The case will next be heard on September 22.

The investigation into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of 278 people and left more than 500 others injured, took a dramatic new turn before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today, as prosecutors presented what they described as two significant new pieces of evidence relating to alleged links between former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley and others connected to the attacks.

Making extensive submissions before court, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris outlined what investigators believe to be a series of intelligence failures, suppressed warnings and suspicious actions by multiple individuals prior to the devastating attacks of April 2019.

One of the key pieces of evidence presented to court stemmed from information allegedly provided by a former military intelligence informant known as “Thambiyan,” a former LTTE Sea Tiger operative who had subsequently worked with Indian intelligence before returning to Sri Lanka.

According to the prosecution, the informant had been supplying intelligence regarding Zahran Hashim and his activities as early as 2018. Court was told that the intelligence had been passed through established military intelligence channels, first to an officer named Suranga, then to Colonel Ranawera, who was expected to relay the information to then Director of Military Intelligence Chula Kodituwakku.

However, prosecutors alleged that despite possessing detailed intelligence relating to Zahran and his network, the information was not shared with investigators in a timely manner.

The Additional Solicitor General told court that the same informant had identified Zahran and his associates as being responsible for the murder of two police officers in Vavunathivu, yet efforts had allegedly been made to portray the killings as an LTTE-linked operation and to implicate former LTTE member Ajanthan instead.

The court heard that while an officer in charge of the Third Military Intelligence Corps had informed the Criminal Investigation Department only nine days before the Easter attacks that Zahran’s group was responsible for the Vavunathivu murders, the informant had provided that same information almost immediately after the killings took place.

Prosecutors argued that the failure to share such intelligence with investigators raised serious concerns and had given rise to suspicions that certain intelligence officers may have participated in a broader conspiracy connected to the attacks.

The prosecution also unveiled further details regarding the movements of Zahran Hashim prior to the attacks. Court was told that intelligence agencies had gathered information indicating that Zahran had travelled to India on several occasions using sea routes from Mannar.

According to the submissions, investigators believe that upon returning to Sri Lanka, Zahran received political protection allegedly linked to former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. The Additional Solicitor General further alleged that financial assistance for these overseas trips had been provided by businessman Alavudeen, identified in court as the father-in-law of Inshaf, one of the suicide bombers who detonated explosives at the Shangri-La Hotel during the Easter attacks.

The prosecution further told court that following the attacks, Inshaf’s wife had been detained and questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department under detention orders. However, she had allegedly been released before the expiry of those orders following the change of government and the election of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Court was also informed that Alavudeen had played a leading role in managing Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election campaign activities in the Mannar area.

In another development, Additional Solicitor General Peiris sought a travel ban against former Police Inspector Konara Bandara, who had previously served in the police unit responsible for investigating extremist activities within the public sector. The court approved the request.

Explaining the basis for the application, the Additional Solicitor General told court that during his tenure in the State Intelligence Service, Konara Bandara had prepared two separate intelligence lists containing the names of individuals linked to extremist activities. One list reportedly contained 94 names, while the second included 126 names.

Significantly, prosecutors stated that both lists contained the names of Zahran Hashim, several of the suicide bombers involved in the Easter attacks and other individuals currently facing trial before the Colombo High Court.

Court was also informed that on April 3, 2019, intelligence received from foreign sources regarding Zahran had been transmitted by then SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena through official channels to Konara Bandara for follow-up action.

According to the prosecution, Konara Bandara subsequently travelled to Kattankudy and met Shayni Moulavi, the younger brother of both Zahran Hashim and Rilwan. Despite Shayni Moulavi’s name reportedly appearing on one of the extremist watch lists, he was not arrested. Instead, prosecutors alleged that a meeting took place and no enforcement action followed.

The Additional Solicitor General argued that had Shayni Moulavi been arrested at that stage, investigators may have had an opportunity to apprehend Zahran and potentially disrupt events leading to the Easter attacks. Investigators are now examining whether those circumstances themselves form part of a wider conspiracy.

The court was further informed that investigators intend to obtain statements from several Members of Parliament, including the Leader of the Opposition, regarding public remarks made over the years concerning Suresh Salley and matters connected to the Easter attacks investigations.

Peiris emphasized that Salley had not been arrested because of any personal decision by prosecutors or the Criminal Investigation Department, stating that concerns regarding Salley’s alleged role had first been raised publicly by opposition political figures within Parliament. Investigators now intend to formally record statements from those individuals regarding the allegations they previously made.

Appearing for Suresh Salley, President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando strongly challenged the prosecution’s submissions. He argued that the extensive claims placed before court constituted allegations rather than evidence and maintained that information contained in B Reports should not be treated as established facts.

Fernando told court that while he would not respond to each accusation individually, none of the matters raised by the prosecution amounted to evidence before court.

After hearing submissions from both sides, the court postponed further proceedings until September 22.