Image: Azad Maulana speaking at a side event in Geneva in September 2022.
PILLAYAN, WHILST IN BATTICALOA PRISON, IS ACCUSED OF HAVING AIDED AND ABETTED THE CONSPIRATORS OF THE EASTER ATTACK TO MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH ZAHARAN AND HIS SUICIDE TEAM.
EVEN AFTER MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA BECAME EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT IN 2015, REGULAR ARMY INTELLIGENCE PAYMENTS TO THE TMVP MERCENARY HAD BEEN CONTINUED.
ACCORDING TO MAULANA, TWO MONTHS AFTER THIS MEETING AND 14 MONTHS AFTER THE SALLAY- ZAHARAN MEETING AT WANATHAWILLUWA, THE EASTER ATTACK HAD TAKEN PLACE.
As the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks continue, high ranking defence officials probing the case have revealed to the Daily Mirror that travel bans on some former high ranking State Intelligence Service members has been imposed to prevent them from leaving the country.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, these officials who wished to remain unnamed said that they were in touch with whistle-blower Azath Maulana – the former Coordinating Secretary to Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan and according to the statement made by him at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva and to the UK based Channel 4, Pillayan was allegedly instrumental in laying the ‘foundation’ to the barbaric suicide attack.
Maulana’s revelations corroborate details given by former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) in charge of CID Ravi Seneviratne in an interview with this newspaper with regard to the Easter Bombings.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror on June 13, 2024, under the headline ‘Could Have Easily Avoided the Easter Attack If the SIS and DMI Did Not Mislead the CID’ Seneviratne who is now the Secretary, Ministry of Public Security said that he and his most senior officers could have avoided the attack if the State Intelligence Services (SIS) and Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) provided accurate information to the CID without misleading them. According to Seneviratne, the CID officers were misled by the SIS and the DMI following the murder of two Police Constables (PC) at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa on November 30, 2018; this eventually became the turning point of Zaharan’s mission that led to the Easter attack five months later.
According to Seneviratne, the intelligence services repeatedly framed former LTTE carders for these murders preventing the CID probe turning towards the Muslim extremist organization operating under the name National Thowheed Jamat (NTJ).
According to Seveniratne, the DMI had sent four false reports to the CID on December 5, 8, 14 of 2018 and January 3, 2019. All these reports stated that the murders were committed by the Ex-LTTE cadres for preventing them from honouring the dead on November 26, 2018.
Be that as it may, based on a complaint made on October 4, 2024, to the Secretary Ministry of Public Security SDIG (Rtd) Ravi Seneviratne by Executive Director, Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) Fr. Rohan Silva, the CID has recorded his statement on October 8 which led the CID to recommence the once stalled investigation.
The defence official said that following this, the CID on multiple occasions had questioned Pillayan and, are now in the process of questioning those who have been involved in the conspiracy.
The Defence official alleged that Pillayan- whilst serving a jail term in Batticaloa prison over the murder of former MP Joseph Pararajasingham- is accused of having aided and abetted the conspirators to get connected to Zaharan and his suicide team and to get their support for the Eater attack.
The UK based Channel 4 aired the controversial documentary in September 2023, where Azath Maulana alleged how Pillayan arranged a meeting for a high profile figure- who served as the Defence Attaché at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia- with Zaharan and his suicide team. According to Maulana’s allegations, this meeting was held at a coconut estate named Lactowatte at Wanathawilluwa in Puttalam district in January 2018.
This newspaper is in possession of a copy of Maulana’s statement given in Geneva on December 30, 2022 and also the video clips of Channel 4 revelation. This story is compiled based on these revelations made by the whistleblower.
Meanwhile this newspaper contacted Secretary Ministry of Public Security (Rtd) SDIG Ravi Seneviratne to know whether exposing these details would hamper the ongoing CID investigations to which the Ministry Secretary said that these details have been released in social media and even the Channel 4 revelation was aired in some TV or Radio channels.
“By exposing these details will certainly not hamper the CID investigations. Your paper can report what was transpired at the Geneva Human Rights Council (HRC) and in Channel 4,” Seneviratne said.
Granting bail
The Defence official further alleging how Pillayan was granted bail on November 24, 2020, by the High Court of Batticaloa said that Maulana had alleged that it was Basil Rajapaksa who got a Presidents Counsel (PC) and three members from the judiciary to support Pillayan to receive bail to ‘compensate’ for the support extended by him to them to bring yet another Rajapaksa sibling as the President of the country.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror on strict conditions of anonymity, sources from the Catholic Church of Colombo said that they are happy how the NPP government, as promised, is conducting investigations, with regard to the Easter bombings, in the right direction.
