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Waiting for information: Scene outside Mahara Prison after the incident

The next of kin of inmates who were at the Mahara Prison during the November 29 catastrophe are on the lookout for their loved ones.

Most of them have not been able to trace their whereabouts. The result has been a collective effort by the Committee to Protect the Rights of Prisoners headed by Senaka Perera, Attorney-at-law.

This Committee has now obtained sworn affidavits from close relatives of inmates who were visiting the Mahara Prison until the incidents broke out there.

According to Edirisinghe Karunawathie (55) of Maligawatte, her son Kaluarachchige Suminda Madsanka has been imprisoned in Mahara Prison for nearly two years due to an ongoing case in the Wattala Magistrate’s Court. She has said that she has visited him on several occasions and that her son bore suspect number 1893.

“After the shooting incident that took place at the Mahara Prison on November 29,” Mrs Karunawathie has said “I received information that my son is no longer held there.” She had gone to the Welikade Prison in search of him and she had been told that “they are unable to provide any information regarding my son.” She added, “I am unaware whether my son is alive or has faced any dangerous situation”.

Athukorala Kankanagamage don Erandi Mihirini (29) of Ragama has said in a sworn affidavit that her husband, “Mudalige Don Dilan Chamara has been imprisoned for five months at the Mahara Prison as a suspect in an ongoing case at the Wattala Magistrate’s Court.” She has said that she “visited the Mahara Prison on several occasions to see my husband who was held as suspect no 3732” and added “when I tried to find out about my husband after the shooting incident, I received information that he is no longer held there.”

She had gone to the Welikade Prison but the “prison officers told me that they are unable to provide any information regarding my husband.”

According to Liyanage Tharanga Sriyani of Ja-ela, he husband Roshan Sameera has been “imprisoned for seven months at the Mahara Prison as a suspect in an ongoing case at the Wattala Magistrate’s Court. I visited him several times.” When she tried to find out, “after the shooting incident,” Siryani has declared that she received “information that my husband is no longer held at the Mahara Prison.” Though she had been told that he has been brought to the Welikade Prison, by a Police officer in a telephone call, she does not know of his whereabouts. She has, however, added that her husband has been released on bail.

Sandya Sumangalee (51) of Ragama has said that her son Sakeetha Dinesh has been imprisoned for nearly six months in an ongoing case before the Wattala Magistrate’s Courts. She had visited him “on several occasions” but after the shooting incident at the Mahara Prison, she has said, he had been brought to Welikade Prison. She has claimed that her son and “other inmates at Welikade Prison are not getting food, medical care, clothes and other sanitary facilities.”

This week, Wattala Magistrate Buddhi Sri Ragala put on hold a request by State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne (on behalf of the Attorney General) requesting that the eleven bodies from the Mahara Prison be cremated since they were tested positive for Covid 19. It is now awaiting a ruling by the Magistrate after the post-mortem inquiry is completed.

Magistrate Ragala also ordered the Chief Government Valuer to conduct an area inspection and provide an assessment report on the damage caused in the Mahara Prison. The Police had provided details of the areas where damages have been caused.

New Delhi back to old tricks?

When the voting took place after the third and final reading of the 2021 Budget on Thursday, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) abstained from voting. Along with them was their rival- sole MP retired Justice C.V. Wigneswaran. Other rival Tamil nationalist Parliamentarians Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam and his colleague S.Kajendran voted against it.

None of the TNA MPs explained to their voter base why they decided to abstain from voting rather than vote against it as they spoke at length of the shortcomings of the budget including the massive allocation to Defense and not to the Health Ministry during a global pandemic.

One Tamil journalist contacted a local TNA apparatchik to ask for an explanation only to be told it is to make it look like the TNA is not against ‘development’ projects in the North and East as it unconditionally supported the Budgets of previous governments. Not to mention, it silently supported the postponing of conducting elections for Provincial Councils for years despite its call demanding more federal powers to the provinces.

Then, he broke the real news. The decision was already taken in New Delhi and communicated to the TNA leadership. No wonder, Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajith Doval who was here briefly for a conference took time to meet TNA leader R. Sampanthan at India House, the official residence of the Indian Envoy in Colombo. Meanwhile, an Indian PM Narendra Modi- TNA meeting is also on the cards in the near future. It looks like New Delhi is pursuing its old tactics of handling the northern politicians to send messages to the Sri Lankan government when its concerns are not addressed adequately.

A deeply grave mix-up deeply regretted

An administrative error by the mortuary staff of the Kilinochchi District hospital caused confusion in two funeral homes as dead bodies were mistakenly switched during PCR tests.

The two deaths, caused due to cardiac arrests, were subjected to PCR tests. One of them from Thiruvaiyaaru was under quarantine at a ward in the hospital while another patient from Kanagambikaikulam was admitted after a heart attack.

When the family in Thiruvaiyaru opened the casket, they were shocked to see that it was not their loved one. It came to light later that the PCR test was not carried out to the body which was sent to the house.

The hospital staff realized that two bodies got switched mistakenly at the mortuary. Later, both families exchanged the bills that were spent for the funeral parlour and other related services. One senior official from the hospital visited the funeral homes and apologized for the error.

