Azath Salley continues fast: Health condition deteriorates
Picture: When Salley Met Rajapaksa To Strengthen His Hand
By Franklin R. Satyapalan-May 4, 2013
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The health condition of former deputy Mayor of Colombo and leader of the Tamil Muslim National Alliance, Azath Salley has deteriorated as he still refuses food and continues with his fast, family members said yesterday.
Salley, was admitted to Ward 55 of the Colombo National Hospital on Friday following his arrest by the CID under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
"He refuses to take any food and is still going ahead with the fast he launched after his arrest on Thursday", they asserted.
The CID has denied Azath’s request for private medical attention and also disallowed even parliamentarians from visiting him in hospital, which is in breach of parliamentary privileges, they said.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, M. A. Sumanthiran said yesterday that he was able to see the arrested former deputy Mayor in hospital after he told CID officers that he is a lawyer and a MP.
"Though I am not a doctor, I could understand that his health condition was deteriorating as he continued to refuse food or any liquids", he said.
"When I asked him why he was fasting, Salley replied that it was as a mark of protest against the injustices against him after he were arrested illegally on trumped up charges", the MP said.
Salley told me that the President and the government should be held responsible in case his health failed, Sumanthiran recalled.He quoted Salley as saying that he was questioned by the CID about an interview he had given to an Indian magazine whilst in India, in which he had been misquoted. He had told investigators that he contacted the magazine and raised the need for a clarification and the editor promised to publish it in the next issue.
The wife and daughter of Salley were subsequently permitted to visit him in hospital on Friday, family members said.
The mobile phone of police media spokesman, SSP Buddh Siriwardena remained switched off and attempts to reach senior DIG Anura Senanayake were also futile as his mobile went unanswered.
Family members said that following Salley’s arrest by the CID from his daughter’s house at Salamulla, Kolonnawa on Thursday, All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) leader, Minister Rishard Bathurdeen was the first member of the ruling UPFA government to speak to the government on his behalf.
The CID had denied entry to UNP parliamentarians Ravi Karunanayake, Karu Jayasuriya and Dr. Jalath Jayawardena, All Ceylon Muslim Congress General Secretary, Y. L. S. Hameed and Mayor of Colombo A. J. M. Muzzamil to see Salley.
Salley, a nephew of senior Cabinet minister A. H. M. Fowzie, served as a former deputy Mayor of Colombo.
He was a longstanding member of the UNP but later crossed over to UPFA ranks at the invitation of the President. He was elected a CMC opposition member but later broke ranks with the UPFA.
The Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) has requested the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian, S. Sritharan, to appear at the TID headquarters over the comments he has made to the press on alleged land acquisition in the Kilinochchi District. Sritharan told Ceylon Today, two men from the TID had even visited his house in Jaffna and inquired about him from his wife.
“A person identifying himself as PC Thilakaratne from the TID spoke to me over the phone on Thursday and requested me to be present at the TID headquarters. He told me the TID needs certain explanation on the comments I am supposed to have made over the alleged land acquisition by the Army in the Iranamadu and the Paravipanchan areas in the Kilinochchi District to the media,” he said.
Commenting further on the call from the TID, Sritharan said it was the fourth time he would be questioned by the TID. “I was first invited to the fourth floor in May 2012, then in November 2012 for the second time and third time in the early part of this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, another TNA Parliamentarian, Suresh K. Premachandran, was also questioned at the fourth floor a week ago, over an interview he had given to the Indian media.
2013-05-04