Chilaw illicit liquor case:

Police disperse crowd

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Chilaw police, with the help from Police Special Task Force(STF) and Walana Anti vice squad units, dispersed a large crowd of 300-400 who surrounded the Chilaw hospital yesterday morning when police tried to record the statements of six persons who were admitted to the hospital the previous day. On admission to hospital, they had stated that they were assaulted by policemen conducting a raid, Police Media Spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana told the Sunday Observer. The police however dispersed the agitated crowd when they prevented the policemen from entering the hospital to investigate and record their statements.

The incident was sparked off when a 40-member group of policemen from the units attempted to raid a notorious illicit distillery in the Mawella, Chilaw. A large crowd of about 500 surrounded the police party and obstructed them from carrying out the raid. “Although the police were armed, they did not use any firearm to disperse the crowd which could have resulted in death or injury to persons.” Mawella, located in inhospitable terrain on an island, is notorious for illicit liquor.

The manufactured illicit liquor is supplied to liquor outlets in Colombo and Negombo; a thriving business. Six persons who were in the process of distilling illicit liquor escaped from police custody,” SSP Rohana said. The Police Spokesman said that illicit liquor has contributed to henious crimes such as murder and rape in villages. Last week, a father under the influence of liquor assaulted his wife over a dispute and accidentally killed his two-month-old daughter, he said.