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| Sunday, 18 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Tangalle prison incident : Probe report handed over to Minister by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE The report on the Tangalle prison revolt has identified congestion in the prison, unpalatable food, inmates being incarcerated for long periods, laxity in security, negligence of prison officials, as the reasons for the June 30 riots that resulted in 89 prison officials being taken hostage by prisoners who were armed with T-56 automatic rifles and shotguns. The report was handed over to the Interior Minister John Amaratunga by the former Commissioner of Prisons C. Janz, who was commissioned by the Minister to probe into the Tangalle prison incident and submit a report on it. Mr. Janz addressing a media conference said there were 392 male prisoners serving sentences and 358 persons on the remand cell including 9 females on the day of the revolt. He said that although 96 prison officials were detailed for duty, only 65 had turned up as the others had reported sick. While prison officials were getting ready to celebrate some function at the prison, the hard core criminals were secretly planning to take in several prison officials as hostages. The authorities had even failed to look into sanitation and overcrowding of prisons. There were too many prisoners than the prison could accommodate, he said. DIG, S. K. Shanker, who rushed to Tangalle prison with a special trained unit of police officers dealing in hostage crisis, said that on June 30 last year about 15-20 hard core prisoners overpowered nine prison officials on duty and broke open the armoury and seized several firearms including T-56 automatic rifles and ammunition. Their attempt to escape was foiled by the presence of navy, army and police teams who cordoned off the prison complex. Six prisoners, one prison guard and a Sub-inspector of Police were injured during a shoot out with the police. However, the prisoners surrendered when politicians intervened the following day. |
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