Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has told Parliament that recent disturbances at five prisons appear to be organized and coordinated, with preliminary investigations linking the incidents to narcotics and underworld activity.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has reported a series of disturbances across five Sri Lankan prisons, characterizing the pattern as potentially coordinated. Speaking in Parliament, the minister stated that incidents at Negombo, Mahara, Magazine, Kuruwita, and Pallansena prisons show signs of being organized acts of sabotage linked to a possible conspiracy.
According to Wijepala, the immediate causes of the unrest appear connected to narcotics trafficking and underworld involvement. The most serious incident occurred at Magazine Prison on Thursday night, when approximately 40 inmates broke out of a ward at around 10:15 p.m. Security personnel, including the Special Task Force, intervened to restore order. One inmate died and 10 others were hospitalized as a result of this incident.
Disturbances at Kuruwita Prison on Friday morning proved more severe, with two inmates killed and 13 injured receiving treatment at Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. At Pallansena Prison, around 30 inmates climbed onto a prison ward roof after breakfast and refused to return inside, though police and prison officials were working to resolve the situation. The minister stated that all other prison incidents have been contained.
Wijepala emphasized that security forces have been instructed to prioritize inmate safety while restoring order, stressing that preventing loss of life remains a key objective. He expressed confidence that the situation would be brought under control and assured that there is no threat to public security. The minister did not provide further details on the nature of the suspected conspiracy or the specific evidence suggesting coordination between the incidents.
