Welikada is the premier prison in Sri Lanka which houses the convicted and the remand prisoners. There are also prisoners who have been brought from various parts of the Island convicted for serious crimes. However the Welikada prison hospital with 180 beds has become a matter of concern following the complaints
received with regard to certain influential politicians who were convicted or remanded were kept in the prison hospital and not put into the prison cell by the prison officials.

Following the allegations surfaced against special treatment for VIP prisoners whether they are as convicts or as remand prisoners the Government has announced that no special treatment for so called VIP prisoners will be given not only at the Welikada prison and even at any prison in the country. Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Sunil Watagala has reaffirmed that the National People’s Party (NPP) Government will not allow special treatment for so-called VIP prisoners and the Government will ensure equal treatment to all prisoners within the prisons throughout the country.

He also categorically said: “As a Government, we do not care for anyone’s status when implementing the law.” The Minister also added that equality before the law is enshrined in Article 12 of the Constitution. “If the Constitution guarantees equality, it must be upheld in practice,” he said. Welikada prison also popular with the Tamil political prisoners and it was at this premier prison fifty three (53) prisoners including Kuttimani and Thangathurai who were considered as pioneers of Tamil militant struggle were brutally hacked to death by notorious prisoners who were convicted for very serious criminal activities in the country.

The brutal massacre of Tamil prisoners took place during the 1983 July riots against Tamils in the country. However former Minister Douglas Devananda who was then the leader of the People’s liberation Army (PLA) the armed wing of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) was also put behind bars at Welikada prison in 1983 managed to escape from the brutal attacks with several other Tamil prisoners. Devananda was imprisoned for anti- Government activities during President J.R.Jeyawardene’s period.

However previous Mahinda Rajapakse Government allowed special treatments for VIP prisoners with hospitalizing them at the prison hospital instead of placing them inside the prison cells. A prison riot also took place a few years ago by ordinary prison inmates. They were agitating for equal treatment at Welikade prison. Several political activists including Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Rohana Wijeweera was also imprisoned at Welikada prison in the seventies. It was from the JVP, the present ruling party National People’s Power (NPP) had sprouted as a political outfit.

Even former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was also imprisoned at Welikada prison when he had contested against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidentail against him in 2010. He was imprisoned for more than two years at Welikada. Whereas being a senior military official Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was not given any special treatment at the Welikada prison. Therefore Minister of Public Security Sunil Wattagala has announced that all prisoners will be treated equally at Welikada prison and all other prisons in the country.

Minister Watagala said that the NPP Government has fostered a culture of fairness and impartiality. “This was not seen under former Governments, but we have now created a system where no one is favored over another, ensuring that everyone is treated equally,” he added. In the backdrop of NPP Government determined to treat
all prison inmates equally, former Minister of Media in the Rajapakse regime Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and his wife along with four others have been arrested two days ago by CID over an allegation of misusing Rs.6.1 million in 2014 and later granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today.

In the backdrop of NPP Government determined to treat all prison inmates equally, former Minister of Media in the Rajapakse regime Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and his wife along with four others have been arrested two days ago by CID over an allegation of misusing Rs.6.1 million in 2014 and later granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today.

According to the Police Media Spokesperson, the funds were obtained through the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation under the pretense of providing assistance\ to flood victims in Bingiriya and Narammala. However, the funds were allegedly used for presidential election campaign by former Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa in 2015, the police has claimed. Former President Rajapakse ‘ s sons Namal Rajapakse , Yoshitha Rajapakse and the son of former Defense Minister Lohan Ratwatte were also kept at the Welikada prison hospital and received special treatment when they were put behind bars in the past over various accusations .

Therefore as part of President Anurakumara Dissanayake’s latest initiative under the banner of ‘Clean Sri Lanka’, equal treatment to all prison inmates has been ensured without any `shady’ VIP treatment.