Sri Lanka Thursday reported 118 deaths due to COVID-19 after the figures were confirmed by the Director General of Health Services on Wednesday, September 15.
Among the deaths reported today, 61 are of males and 57 of females. The majority of deaths – 95- are of elderly people in the 60 years and above age group.
According to the data reported by the Government Information Department, the total deaths due to Covid-19 since the pandemic began last year has now risen to 11,817.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage noted that there is no need for an external mechanism to solve the internal issues of the country, adding that the UN Human Rights Council is not empowered to set up such a mechanism.
The Foreign Secretary told a virtual event that solutions for the country’s domestic issues are available within Sri Lanka’s domestic legal system.
The Foreign Secretary made these remarks at a virtual media briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on the topic “Geneva Allegations, the United Nations General Assembly and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy”.
Fifteen countries including China, Russia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Pakistan, Iraq and Venezuela have joined hands with Sri Lanka in condemning the interference in its internal affairs under the guise of human rights.
“Unfortunately, four countries were against us,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary said Sri Lanka maintains a position that any external mechanism on the country’s issues will be a futile process, and the money and manpower used for such efforts too will be a waste.
Lohan Ratwatte will continue as the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery despite resigning as State Minister for Prison Management.
Ratwatte handed over his letter of resignation from the post of Prison Management, and Prisoners Rehabilitation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Ratwatte had allegedly gone to the Anuradhapura prison on Sunday 12th September and forced two prisoners to kneel and threatened to kill them.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) have called for the sacking of the State Minister over the incident.
The TNPF said that on the evening of the 12th of September the State Minister had gone to the Anuradhapura prisons, summoned Tamil political prisoners and had got two of them to kneel in front of him.
The State Minister had then allegedly pointed his personal firearm at them and had threatened to kill them on the spot.
According to Government sources, Ratwatte has only resigned from the post of State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation.
The sources said, therefore, he will continue to serve as the State Minister of Gem & Jewellery related Industries which was the portfolio he was initially assigned.
Lohan Ratwatte was appointed as the State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation following the reassigning of Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle who held the post.
Dr. Fernandopulle was reassigned as the State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics, and COVID-19 Disease Control.
Lohan Ratwatte thereafter took over the post of State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation in addition to his existing portfolio of State Minister of Gem & Jewellery related Industries.
Despite, resigning from his post as the State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation over the recent incidents involving the Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons, he still remains a State Minister.
High Commissioner-designate of Sri Lanka to India Milinda Moragoda paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Secretary of India Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla, today (15) at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
This was in keeping with the established practice of calling on the Foreign Secretary by newly arrived Heads of Diplomatic Missions in the Indian Capital.
Foreign Secretary Shringla warmly welcomed the High Commissioner-designate of Sri Lanka and stated that India was pleased to receive an eminent and experienced person like Moragoda as Sri Lanka’s envoy to New Delhi who could steer and take forward Indo-Lanka relations.
During the discussion that followed, the two dignitaries discussed a range of issues that have mutual significance. High Commissioner-designate Moragoda emphasized on the importance of people-to-people contacts as a means of building trust.
The High Commissioner-designate of Sri Lanka also presented a copy of his policy road map ” Integrated Country Strategy for Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions in India 2021/2023″ to the Foreign Secretary of India.
State Minister of Prisons Lohan Ratwatte is now in hot waters over an incident involving Tamil prisonsers in the Anuradhapura prison.
TNA MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam urged the international community, especially the UNHRC, to look into the matter and push for corrective action.
“The TNPF can confirm that on the evening of the 12th of September the State Minister for Prisons has gone to the Anuradhapura prisons, summoned the Tamil political prisoners and had got two of them to kneel in front of him,” Ponnambalam said.
The State Minister had them pointed his personal firearm at them and had threatened to kill them on the spot, he added.
