[3][4] He has won several international journalism awards for his work, and in 2000, the New York Times described him as "the country's leading military correspondent.
"[1] In 1997 and '98, Athas wrote a series of articles for the Sunday Times detailing the disappearance of 70,000 mortar shells purchased by the Sri Lankan government from Zimbabwe.
"[9] In two articles in August 2007, Athas reported on the purchase of second-hand MiG-27 jet fighters from Ukraine, suggesting that the deal had been corrupt.
The first, on 12 August, was titled "MiGs loaded with millions in mega frauds; The Sunday Times investigation reveals shocking double-deals and wheeler-dealings; While Lanka remains hush-hush, Ukraine Govt.
[11] W. G. Gunaratne, a journalist who translated Athas's articles into Sinhala for the newspaper Lankadeepa, also reportedly received a death threat from an Air Force officer.