Meanwhile on November 2, 2007, Karuna Amman was arrested in London for entering the United Kingdom on a forged diplomatic passport, issued by the Sri Lanka’s SIS. Later the SIS wanted to get rid of Karuna Amman and promote Pillayan as the party leader of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). The Defence official based on the probe said that the then Chief of the Military Intelligence Service Suresh Sallay had told Pillayan that Karuna Amman was plotting to kill him and had wanted him to kill all Karuna Amman’s bodyguards. By doing so, the TMVP came under Pillayan’s control and he became its leader.
The TMVP was registered as a political party on January 23, 2008. Its first meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. Following this, Pillayan won the Eastern Provincial Council Elections held in May 2008. Eventually he was made Chief Minister by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Azath Maulana became his Coordinating Secretary.
According to Maulana’s revelation, from 2007 during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure, the Military Intelligence Service had paid TMVP Rs. 3.5 million per month. It was Maulana- on the directives of Pillayan- who had collected this money from the Military Intelligence Service.
Even after Maithripala Sirisena became Executive President in 2015, regular Army intelligence payments to the TMVP mercenary has been continued, the Defence official said. But according to this official, Sallay had once told Pillayan and Maulana that the monthly payments made to TMVP will not be possible in future under the new government as there is no possibility to give them a lump sum because whatever the money that is paid from the SIS, has to be paid only to those who are in their payroll. Hence the official alleged that Sallay had advised Maulana to give 15 fake names which can be included to the Intelligence Service payroll. As instructed Maulana had provided the fake names and as promised Sallay had made arrangements for Moulana to collect the money from the Military Intelligence Service, the official alleged.
Meanwhile the official further alleged that in 2009, Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had wanted Pillayan to handover part of their weapons to the government as the international community had pressurised the government to disarm the TMVP. It is alleged that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had asked Pillayan not to handover their entire stock of arms, but to retain some secretively, so that the government could show the international community that the TMVP was disarmed. On March 3, 2009, these arms had been handed over to Brig. Fernando and DIG Edison Gunathilake at the Vebber Grounds, Batticaloa by Maulana.
With the change of government, in March 2015, the CID had questioned Pillayan for over six hours with regard to the murder of MP Joseph Pararajasingham.
In September 2015, CID arrested Pillayan under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for his involvement in MP Pararajasingham’s murder. Five months later, he was transferred to the Batticaloa jail. In the meantime, Suresh Sallay was transferred to the Malaysian High Commission as the Defence Attaché.
The official said that according to Maulana, when Pilliyan was serving the jail sentence in Batticaloa, he had visited Pillayan regularly.
On one of these occasions, specifically in August 2017, when Maulana visited Pillayan, the official alleged that Maulana had spoken about some Muslim prisoners who had been brought to the same prison over a murder case at Alliyar Junction in Kaththankudy. Pillayan had allegedly told that that they were brought there for a special reason- to give them suicide attack training and wanted Maulana to keep it a secret.
According to the official, Pillayan had wanted Maulana to meet these prisoners. And on Pillayan’s request, a jailor had brought one of them to Maulana with the permission of Jail Superintendent Akbar. This prisoner had introduced himself as Saine Maulavi who is the brother of Zaharan.
The Defence official further said that according to Maulana, it was prearranged to bring the Kattankudy prisoners to the Batticaloa prison in order to train them as a suicide squad for the Easter attack without the knowledge of outsiders. Maulana alleged that this arrangement was planned by the hierarchies in the SIS.
Suicide tactics
Maulana in his confession had further said, “Pillayan told me that these Muslim guys are very tough and that he had taught them about LTTE suicide tactics. He further asked me to help them to come out of the prison as they may help us later.”
“Pillayan said that they are in trouble and wanted me to ask Rs. 50, 000 from Sallay and give it to Saine Maulavi’s brother Zaharan. When requested, Sallay sent the money through a third party. Zaharan came to my office at Lake Road, Batticaloa to collect this money.”
“Meanwhile, Sallay wanted me to inform if we need more money and deposited Rs. 200,000 to be given to Saine’s wife to pay for the lawyers’ legal fee to get bail for the Muslim prisoners. Later they were granted bail on October 24, 2017”.
