The wife of retired Major General Suresh Sallay has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to extend her husband's detention order, requesting instead that he be transferred to remand custody due to serious heart problems requiring specialized medical care.
S.B.M.S.B. Sallay submitted a letter on August 20 to the president requesting that her husband's detention order be allowed to expire rather than face renewal. According to the letter, the former State Intelligence Service Director requires ongoing specialized cardiac treatment that can only be properly provided within a hospital setting, raising concerns about his welfare if returned to Criminal Investigation Department custody.
Major General Sallay's health situation has deteriorated markedly during his detention period. He was admitted to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka on June 7 and subsequently transferred to its Cardiology Unit on June 27. During his hospitalization, he underwent a cardiac procedure in which an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator was implanted to address continuing heart complications. His wife warned that relocating him away from specialized medical facilities could pose a serious risk to his life.
In her letter described as an urgent humanitarian appeal, Mrs. Sallay requested that her husband be placed under judicial supervision through remand custody instead of continued detention under current orders. She emphasized that neither her husband nor their family intended to obstruct the investigation and expressed willingness to cooperate fully with authorities. The letter also referenced the government's ongoing consideration of replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act with a new Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, arguing that further detention extensions under the current legislation were unnecessary given his medical circumstances.
Mrs. Sallay called on the president, who also holds the defence ministry portfolio, to intervene on humanitarian grounds and ensure continued specialized treatment while safeguarding her husband from further medical deterioration.
