News

Eyebrows raised over axing Covid Prevention State Ministry Secretary

Published

6 years ago

2021/03/14

Sahan Weerasooriya

‘High achievers cannot co-exist amidst tail waggers and tale-carriers’ – PSUNU leader

By Suresh Perera

The unceremonious exit of Sri Lanka’s most senior medical administrator just three months after his appointment as Secretary to the State Ministry of Primary Health Services, Pandemics and COVID Prevention, has raised more questions than answers, especially at a time the country is in the throes of a raging deadly virus.

The sudden removal of Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva, a medical specialist with a highly acclaimed academic background, has triggered speculation that the marching orders came after, what was described as “preferential treatment” accorded to a former national cricket captain to receive the Covid-19 jab.

The assertion seems to have gained currency, going by social media reports doing the rounds, but if true, it’s a “from the sublime to the ridiculous”

scenario as VIP lists to administer the vaccine on a priority is an open secret, health officials said.

Colombo’s Mayor Rosy Senanayake was also accused of forwarding a list of 700 plus names for preferential treatment for the jab. The well tabulated list became the talking point after it was posted on social media platforms. However, the Mayor vehemently denied prioritizing any VIPs for the vaccine, saying it’s a “bid to vilify her”.

While many VIPs and their relatives received the jab without much hassle, health officials said that it was to the credit of Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara that his wife Wasanthi stood in the queue for almost two hours at an inoculation centre in Colombo.

She politely declined a request to be given the vaccine on a priority basis and stood in the queue for her turn”, they said.

“Eminent medical professionals who have proved their mettle are being tossed around and posted to institutions, which are totally irrelevant to their knowledge and expertise”, says Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, president of the Public Service United Nurses Union (PSUNU).

What’s happening in the government health sector is beyond sense and logic. Everything has gone haywire, he complained.

Can anybody justify moving out an accomplished medical specialist cum the country’s senior most medical administrator to an institution where they make poonac”, the prelate asked, referring to Dr. de Silva’s transfer as Secretary to State Ministry of Backward Rural Areas Development & Promotion of Animal Husbandry and Minor Economic Crop Cultivation.

The crux of the matter here is not so much about administering a vaccine to a cricketer, but the incompetence of the health secretary on whose watch the whole health sector has plunged to a new low, he asserted.

“It is a clear cut case of incapable officials feeling uneasy and uncomfortable when there are highly accomplished and competent people in their midst”, he remarked.

The initial faux pas was the transfer of eminent Consultant Surgeon, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, who spearheaded the first Covid-19 wave as Director-General of Health Services, the PSUNU leader recalled.

“Dr. Jasinghe earned plaudits for effectively tackling the initial Corona outbreak and instead of being honored for a job well done, he ended up in the Environment Ministry, an alien, non-medical institution”, he noted.

Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva, who coordinated the concerted effort against Covid-19 as Secretary of the State Ministry in charge of the specific subject, was paid with the same coin. He has now been moved out to supervise animal husbandry, the prelate continued.

Health officials said that Dr. de Silva played a pivotal role in coordinating the import of Covid-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka and put together the inoculation drive.

As a top medical professional, he knew what he was doing unlike some officials in the hierarchy who are groping in the dark, they said. “It appears that high achievers cannot co-exist amidst tail waggers and tale-carriers”.

Dr. de Silva served as the Deputy Director-General (Medical Services) prior to his appointment as Secretary to the State Ministry in charge of Covid prevention. (Also see GMOF statement on Page 3)

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.