Responding to the events that followed during the days after former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte allegedly forcibly entered the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons in an intoxicated state, former Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan took to Twitter to raise several concerns and questions over the same.
With regard to Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s visit to the Anuradhapura Prison, Satkunanathan questioned how the prisoners affected by Ratwatte’s behaviour were able to relay a message calling for Minister Rajapaksa’s visit so soon. She further pointed out that because Rajapaksa reportedly said he did not condone the incidents reported by the media, this can be regarded as some form of acknowledgement that the incident occurred.
In terms of his assurance that he would work to secure their release, while adding that they could join any political party afterwards along with his request for them to not be misled by parties like the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Satkunanathan regards Rajapaksa’s visit as a pure public relations (PR) exercise.
“A minister who has no authority over organisations that make decisions regarding arrests, detention, or indictments provides assurances on release. He also cautioned against Tamil political parties, thereby making his visit political and a PR exercise, which seemingly incentivises the prisoners not to make an issue of incident,” she said.
Satkunanathan noted that the day after this, Ratwatte denied that the incident took place, despite the President’s Media Division (PMD) and Namal’s statements that suggested the contrary.
Refuting Ratwatte’s claims which suggest that this was a conspiracy against him because he stopped all drug dealings occurring in prisons, the former HRCSL Commissioner cited news reports of narcotic seizures in prisons, which suggest otherwise.
“These seizures don’t mean smuggling drugs into prison was being curtailed. To the contrary, such seizures have been happening for years and are evidence of continuing smuggling of drugs into prison,” she stated.
She also raised concerns with regard to Ratwatte’s claims that all those detained for gang-related activities were held in separate areas which cannot be disclosed.
“I hope the ‘separate area’ is an authorised, gazetted place of detention, as persons shouldn’t be held at unauthorised places of detention,” she expressed.
Another question was raised on the topic of CCTV monitoring at both the Anuradhapura and Welikada Prison premises.
“Ratwatte says CCTV can’t be deleted, but the Department of Prisons said CCTV wasn’t installed at Welikada and Anuradhapura. When we visited Welikada, we recall seeing at least two CCTV cameras in external parts of the prison. Also, the Government announced in April 2021 that installation of cameras in Colombo prisons, including Welikada, had begun and would be completed by August 2021. If it had begun, why is there no CCTV at Welikada, which is the prison with the largest prison population?” she asked.
Directing a question at Ratwatte, Satkunanathan asked how many times he visited prisons for inspections since he was appointed with this portfolio in December 2020.Sunny Side Up: Dissecting the Ratwatte incident
26 Sep 2021
Sunny Side Up: Dissecting the Ratwatte incident
26 Sep 2021
Responding to the events that followed during the days after former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte allegedly forcibly entered the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons in an intoxicated state, former Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan took to Twitter to raise several concerns and questions over the same.
With regard to Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s visit to the Anuradhapura Prison, Satkunanathan questioned how the prisoners affected by Ratwatte’s behaviour were able to relay a message calling for Minister Rajapaksa’s visit so soon. She further pointed out that because Rajapaksa reportedly said he did not condone the incidents reported by the media, this can be regarded as some form of acknowledgement that the incident occurred.
In terms of his assurance that he would work to secure their release, while adding that they could join any political party afterwards along with his request for them to not be misled by parties like the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Satkunanathan regards Rajapaksa’s visit as a pure public relations (PR) exercise.
“A minister who has no authority over organisations that make decisions regarding arrests, detention, or indictments provides assurances on release. He also cautioned against Tamil political parties, thereby making his visit political and a PR exercise, which seemingly incentivises the prisoners not to make an issue of incident,” she said.
Satkunanathan noted that the day after this, Ratwatte denied that the incident took place, despite the President’s Media Division (PMD) and Namal’s statements that suggested the contrary.
Refuting Ratwatte’s claims which suggest that this was a conspiracy against him because he stopped all drug dealings occurring in prisons, the former HRCSL Commissioner cited news reports of narcotic seizures in prisons, which suggest otherwise.
“These seizures don’t mean smuggling drugs into prison was being curtailed. To the contrary, such seizures have been happening for years and are evidence of continuing smuggling of drugs into prison,” she stated.
She also raised concerns with regard to Ratwatte’s claims that all those detained for gang-related activities were held in separate areas which cannot be disclosed.
“I hope the ‘separate area’ is an authorised, gazetted place of detention, as persons shouldn’t be held at unauthorised places of detention,” she expressed.
Another question was raised on the topic of CCTV monitoring at both the Anuradhapura and Welikada Prison premises.
“Ratwatte says CCTV can’t be deleted, but the Department of Prisons said CCTV wasn’t installed at Welikada and Anuradhapura. When we visited Welikada, we recall seeing at least two CCTV cameras in external parts of the prison. Also, the Government announced in April 2021 that installation of cameras in Colombo prisons, including Welikada, had begun and would be completed by August 2021. If it had begun, why is there no CCTV at Welikada, which is the prison with the largest prison population?” she asked.
Directing a question at Ratwatte, Satkunanathan asked how many times he visited prisons for inspections since he was appointed with this portfolio in December 2020.Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!