The Welikada Prison Riot Story (AFAIK)
Photo via the Ceylon Today, which has the best photo coverage, on Facebook
This is what I hear. Apparently the cops tried to do a spot search for drugs and the prisoners got pissed. The place is overcrowded and open, so the cops and guards are always outnumbered. Anyways, all hell breaks loose and there’s prisoners on the roof, also throwing rocks on the road. Some journalists get onto a balcony across the street and they hear gunfire.
What I heard was that Army went in and that four soldiers were injured (along with like 20 prisoners). I’m thinking that might be Special Task Force, though. They tear gassed in and out and are reportedly moving people out of the prison. Anyways, that’s what I hear from someone that was there. Let me know.
If you want some effete background on the prison, I wrote about my visit there last year.
Thanks for the information mate :)
The images are very disturbing. Was wondering why the inmates were not dressed in those restrictive prison issue clothes. No wonder they’re caught concealing mobile phones and drugs and God knows what else all the time. There are even drug rings and extortion rackets operated from within.
I heard some minister mention that there was speculation that the riot was to protest the appointment of a prison official, and that this would be looked in to. This is absurd. Why should inmates have a say about these appointments? This sort of thing should not be tolerated, and should be strictly dealt with.
The sooner they shift the prison to another location, the better. Overcrowding is a serious problem there. It might also help to destabilise these crime rings a bit. More importantly, they could review each inmate’s case, to give some attention to the relatively harmless inmates who are serving extended sentences for minor offences, not having the support or means to sort their matters out.
+1 for moving the prision to a another location. I think they should make a mega prison in an outstation somewhere, including underground and get rid of many of the other prisons that dot the island, especially those that are smack bang in the middle of cities/towns.
You mean dungeons too? Chains and all? :o
There was also some news about 180 LTTE suspects being transferred out to other prisons. What’s the background to that?
The guy at the bottom left looks like a sudda. Wonder what he’s in for..
True that Mango. Bloody Suddas, always there when there is some trouble. Just like the CIA, MI 6 getting the locals to do his dirty work no doubt. lol.
can someone mail shammi some prison films on VHS, so that she gets an idea on how this shit works
No need to be sarcastic. I’m well aware of the state of local prisons, though not so familiar with Hollywood recreations of American prisons.
Only, as a citizen I expect to see at least a pretense of a tightly run penitentiary, not politicians trying to justify prison riots. Precious little offenders get convicted anyway. They should at least be competent to guard the ones they nail.