“The TNPF condemns in the strongest possible terms this dastardly behaviour of the State Minister. Tamil political prisoners are already traumatised for being held in detention under one of the most draconian pieces of legislation known to the world, the PTA,” the Parliamentarian stated.
He added, “To have the Minister who is supposed to look after their affairs threaten to kill them can’t possibly make their trauma any worse! The TNPF calls for the immediate resignation of the minister and for him to be stripped of all portfolios.
The TNPF wishes to point out to the Co-group of countries on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC to understand the futility of the UNHRC and containing Sri Lanka within a institution that will never deliver on a reluctant state that has mastered the art of avoiding accountability.
That a minister can behave in this manner when UNHRC’s gaze is on Sri Lanka,only shows how unperturbed the state is with regards to the UNHRC. If Sri Lanka is not taken beyond the UNHRC to the ICC as a matter of urgency, the plight of Tamil victims stand to deteriorate far more.”
Government of Sri Lanka’s (GoSL’s) nondemand-pull inflationary face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by Rs 13,092.72 million, thereby upping GoSL’s FVMP debt as a whole to a new record high of Rs 1,556,004.13 million (Rs 1.5560 trillion) yesterday. GoSL’s FVMP debt has been over Rs 1 trillion for a record 39 consecutive market days to yesterday due to a lack of revenue. GoSL’s highest to the twelfth highest FVMP debt has been registered in the 12 consecutive market days to yesterday, though not necessarily in a particular order.
The highest, Rs 1.5560 trillion being registered yesterday, second highest (Rs 1.5429 trillion) on Monday, third highest FVMP debt of Rs 1.5409 trillion recorded on Friday (9 September), fourth highest figure of Rs 1.5324 trillion registered on Wednesday (8 September), fifth highest figure of Rs 1.5307 trillion on Tuesday (7 September), sixth highest figure of Rs 1.5306 trillion on Thursday (9 September), seventh highest figure of Rs 1.5285 trillion on Friday 3 September, eighth highest figure of Rs 1.5279 trillion on Monday 6 September, ninth highest figure of Rs 1.5118 trillion on Thursday 2 September, tenth highest figure of Rs 1.4991 trillion on Wednesday 1 September, eleventh highest figure of Rs 1.3658 trillion) on 31 August and the twelfth highest figure of Rs 1.3177 trillion on 30 August.
The Chinese envoy to the UN Office at Geneva expressed concerns over the human rights issues of the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, and voiced opposition against interference in Sri Lanka ’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.
In a speech at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, China’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu said: “China is deeply concerned with the human rights issues of the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. These States interfere with internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of human rights, and implement unilateral coercive measures and military interference against sovereign states, which gravely violate the human rights of the people of other countries. The OHCHR should give sufficient attention to the above-mentioned issues.”
The envoy further said: “China appreciates the Sri Lankan government for actively promoting and protecting human rights, advancing national reconciliation, and combating terrorism; we oppose relevant countries’ interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.”
The Amnesty International today called for a prompt, impartial and effective inquiry into the alleged threatening of Tamil prisoners by the Sri Lanka State Minister for Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation and said the Minister must be held to account for his actions.
Responding to reports that Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation, Lohan Ratwatte, forcibly entered a state prison in Anuradhapura on September 12 and held Tamil prison inmates incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at gunpoint and threatened to kill them, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director said “These dumbfounding reports go to show that our ongoing concerns regarding Sri Lanka’s treatment of prisoners, especially the authorities’ torture and other inhumane and degrading treatment of PTA detainees are all too valid.”
“They also demonstrate the level of impunity for criminal behavior that is indulged at the highest levels of government. There must be a prompt, impartial and effective inquiry and the Minister must be held to account for his actions.
“At yesterday’s UN Human Rights Council session, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister boasted about the early release of 16 Tamil Tiger members under a Presidential pardon. These men were in fact already due for release. Lohan Ratwatte’s alleged conduct further undermines the government’s piecemeal efforts made to address the conditions of PTA prisoners, which is labelled as reconciliation.