Confusion confounded by bad proofing

Can an individual who is not a sitting MP be appointed to the post of State Minister? That’s what puzzles the public when the Secretary to the Parliamentary Committee on High Posts – the Secretary General of Parliament, published a notice in the newspapers yesterday.

The Committee which examines the suitability of the persons to top posts mentions two persons, viz., J.M. Thilakaratne Banda from Maharagama and S.H. Harischandra from Nattandiya have been nominated for the two State Minister posts.

Mr Thilakaratne Banda has been nominated as “State Minister of Company Estate Reforms, Tea and Rubber Estates related Crops Cultivation and Factories Modernization and Tea and Rubber Export Promotion” while Mr Harischandra has been nominated for the post of State Minister of Dhamma Schools, Pirivenas and Bhikkhu Education.

The two names were among 15 names who ought to be mentioned as nominees for the post of Secretary to respective Ministries, not as State Ministers.

There was other confusion in the advertisement as for seven names the wording went as ‘Appointed as the Appointed to the State Ministry….’ Which should have read as ‘Appointed as the Secretary to the State Ministry….’. The proof reading seems as bad as some newspapers these days !!

Commandant of the Cadet Corps likely new CNI chief

Major General Ruwan Kulatunga, now Commandant of the Cadet Corps, is likely to be appointed the new Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) – the apex post in Sri Lanka’s intelligence community.

He also served earlier as Security Forces Commander, Jaffna.

Retired Major General Jagath de Alwis, who served as CNI, has been appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security – a position which was earlier overseen by Defence Secretary retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne.

This is the second time that a retired Army officer has been named Secretary to a Ministry dealing with law and order. It was first held by retired Major General Nanda Mallawaratchchi, who was onetime Chief of Staff of the Army.

Two other retired Army officers are also serving as Secretary to ministries. One is Major General Dr Sanjiva Munasinghe (Health) and Major General Sumedha Perera (Agriculture).

“Terrorism the democratic way” behind closed doors

These days, passing a budget in a local elected body has become more challenging as political parties are divided and affiliated to various factions after the recent general elections. This week, when the Valaichennai Pradeshiya Sabha scheduled to vote for their budget next year, there was chaos inside the chambers as special police security were deployed outside the gate.

Since neither the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) nor the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) led by S. Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan group have a clear majority, it led to a closed door voting without the presence of the media. Later, the Pillayan group claimed they passed the Budget.

The main gate for the Council chambers was also locked and reopened by force. Secretary to the Pradeshiya Sabha was locked inside his office. Then, after Pillayan arrived at the scene, one group broke the door to rescue the Secretary.

Two female councilors were admitted to hospital during the clash between the local politicos. The injured members claimed that the councillors attached to TMVP attacked them.

A wag was to say, “this is terrorism the democratic way”.

Buzz over sweet treats at Easter Sunday hearings

There were some unusual security checks last Thursday at the entrance to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that is probing the Easter Sunday attacks.

It was over some parcels the President of All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe brought with him as he was scheduled to testify before the Commission on that day. The security guards, with additional STF personnel deployed at the entrance to the Commission were surprised to see that the parcels contained watalappam, a variety of coconut custard made pudding in Muslim households. An officer attachéd to the Commission came out and took the bags inside after a security check.

The reporters who were waiting outside inquired about it from the security personnel. The security officers were told that the parcels were for the officers in the Commission and since some lawyers are also allowed to bring food from outside, they too allowed those watalappam parcels. Later, reporters witnessed that those bags were placed in the vehicle in which the ACJU leader arrived at the Commission.

Print Care Secure Ltd. reacts to our last week story

Last week’s story in these columns titled COPE Meeting told Ravi influenced National Lottery Board tender, process has drawn a response from Ranga Suriarachchi, a Director of Print Care Secure Ltd.

The report among other matters noted that “The Cabinet cancelled the tender which was to be awarded to Aqua Flex Lanka Pvt Ltd. The COPE observed that the Cabinet decision was also influenced by competitor Print Care Secure (pvt) Lted and went against the opinion of then Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera.”

Mr Suriaarachchi says “We recognized that the National Lotteries Board had in awarding the tender to Aqua Flex Lanka Pvt. Ltd acted unfairly. Having first exhausted all remedial action available to us including appealing to the Chairman of the NLB, Minister Karunanayake (Subject Minister), the Tender Appeals Board and failing to find reprieve, we filed action before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka against the NLB and the Government of Sri Lanka against what we believed to be a mendacious award of a tender for the production of scratch lottery tickets to the said company which had never before supplied a single lottery ticket. Our plea to the court inter alia sought to have the award annulled.

“We had named NLB and the entire Cabinet as Respondents, in our court application SC FR No 197/2017. After hearings commenced, on the advice of the AG (Attorney General), the Government, following a Cabinet directive, decided to cancel the tender and so informed the court. On our part, we were satisfied with the relief and moved to withdraw our application before court.

“You will kindly note that we have only followed due process of the law to vindicate our rights.”

A copy of the letter has also been sent to Charitha Herath MP, who is Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).