Udaya Gammanpila defends Pillayan, calls detention unjust and politically motivated

Attorney-at-Law and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Prabhath Gammanpila has strongly defended former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan or “Pillayan,” calling him a true patriot who played a key role in defeating LTTE terrorism in the Eastern Province.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (April 15), Gammanpila said he visited Pillayan in his capacity as a lawyer and expressed deep concern over his current detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Pillayan is being held in connection with the disappearance of Professor Sivasubramaniam Raveendranath, the former Vice Chancellor of Eastern University, on December 15, 2006.

Gammanpila stressed that Pillayan had no connection to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and had not made any statements related to them. He accused the police of using coercive tactics to create a false mastermind behind the attacks, warning that such actions could damage the justice system.

“If someone is accusing a person who was in custody from 2015 to 2020 of being involved in the 2019 Easter attacks, then that person’s mental state needs to be examined,” Gammanpila stated.

He also pointed out that many politicians have taken photos with Zahran Hashim, the identified mastermind of the Easter Sunday attacks, yet none of them have faced serious consequences. “If even one of them was arrested as the mastermind, there would at least be a small reason for such claims,” he said.

Gammanpila revealed that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had signed the detention order against Pillayan. He reminded the public that the President had earlier promised to reveal key details about the Easter Sunday attacks before April 21, 2025. However, he questioned whether this promise would be kept.

“There are only a few days left for the deadline. The President is now in a difficult position, unable to reveal anything. The police have misled him,” Gammanpila said.

He also spoke about a recent incident where a junior lawyer from Pillayan’s legal team was denied access to meet him at the CID on April 9, 2025. After learning about the situation, Gammanpila contacted Pillayan’s family and reached out to the CID Director. Following a formal request, he was granted permission to meet Pillayan on April 13, 2025 the day before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The 30-minute meeting took place under the watch of four police officers. Gammanpila highlighted that discussions between a suspect and their lawyer should be confidential, but the officers refused to leave. “Now there are four eyewitnesses to everything I said,” he noted.

Gammanpila said Pillayan became emotional during their conversation, recalling how he had left the LTTE and fought against the group at great personal risk. “He had tears rolling down his cheeks,” Gammanpila shared. “Those who backed the LTTE back then are now MPs and NGO leaders, while someone who helped defeat terrorism is being unfairly detained.”

He questioned the legitimacy of the charges against Pillayan and called for recognition of his efforts in ending terrorism. Gammanpila emphasized that Pillayan had no knowledge of Professor Raveendranath’s disappearance until recently and called for the issue to be handled fairly and legally.

---

---