By end January 2018, the official alleged that Pillayan had requested Maulana to arrange a meeting with Saine Maulavi and his team with Suresh Sallay as he was keen on meeting these Muslim prisoners from Kaththankudy. Pillayan had wanted Maulana to take part in the meeting too.
The official alleged that Sallay had requested Maulana not to come for the meeting in his car as a military personnel would come to pick him up in a military vehicle on a given date. Accordingly, an Army vehicle had arrived to pick up Maulana up from his house at Dehiwala and Saine Moulavi had promised to come with his team separately.
Episode in coconut estate
Maulana in his confession further states, “I was taken to a large coconut plantation- Lactowatte at Wanathawilluwa in Puttalam- where there was a small lonely house. When I reached the location there was a white colour Toyota car with tinted shutters parked there. No sooner I got off from the military vehicle, Sallay who was in the car too got out of his vehicle and came and shook hands with me. I then called Saine Maulavi to see where he was. I was told that they were on their way and could reach the destination within half an hour. Amongst those who accompanied Saine Maulavi was his two brothers Rilvan and Zaharan. Saine Maulavi introduced his brother Zaharan to me. I shook hands with him. That was the first and the last time I met Zaharan. Then Sallay walked up to us and I introduced Zaharan to him.“They then entered the small house, but I was not asked to come in. I remained outside until their three hour meeting concluded. Later Sallay called me personally and said that the only way to get Pillayan released is to get Gotabaya Rajapaksa elected as the President.
“The next day, I told Pillayan about this plan. Pillayan said that Sallay has a big plan to bring back Gotabaya into power. Sallay and Zaharan’s group met each other on February 1, 2018. It is Pillayan, Sallay and the Intelligence Services that should take the blame for the Easter attack”.
It is alleged that on February 11, 2019, through Suresh Sallay, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had sent a message for Maulana to come to his house at Balapokuna Road, Kohuwala for a meeting.
Kapila Hendawitharana and General Amal Karunasekara, who was the Directorate of the Military Intelligence at that time, too attended this meeting. From TMVP, one of its party members had attended the meeting with a lawyer. At this meeting Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told Maulana and the others who were present that if he was elected as the next President of the country he could release Pillayan from jail and for that endeavour, for them to work hard for him to get elected.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa had asked them to do what General Zam (pseudo name for Suresh Sallay) says, so that their boss (Pillayan) could be freed easily.
According to Maulana, two months after this meeting and 14 months after the Sallay- Zaharan meeting at Wanathawilluwa, the Easter attack had taken place. Maulana claims that Gotabaya Rajapaksa too was directly involved in this attack.
Maulana was in Batticaloa at the time of the Easter attack. While the televisions were showing the visuals of the suicide bombers, Maulana had recognised them as those who had met Sallay at Lactowatte in January 2018. He had immediately paid a visit to Pillayan in jail to inform the latter about this incident.
Maulana further states, “Although nobody knew who were involved in this, I quickly understood the conspiracy that had taken place over the past few months. I went to meet Pillayan around 11a.m. to break the news about the spate of blasts. By the time I went, Pillayan had received the news from jailors at the prison. Pillayan said that it was Sallay’s partners that had detonated the bombs and said that it is good for us because at the next elections Rajapaksa’s will come into power. He wanted me not to talk about this and asked me not to get worried about this incident as well.
“The following day news broke out that it was Zaharan and his group that had set off the bombs. On April 23, Zaharan’s bothers Saine and Rilwan together with their father Hashim, set off a bomb and committed suicide when the Army surrounded their house in Kalmunai. Zaharan’s wife and a child escaped”.
“A few days after the Easter attack, Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka from USA and said that he is willing to contest the upcoming Presidential Elections and his main slogan was to restore national security in the country. Meanwhile, the TMVP, on the instructions of Pillayan had decided to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa candidacy,” the Defence official said.
The official further alleged that during the election campaign, Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Batticaloa jail to meet Pillayan and had told him that as for the latter there was light at the end of the tunnel.
According to Maulana, when Basil Rajapaksa visited Batticaloa on November 1, 2019, he had gone to see Pillayan in jail and had given an assurance that he would be freed after the Presidential Elections.
Soon after Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory, Sallay was appointed Director State Intelligence Service. Until then, any Army personnel hadn’t been appointed to this post, according to Maulana.
