TheState Intelligence Service (SIS) is anintelligence agency of theSri Lankangovernment.[1][2] It is the primary civilian intelligence agency of Sri Lanka and is responsible for both internal and external intelligence-gathering. It comes under the purview of theMinistry of Defence. The agency was originally namedNational Intelligence Bureau.
SIS is responsible for the collection of intelligence about threats from internal and external sources to be used in the formulation of government policies and strategies. The duties carried out by the SIS are mainly categorised into,[3]
Collection and analysis of information.
Conducting undercover investigations.
Conduct background checks on applicants recruited to sensitive institutions including the Armed Forces, Police and other selected state institutions.
Issue threat assessment reports on VVIP and VIP security and governmental affairs.
Conducting training programs for other institutions.
Maintaining foreign relations on national security issues
The SIS is part of the Ministry of Defence and is separate from thePolice andMilitary intelligence but its staff consists of those from both police and military backgrounds. The SIS is led by a director general, traditionally from the Police but this was broken in 2019.[4][5]
Until 1984, theSri Lanka Police were responsible for internal intelligence functions, first under the Special Branch, and later under the Intelligence Services Division.[citation needed] The perceived failure of the Intelligence Services Division during the riots of July 1983 led theJunius Jayawardene Government to re-evaluate the nation's intelligence network, and in 1984 the President set up a National Intelligence Bureau.[6] The new organisation combined intelligence units from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police.[7] It was renamed the State Intelligence Service (SIS) in 2006.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) agents successfully infiltrated Sri Lankan government and military organisations resulting in the assassinations of several high-ranking military personnel, including MajorTuan Muthaliff and Colonel Tuan Meedin both of theDirectorate of Military Intelligence, putting Sri Lankan intelligence services in a desperate condition.[citation needed] Under the Defence SecretaryGotabhaya Rajapaksa the intelligence agencies that were in desperate condition built-up a cohesive apparatus, which achieved significant success, including anti-LTTE operations overseas and the SIS played a huge role in theFourth Ealam war. The SIS was involved in the dismantling of the large number of long-term sleeper cells planted by the LTTE in cities, helping Police track down criminals who were helping the LTTE for financial gain.[8][4]
In January 2015 the director of the SIS, Chandra Wakista, resigned following the presidential election, amid allegations of phone tapping of opposition politicians.[9] In March Nilantha Jayawardena was appointed as the SIS director.[10]
In December 2019 the newly elected presidentGotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Brigadier Suresh Sallay, the former head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, as the head of SIS. Sallay is the first director of the SIS to come from Military Intelligence instead of the Police, in April 2024 Colonel Javid appointed as the SIS deputy director.[5]
^abMoorcraft, Paul L. (19 March 2013).Total destruction of the Tamil Tigers : the rare victory of Sri Lanka's long war. Barnsley, South Yorkshire.ISBN978-1-78383-074-9.OCLC865026030.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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