“The Foreign Minister also rejected the mechanism being set up to collect and preserve evidence for future accountability processes for gross human rights violations in Sri Lanka, saying that domestic processes are “vigorously addressing the relevant matters.” Unless Lohan Ratwatte is held to account for his criminal actions, these words will be hard to take seriously.”
Background
Minister Lohan Ratwatte has reportedly resigned from his prisons portfolio in the past few hours but remains a Government Minister. According to media reports, he forcibly entered Anuradhapura Prison on September 12 where he had sought out Tamil prisoners held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). According to media reports, Minister Lohan Ratwatte also forcibly entered Welikada Prison premises over the weekend accompanied by a group of others and under the influence of liquor and verbally abused prison staff. Sri Lanka’s prisons have a history of violence that’s been met with impunity. Welikada is the site of two prison massacres in 1983 and in 2012.
Lohan Ratwatte was charged for the 2001 murder of 10 Muslim youths in Udathalawinna. Along with his father, a former deputy Defense Minister, Lohan Ratwatte was acquitted of all charges by the Colombo High Court in 2006. Five security forces personnel-security guards of the family were convicted and sentenced to death.
The latest incident comes against the backdrop of the ongoing 48th UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session, where the High Commissioner on Monday expressed concern about deaths in custody and continuing reports of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials in Sri Lanka. Echoing the concerns raised by the High Commissioner, Amnesty International urged the government to immediately repeal the PTA, which continues to be used to detain hundreds of people for prolonged periods without trial.
While condemning ‘any ill treatment of prisoners’, the United Nation today said that ‘the duty of the State was to protect the rights of prisoners’.
“It is the duty of the State, as per the #MandelaRules, to protect the rights of prisoners, “ Resident Coordinator of the UN in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said.
“In our work on prison reform and drug rehabilitation @UNSriLanka works to strengthen capacities to uphold the rights of all those in custody & condemns any ill treatment of #prisoners,” she tweeted.
The UN’s statement comes after reports that a State Minister had gone to the Anuradhapura Prison and had got two of prisoners there to kneel in front of him.
The Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) will lodge a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today (16), calling for the immediate arrest of the recently resigned Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, citing provisions under the Firearms Ordinance and Prisons Ordinance.
The provisions which will be cited are with regard to taking a firearm into the premises of prisons and engaging in criminal intimidation using it, The Morning learnt.
Ratwatte resigned from the post yesterday (15) following The Morning’s revelations of the latter’s recent engagement in both illegal acts and acts of misconduct within the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons.
The CPRP also called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appoint an independent, non-partisan entity, without representation from the Prisons Department and the Police Department in its membership, to probe the matter, and for the Government to give a guarantee regarding the protection, safety and security of all prisoners.
Sources who spoke to The Morning, on 6 September, alleged that Ratwatte and a group of friends that reportedly included a beauty pageant winner (who had driven the vehicle in which the group had arrived at the prison), who were all inebriated and inappropriately dressed, forcibly entered the Welikada Prison premises after 6 p.m. and proceeded to view the gallows.
As per Section 39 of the Prisons Ordinance, a Parliamentarian who wishes to pay a visit to a prison can only do so between the hours of 5.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. However when Prison officials had, according to the sources, requested that the female accompanying the group not go past the cells where male prisoners are housed – which is en route to the gallows, where the group was headed – owing to her being female, Ratwatte and his inebriated friends had verbally abused the Prison officers, stating that they should not stop her entry and subsequent passage.
While the CPRP alleged that the female in question was Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 Pushpika De Silva, speaking to The Morning, De Silva has vehemently denied her involvement in this incident.
On 12 September, a similarly inebriated and pistol brandishing Ratwatte had, according to sources, flown in a helicopter to the Anuradhapura Prison where he had summoned a group of Tamil prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (reports state between eight to 16 such prisoners), and ordered them to kneel, and had proceeded to threaten two of them including Sulakshana (Prisoner Number 141 whose case is being heard at the Vavuniya High Court) at point blank range, telling them to accept their offence/s and to submit to authority.
