7 March 2017 06:31 pm
He told a media conference that these arrests had jeopardised national security.
Navy Intelligence Officer Dhammika Anil Mapa, Lieutenant Commander Sumith Ranasinghe and solider Udaya Thushara were arrested recently.
“When I questioned several Police officers, they said the arrests were made because of pressure from foreign countries regarding Human Rights violations. But President Maithripala Sirisena expressed his views to the country clearly and said he would not allow military intelligence personnel to be arrested in an arbitrary manner. If there is a report of wrongdoing by military intelligence personnel, action must be taken after a proper investigation,” the Thera said.
He said the Prime Minister had idea about the consequences of arresting military intelligence personnel. "Questions have arisen among people as to who is responsible for the arrests, if the President or the Premier were not aware of it,” the Thera said. “This is not the way to investigate matters connected to military intelligence personnel.” (Chaturanga Pradeep)
Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana