Roman Catholic Bishop of Galle – Most Rev. Raymond Wickramasinghe issuing an urgent clarification last Monday (11) countered a claim by President Maithripala Sirisena that he made a request for the presidential pardoning of Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha adding that the Bishop had at no instance made such a request.
Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha
The Bishop also stated that “inconvenience and blemish” had been caused to the “Catholic Church and personally to me as the Bishop of Galle” and therefore requested that a correction be issued immediately.
HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT ISSUED BY BISHOP OF GALLE:
To everyone’s knowledge.
In the statement issued by the Presidential Media Division which states that religious leaders, civil society activists and various organizations together appealed for a presidential pardon be granted to the Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha, it is stated that I too made a written request for a presidential pardon.
However, I clearly state that I have made no appeal whatsoever to His Excellency the President or to the judiciary with regards to the convict mentioned above. I state that I have not done any study of the case mentioned herewith and also declare that the convict is not personally known to me.
However, a few years ago the venerable Maha Sangha and civil society activists requested me to make a written request to His Excellency the President urging him that rehabilitation and proper education in a better environment be made available to prisoners, especially youth detainees. I have done that and whenever necessary, in the future, I also hope to intervene fairly and equitably for detainees.
I express my strongest displeasure over the undue exaggeration of our common request at this time. I hope the authorities which issued this press release will assume responsibility for the inconvenience and blemish caused to the Catholic Church and personally to me as the Bishop of Galle and issue a correction immediately.
godaya / November 13, 2019
President’s media unit is making a feeble attempt to exonerate the president. Just like the Bishop from Galle did, it is up to the others mentioned in the report like Athuraliye Ratana to come out and say whether they had a role in this. Filthily rich people have a way to get anything done in Sri Lanka including changing supreme court decisions. They can throw millions of ruppees to get what they want .
According to a popular website now banned in Sri Lanka MR also has a role in this and it is the money that talks and how much is the 100 dollar question.
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Perera / November 13, 2019
What is wrong in the President exercising the powers that are vested on him by the legislature?
I find all your arguments musing.
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Shiroma / November 13, 2019
That is true – I have a daughter and I would be fine with someone breaking her skull into 64 pieces and doing a PhD in prison and then coming out … Now that he is out I hope he finds Your daughter or son or somebody and breaks their skull into 64 pieces and strangle them using their jeans and so on! Nice nice !
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Hamlet / November 13, 2019
Yes Shiroma,
A Man capable of Breaking Someones’s Skull into 64 Pieces, will have that capability within himself, Even if he has studied and Passed Exams!
Will the President accept the Responsibility, if this Man repeats His crime?
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WB Samarakoon / November 13, 2019
This type of power is given to the elected president is highly wrong on two reasons. 1. since he was an elected president his decision most probably, may be buyers . 2. The money (bribery) may be involve since President is elected for definite period. when he is about to leave he does dirty jobs ,like this. This power is mostly in countries where governing under Kings or Queens . our politicians have taken this to misuse the powers and pardon their likes.Like previous presidents JR,MR,RP and CBK did it.
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hancho pancha / November 15, 2019
Making a Granma Niladari a President of a country is like giving a monkey shaving cream and a shaver and asking him to take a shave.
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Champa / November 13, 2019
President Sirisena has ridiculed the law and order in Sri Lanka by releasing a convicted murderer.
Furthermore, I understand that he has pardoned another 267 prisoners for no apparent reason.
Coming to the end of one’s term of office is not a valid reason for any President to release murderers and prisoners en masse.
For the last 12 months he pierced our ears with a shrilling voice promising to re-implement death penalty. Now “on his way home,” he has released a convicted murderer and 267 prisoners!!!!!!!
These two starkly different actions have shown his double standards.
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ajith / November 13, 2019
Almost all the presidents in Srilanka ridiculed law & order and justice for greediness of power. The executive system gives all the powers to do something good for the people and nations but JR Jeayawardena, Premadasa, Chandrika, Mahinda and Sirisena all tried to look after themselves, their families ignoring the people and the country. Instead of creating a good image to the country, welfare of the people through economic policies and rule of law they encouraged bribe, donations, commissions, created hatred against different communities, encouraged racism and extremism. In 2010, with the end of war people wanted freedom, fearless life, corruption free nation but we end of with oppression, Oil Ghosts, Freedom of drugs business, high level corruption, bribes, white van murders, abductions, rapes, a complete destruction of human values. So, people realised the danger of that regime and united to send them out and hoped that a change might bring a better future. Sirisena and Ranil had a greater opportunity to make a real change but power rivalry made the country hopeless. Sirisena would have done lots of good things but the power greediness made him stupid things and who will dare to go for a coup and then to release BBS Ganarasa and now release a cold heart murderer. If he would have released at least one or two Tamil prisoners who are in jail without any charges , he would have gone for presidency with the support of the people. Do we need this bloody executive system that works against people and country?
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Buddhist / November 13, 2019
Rathana Thero going to President for the pardon is not surprising (Ethana Methana Rathana Thero Othana Yanawo)!
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WB Samarakoon / November 13, 2019
This type of power is given to the elected president is highly wrong on two reasons. 1. since he was an elected president his decision most probably, may be buyers . 2. The money (bribery) may be involve since President is elected for definite period. when he is about to leave he does dirty jobs ,like this. This power is mostly in countries where governing under Kings or Queens . our politicians have taken this to misuse the powers and pardon their likes.Like previous presidents JR,MR,RP and CBK did it.
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Ranjan Fernando / November 14, 2019
This is what one would expect when we exalt and empower an uninformed grama niladhari to a presidential Seat.
Now we are blindly encouraging an unsuspecting ill informed public to elect a well known Autocrat with a record of responsibility for multiple murders and frauds, repression of media and a penchant for family rule and to top it all, scant regard for the Judiciary!
Jayawewa to Srilanka!
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Rationalist / November 14, 2019
Only the parents of the victim should have the ability to forgive or not..!
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Dionysus / November 14, 2019
Those protesting inmates on the roof of Welikade Jail should be told they don’t have arrack and kassippu tavern owners as fathers or relatives. So they are wasting their time. Unless they have relatives with significant bribe money or influence the president will not consider them for pardon.
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HLANGL / November 15, 2019
With all due respect to all what has been released by the presidential secretariat and mentioned by Jayamaha as well regarding his release, he still deserved at least, *mind you at least*, another couple of decades in prison. Even the persons found in the possession of only a few milligrams of drugs would be handed over the imprisonment for life, so how anyone can justify a disgruntled monster who had shattered someone else’s skull into pieces would be beyond any rational mind. This is a very irresponsible and lunatic act on the part of president, nothing but misuse of power for personal preference. Allowing this guy to escape in this way sets forth a clearly bad example for others to follow, that is the sinister reality here. Had this come as part of a presidential pardon after having analyzed the entire list on the death row or the life-long imprisonment, this could have been at least a bit more justifiable, but this seems to be a case of nothing but arbitrary choice and discrimination, hence questioning even the principles of equality. As far as the president is concerned, his skills on reasoning and judgement have been nothing but horrible to say the least, more often than not. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be tempted to play any more blunder within his few remaining days in office. As far as Ven. Rathana thero is concerned, the less said, the better it would be. Shame on all those involved, to say the least. BTW, I’m a Sinhalese Buddhist having no connection to victim’s family. I do not believe in revenge nor in the capital punishment as a solution, but you should pay at least sufficiently for the crime/s you have committed.
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Ravinda Bulathgama / November 15, 2019
maybe he will go and fracture Ms Sirisena’s skull next ?
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