Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Friday that intelligence reports have raised suspicions that the wave of disturbances sweeping Sri Lanka’s prisons may be organised and coordinated, as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called an emergency meeting of prison stakeholders.
Three inmates have died and dozens have been injured in incidents at four facilities over roughly 36 hours.
“It is observed that there is a conspiracy to disrupt prisons, but details can only be revealed after a complete probe,” Wijepala said. He told the House the government considers the situation serious.
What the minister told Parliament
Wijepala said the unrest first emerged at Negombo Prison before spreading to other facilities over the past two days:
- New Magazine Prison, Colombo — a tense situation developed at around 10.00 p.m. on Thursday when about 40 inmates broke out of a ward and behaved in a disorderly manner. One inmate died and 10 others were injured.
- Kuruwita Prison, Ratnapura — a disturbance at approximately 6.30 a.m. on Friday turned more serious, leaving two inmates dead and 13 injured. The injured were admitted to Ratnapura Hospital.
- Pallansena Open Prison Camp, Negombo — around 30 inmates climbed onto the roof of a ward and began a protest after being let out of their cells for breakfast.
The minister said the immediate factors identified so far include drug-related and underworld-linked activities, and that authorities have already moved to suppress such influences inside the prison system. He stressed that investigations are continuing and no final conclusion has been reached.
Wijepala said all other prison facilities have been brought under control, with police and Special Task Force personnel deployed where necessary. Based on the pattern of incidents, he said, there are indications the disturbances may not be isolated events but could be unfolding according to a broader plan.
Cabinet committee appointed, talks set for Friday evening
Wijepala told Parliament the President’s discussion would be held on Friday evening with the participation of relevant stakeholders, and that urgent measures would follow from it. He said the Cabinet has already appointed a committee chaired by the Minister of Justice to examine conditions in the prison system, and that several short-term and long-term programmes have been proposed.
He also sought to limit the scale of the crisis, saying the incidents do not amount to a threat to national security.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of all citizens of this country. At the same time, we are working to bring these situations under control while ensuring the safety of inmates and all prison officials,” the minister said. “Several short-term and long-term programmes have been proposed, and the Cabinet has already appointed a committee chaired by the Minister of Justice.”
Casualty figures have moved through the day
The Kuruwita toll in particular has been revised repeatedly. Ada Derana and the Daily Mirror initially reported two dead and four injured on Friday morning; NewsFirst later put the injured at 11; the minister’s figure to Parliament was 13. LankaNewz is reporting the parliamentary figure as the most recent official count.
Opposition demands a statement
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa urged the Justice Minister, who also holds the prisons portfolio, to address the House immediately.
“One inmate has already died in the Kuruwita prison and one in the Magazine. We now hear of an unrest in Pallansena. The Justice Minister should inform the House immediately on the situation,” Premadasa said.
The disturbances follow the Negombo Prison riot in July, in which 22 inmates and 10 prison officers died, and whose investigation report was handed to the President on Thursday. The Department of Prisons has put the national prison population at around 40,000 against a system built for about 11,000.
This is a developing story.
Sources: NewsFirst, Daily Mirror, Daily Mirror, Ada Derana.