The CPRP also informed that they intended to file a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of Sulakshana.
Article 11 of the Constitution guarantees freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment while Article 13(4) holds that no person can be punished except by an order made in accordance with the procedure established by the law, by a competent court, whilst following the due process safeguards. Prisoners are entitled to all the Constitutionally guaranteed Fundamental Rights.
However, when contacted, Prisons Department Media Spokesman and Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake claimed that he knows nothing regarding these incidents. Despite attempts by The Morning, Ratwatte and the Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya were unavailable for comment. When contacted by The Morning, the former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister’s Media Secretary said that there is no need to give a comment on these incidents since no such incidents as claimed by the media had occurred.
Ratwatte, who hails from a powerful political family, has since resigned after claiming to have, as per a tweet by the President’s Spokesman, accepted responsibility for the incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the same tweet mentions, has accepted the said resignation.
Convening a media briefing yesterday, CPRP Chairman, Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera noted that Ratwatte’s threats to prisoners who are within the custody of prisons as per judicial orders, constituted acts of contempt of court.
Perera also accused Prisons Department officials including Commissioner General Upuldeniya and Commissioner Ekanayake of dereliction of duty as public officers of the State by both aiding and abetting in Ratwatte’s actions and cowardice by attempting to cover up the matter through the suppression and destruction of evidence by way of seeking to delete closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage at the two Prisons. Also addressing the same press conference, CPRP Secretary Sudesh Nandimal Silva however noted the obstruction of duty on the part of Ratwatte. Citing their alleged kowtowing to the whims and fancies of the political authority, Perera called on both Upuldeniya and Ekanayake to resign or for them to be removed from their posts by the relevant authorities.
Speaking further regarding the firearm related offence, Perera pointed out that not even the Prisons Commissioner General could not carry a firearm during a visit to a prison. “There is no need to carry and take a pistol if one is going to show the gallows. Therefore, we have a suspicion as to whether Ratwatte was attempting to hunt a political opponent.”
Perera also noted that the selection and targeting of a particular ethnic group from among the prisoners, in this case Tamils, was proscribed under the law including the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights Act, No. 56 of 2007 as amended. Silva described the said selection and targeting of these prisoners from a national minority, which also violates Article 12 of the Constitution which enshrines the right to equality before the law and equal protection of the law, as a great blow to national reconciliation that was racially motivated and racist in nature. He queried the inopportune timing of Ratwatte’s actions, coming at a time when Sri Lanka’s human rights situation is under international scrutiny including at the United Nations Human Rights Council. He observed further that such incidents would only prove the international community’s view of Sri Lanka’s dire human rights condition.
“What destruction is Ratwatte attempting to wreak? Is bloodshed what he wants? What is the President doing while all this goes on? We would like to ask the Viyath Maga (Professionals for a Better Future) organisation which is an influential force within the Government which talked of assigning Ministries on the basis of science, as to whether giving such an important portfolio to someone like Ratwatte, is scientific. Prisons are correctional institutions to rehabilitate prisoners, and similarly, Ratwatte should be rehabilitated,” Silva opined.
“Ratwatte has kicked the rule of law aside and abused and misused his State Ministerial portfolio. Since when did Ratwatte get judicial powers? He is playing with the lives and rights of the people and the law. This is a dangerous situation. This is the law of the jungle. Under the law, Ratwatte has no immunity. Therefore, the criminal law should be enforced against Ratwatte,” Perera emphasised.
The CPRP informed that the relatives of the affected prisoners who brought the injustice faced by the prisoners to the Committee’s notice and discussed with the Committee in this regard, had pledged to take all necessary legal action concerning such. “Together with the victims’ relatives including parents, we are prepared to take this struggle for justice to the streets if we have to,” Silva noted in conclusion, while Perera added that they would also raise the matter at the international leve
