MONETABRIEF – Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa could not recall events surrounding the disappearance of two undergraduates in Jaffna when questioned in court for the first time over alleged extrajudicial killings.

The 77-year-old former leader told the court on Tuesday that he had no recollection of the disappearance of Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, who were last seen inside a high-security zone in Jaffna.

The pair were allegedly killed by the military in December 2011, a day before International Human Rights Day. Their bodies were never found, but their motorcycle was later discovered at Chavakachcheri police station.

Rajapaksa was secretary to the Ministry of Defence at the time, while his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not accused in connection with the students’ disappearance. He was summoned as a witness. He initially refused to travel to Jaffna to testify, saying his life could be in danger if he went there. A video link was established on Tuesday for him to give evidence from the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Asked whether he knew about the abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr, Rajapaksa said he did not, although he remembered hearing the name.

The families of the two students are seeking to establish a military link to their disappearance, prompting the questioning of Rajapaksa. Some relatives staged a silent protest outside the Colombo court while he was testifying.

The hearing was postponed until November 27 to give Rajapaksa more time to study statements issued by his government at the time concerning the disappearance of the two students and thousands of others.

This is something that happened a very long time ago, and I can't remember anything from that period," Rajapaksa told the Jaffna court. Questions had to be repeated because he also said his hearing was impaired.

He has been accused of running death squads that targeted journalists and political rivals, but has denied involvement in the killings.

He is subject to an overseas travel ban in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people and wounded more than 500.

Rajapaksa has been accused of engineering the attacks to create instability and then emerge as a strong law-and-order candidate in the November 2019 election, which he won comfortably.

His former intelligence chief, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, has been in detention since February over allegations that he helped orchestrate the attacks. Sallay denies the allegations. (Colombo/Sept29/2026