The interim report of the five-member committee appointed to inquire into the Mahara Prison unrest last week has found that the protests by the inmates inside the prison walls was justified, Colombo Telegraph exclusively learns.
Eleven prisoners died in the shooting inside the prison and over a hundred inmates were injured in the deadly attempt by Government troops to stop the unrest.
In its observations, the Committee chaired by Retired High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena noted that the protest by the inmates were justified because the prisoners had just learned on November 30, 2020 that there had been a massive corona virus outbreak inside the Mahara prison. The Committee noted that prisoners had grown concern for their safety because of the overcrowded conditions and a fever that was spreading rapidly throughout the prison. The Committee in its observations noted that under the circumstances the inmates had launched strong protests in order to ensure prison authorities acted swiftly to mitigate the danger to the lives of those imprisoned in the facility.
The committee also notes that reports had been made of neglect by prison officials during this incident and explained that a fuller observation of those facts would be made in its final report.
Ajith / December 10, 2020
Under this regime, protest is an offence and murder of protestors by state machinery is justified. This country had many commissions and recommendations but nothing stopped state sponsored murders.
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leelagemalli / December 11, 2020
Dear Friends,
there were several YT videos that brought proofs about how those jail guards reacted at the time, those prisoners were attacking the others. They just amused the moments as current president and the 40 thieves behave today in the current govt.
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These proof are not fake. Analysts world wide are well concerned of the situation. I have no doubt, after 5 years, we will again be branded as a place where not even BASIC human rights are safeguarded. MR led groups were branded then as highly abusive of all times, but today his brother et al is in the same path. Why dont the people get this clearly? Are the born punnakku drinkers ? Has that lot to do with sinhala genomes ?
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In parliament, all the men incl SPEAKER behave as if they are no different animals. Speaker himself does not respect the standards. He is the most silliest of all to get elected as the speaker to srilanken parliament. That Aluthgamage the man who is the most abusive in RAJAAKSHE group should not have the rights to keep further in a parliament. He is a shame for sinhala nation. Divine forces over to you, please act accordingly.
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Buddhist1 / December 10, 2020
Did the report say the force used by the Govt was equitable to the acts of the prisoners or not? Its clear to the public its not the correct response and it appears Govt did this in a planned manner similar to the Bogambara prison killings. What action is the Govt going to take against those officers who ordered the firing?
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Buddhist1 / December 11, 2020
In continuation to my earlier post:
– Report says weapons were removed from the prison, if so prison guards did not have the weapons, so who shot them, who gave orders? Is STF a killing machine?
– No names of the killed given in the report, after few years no one will know which prisoners this report represents, for what crimes they were in prison, if they were convicted or were on remand? This would have given an idea to the people of this country to judge if the killings were a political killing or not.
– Report does not recommend that the bodies of the dead should be allowed to be examined by the families with PPE protection so that the families can be satisfied they were not shot in the back or were executed like in Bogambara for political reasons.
– No recommendation in the report how the prisoners should be treated if there is another riot.
All in all even the constitution of committee does not reflect the ethnic mix of the country. Hence this report is a useless, weak, bias with many holes, and a shameful commission report. A single person like Handunnetti, former COPE chair would have done a better investigation than all these learned members who are Govt stooges.
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Mallaiyuran / December 10, 2020
Interim report suggests that the full report will be the other way. Now, the rioting like this is normal. Latter, rioted individuals will be named and punished. There is no way to find an answer why did they arrested Shani in a hurry and sent him to an overcrowded Corona infected prison. Corona is the pre-planned decoration to the prison floors carried out by Aanduwa to receive Shani inside. No prison official will be finger pointed for any crime because they did whatever seniors asked them to do i.e. prepare the prison for Shani’s arrival. Aanduwa sounds like it was ready to throw in 2000 prisoners only to finish off Shani without evidence. In parliament, Rear Admirable told that they didn’t accept America’s offer to save civilians from Nandhikadal because they wanted have killed leader Pirapaharan within the crowd.
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Mallaiyuran / December 10, 2020
Though prisons are overcrowded, all dangerous criminal are in parliaments and in big corporations, holding senior positions. Under Yahapalanaya all the hi-fi criminals spent their time in Hotel Hospitals. Thalatha said in parliament that in her government, Law and Order functioned independently (she meant out of control?) so Royal escaped out of all accusation and now are ruling the country (Comedy Thamai. This is what you call Sinhala Buddhist Modaya’s confessions. She worked with Rizwi and Rishard to defeat the repealing MMDA. Might be now having a large heap of Riyals in her foreign bank account.)