The defence official alleged that since Rajapaksa’s failed to fulfill their promise given to Pillayan and on realising that there were no signs of getting him freed for several months after the victory at the elections, Pillayan wanted Maulana to meet him urgently. When Maulana met Pillayan, he had given a letter and wanted it to be handed over to General Zam
When this letter was given to Sallay on November 16, 2020, he had wanted Maulana to read it for him as it was written in Tamil, the official alleged.
In it Pillayan has stated, “Gen. Zam, this is to remind your President how he and his government came into power. I cannot stay in the jail anymore. If no further action is taken to get me out, everyone will have to face the consequences. I helped you all to win the election. Then Gotabaya Rajapaksa became the President and you became the Director SIS, but I am still in jail. Now you all, get ready to go to jail”.
When the letter was read out, Suresh Sally had grabbed it from Maulana, torn it into small pieces and burnt it, the official alleged.
Soon afterwards, Sallay had called the then Defence Secretary and since there wasn’t any response, he has contacted President’s Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara. As he too did not respond, he had given the contact details of Basil Rajapaksa to Maulana.
When help was sought from Basil Rajapaksa, he had given Maulana a contact number of a lawyer. He was Anil Silva PC. When Maulana met Anil Silva, he had taken over the case and said that he would appear on behalf of Pillayan considering Basil’s request, the Defence official alleged. When PC Silva appeared for Pillayan, though there was no chance for him to get bail for his client, Suresh Sallay had advised Maulana to ask the lawyers not to settle the case quickly and to push for a postponement. As per the request, Anil Silva PC had adopted that ploy.
Pillayan had known that this was a difficult case for him to win. Meanwhile, to ensure his security he was given a separate large cell at the Batticaloa prison. He had even used a mobile phone within the jail.
Afterwards, Maulana had requested Basil Rajapaksa to get Pillayan released at the earliest. Basil had told Maulana that Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera was adamant that Pillayan should not be released, the official alleged. Hence, Basil Rajapaksa had asked Maulana to request PC Silva to make an appeal as he had met one of the Judges who had promised to help Pillayan to get out of jail.
Maulana further says, “He gave a contact number of this Judge. When this judge was contacted, he wanted me to meet him at a coffee shop in Colombo. At this meeting, I handed over to him the entire case file. He wanted me to come and see him in three days at his office at Hulftsdorp Road. He said that the case is very difficult as all the primary evidence are very strong, but wanted me to ask PC Silva to appeal the case in Batticaloa against the verdict, so that the case will come to him. He said that if the case is referred to him, he will put the case to Court No: 201 where there are two Judges and that he will ask them to reject the source of evidence.
“When the case was taken up in October, the judgement was delivered in Pillayan’s favour and he was granted bail on November 24, 2020 by the Batticaloa High Court”.
Meanwhile, the Defence official alleged that Basil Rajapaksa appointed Sanjaya Rajaratnam PC as the Deputy Attorney General to get all cases against Pillayan dropped. On January 13, 2021, the Attorney General’s Department dropped all cases against Pillayan.
Following that, the opposition members revealed in parliament that Zaharan had worked hand in glove with the SIS. On April 15, 2021, Sallay had wanted Maulana to visit his office. At the entrance to Sallay’s office, his security guards had seized his mobile before allowing him to enter.
At this meeting, the official alleged that Sallay had pulled out his laptop and showed Maulana, MP Harin Fernando’s speech in parliament where he had said that this attack was a conspiracy to bring Gotabaya Rajapaksa into power and that Zaharan was in touch with State Intelligence. Thereafter, recordings of a zoom meeting was shown where Bishop Malcom Cardinal Ranjith and Fr. Cyril Gamini spoke. They too had said that this is a conspiracy and that Sallay was involved in this attack and this has to be investigated thoroughly.
The third video was of MP Nalin Bandara who says that Zaharan was working with the SIS and it was they who provided security and money to the terrorist group.
At the Easter Commission and even in Parliament MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake and MP Manusha Nanayakkara revealed how Suresh Sallay had met Zaharan at Lactowatte in Vanathawilluwa.
The official alleged that Sallay had then threatened Maulana that it was he (Maulana) and Pillayan who knew that he (Sallay) had met Zaharan, but Pillayan did not know every detail other than Maulana. Sallay, at that time, had made severe warnings.
It is alleged that Sallay had further stated that at the Security Council and the President had inquired about this and had ordered an inquiry to find out how such information was leaked.
Following this, Maulana had spoken to Pillayan seeking his assistance. Since all his attempts had failed and as his life was in danger, Maulana had left to India and from there to the Europe, from where he had decided to reveal the truth.