A request by former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to speak with detained paramilitary leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan, has been denied by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), according to the Public Security Ministry.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirmed that one of Wickremesinghe’s security officers contacted CID officials seeking permission for the former president to speak with Pillayan, who is currently being held under a detention order issued under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The CID rejected the request, citing regulations that prohibit suspects in custody from engaging in phone conversations except with legal representatives or close family members.
Wickremesinghe’s request has sparked controversy and triggered an internal CID investigation, with senior police sources noting that the former president was fully aware of the legal restrictions.
“It is well known that individuals held under detention orders cannot engage in phone conversations, except with legal representatives or close family members. Former President Wickremesinghe is fully aware of this protocol. That he would still request to speak with Pillayan specifically – and not with any of the other political figures or individuals currently being questioned under similar circumstances – raises serious questions,”a senior CID officer told reporters.
United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale defended the attempt, stating that Pillayan had “assisted Ranil Wickremesinghe” and that “it was his responsibility to inquire” following the arrest of a former ally. Atukorale dismissed suggestions of misconduct, claiming “there is nothing to hide here.”
While Wickremesinghe’s request was denied, former Member of Parliament Udaya Gammanpila, an outspoken Sinhala nationalist and leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), was granted permission to meet Pillayan in his capacity as legal counsel.
The meeting took place at the CID office on 13 April, reportedly under strict surveillance by four police officers, in conditions Gammanpila described as a breach of attorney-client confidentiality.
Gammanpila has since launched a public campaign defending Pillayan, insisting that his detention has no connection to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, despite earlier claims from government officials. “To claim he masterminded the Easter bombings is a joke,” Gammanpila said at a press briefing. He added that Pillayan was in remand custody between 2015 and 2020, making it impossible for him to have been involved.
The former MP claimed that Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration had attempted to link Pillayan to the Easter Sunday case, even though the detention order – signed by the president – makes no mention of it. According to Gammanpila, the order relates solely to the alleged 2006 abduction and disappearance of Professor Sivasubramaniam Ravindranath, the then Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University.
During his meeting with Pillayan, Gammanpila said the former paramilitary leader was visibly emotional. “He broke down and asked whether he was being punished for helping the country defeat the LTTE and how many more years he had to suffer,” Gammanpila told the media.
Pillayan, a former Eastern Province Chief Minister and ex-LTTE commander turned TMVP leader, was arrested by the CID on 8 April in Batticaloa and formally detained on 12 April under the PTA.