Paying for China, in anticipation of his arrest, Old King built a highly luxury prison in south, with swimming pool lager than an Olympic pool, inspired from Peacock Palace, where he kept it sand filled to hide truckloads of gold looted in North. Now Ratwatte says he is paying China to build a multi facility prison. Is that the case now that even the prisons in Lankawe can only be built by Chinese Prisoners? Why the Ceylon prisoners can’t built these?
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Ajay / December 10, 2020
The “war-winning” Rajapaksas proved to be cowards when it came to taking accountability for their actions. Because they were terrified of going to prison. They knew that would be inevitable if the law was applied to them just like everybody else – without any special treatment. So they made deals and manipulated the system with the help of top lawyers. They evaded arrests, forestalled indictments and absconded from courts. Gotler proved to be a master at this game. At the right time, like on cue, he developed illnesses that needed treatment abroad. In this manner they avoided spending time in prison. They abused the whole legal system to escape punishment. Some of the Pohottu politicians who don’t belong to the Rajapaksa family were taken into custody, but were released on bail right away. Or they were allowed to stay in the prison hospital. But men who committed much lesser crimes – or no crimes at all as many were remand prisoners – were subjected to the most inhuman treatment imaginable. They didn’t try to circumvent the law like the Rajapaksas. The reward for that was the grave violation of their human rights. They were locked up with corona patients and then shot dead for demanding safer conditions in prison.
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Good Sense / December 10, 2020
Although disorder inside a prison cannot be tolerated, the administrators of Sri Lanka Prisons themselves are disorderly (to say the least) and thus lost the moral ground to administrate the prisons. The sudden transfer of prisoners etc. are just a patch solution to the bigger solution to the prisoner housing and space issues aggravated by the COVID – 19 infection. Still bigger are the causes that brings about a large prison population. Prisoners may suffer punishment but not at the expense of their lives, the exception being the execution of a death sentence. Hence the report of the panel headed by the retired judge is not a surprise.
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Simon / December 11, 2020
Mallaiyuran: You say: “Rear Admiral told…..killed Pirapaharan…..”. You are too far away from “Reality”. Did you listen to the speech made by the MP-Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka who was then the Commander of the Army. Here it is: “This Minister of Security (referring to Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera) was never found within the range of the sound of gunshots fired during the war with LTTE”. To date, this Minister, now in charge of “Security” has not “Challenged” that statement of the Field Marshal, MP Sarath Fonseka. So why you want to “garland” him with “didn’t accept America’s offer…” You know why FM Sarath Fonseka made that statement in Parliament? This Minister “Rear Admiral (?) Sarath Weerasekera said “He was one of the “Five Generals” who commanded the war against Piribaharan”. So he (the Minister) was given a “Never to Forget Hard Knock” by the FM in Parliament with the above-quoted statement. Pl. read that speech of FM reported in Hanzard.
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Ferryman / December 11, 2020
The Minister concerned was in the Navy, and as Rear Admiral, he will therefore never be in the field of battle as only Navy Ships were involved directly and there it is a Captain or Commodore in charge.
The Minister knows he cannot refute it.
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Simon / December 11, 2020
Do you all realize what this “Interim Report” is “Planning” to do? Solely to “Divert” the minds of the people from the “Truth” and make them swallow a “Sugar Coated” pill and feel “Good” of the protest of the detainees. There were directions issued by the Health Authorities that no prisoner be transferred from one to the other without the proper tests stipulated for COVID 19. However, 120 such detainees were transferred from Welikada to Mahara without such “Tests”. The detainees at Mahara got wind of this and the hell got loosen by protest against that “Transfer”. Then this “Action” by the Medical personnel, who “Authorized” the transfer has to be “covered” for this negligence. For some “Mysterious” reasons, the “Hon.(?) MP voted to Parliament from Colombo District with a “Massive” preferential votes of the “Slaves” Wimal Weerawanse “conducted” a “Personal Investigation” and came up with the “Actual Truth” (?) and stated in Parliament: “This riot was after the Doctor in-charge issued a “large” quantity of drugs meant for mental patients, when consumed by other normal persons would be “Energized” to “See Blood”. Now, firstly who is this “Doctor” who issued those “Medications” in large “Quantities” to detainees? Secondly, who is the “Doctor” who authorized the “Transfer” of the detainees without adhering to the guide Lines (testing for Covid 19) stipulated by the Medical Authorities who oversee “Covid 19” matters?
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sonali / December 11, 2020
So the prisoners killed themselves. What else is new?
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Justice4SriLanka / December 16, 2020
enugh is enugh I am sick and tired of all this drama,
why cant we just act like a developing country
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Justice4SriLanka / December 16, 2020
where are the representation of tamil views, more like sinhala telegraph
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