The Welikada Prison (also known as the ''Magazine Prison'') is a maximum security prison and the largest prison in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It was built in 1841 by the British colonial government under Governor Cameron. The prison covers an area of . It is overcrowded with about 1700 detainees exceeding the actual number that could be accommodated. The prison also has a gallows (unused since 1959) and its own hospital. The prison is administered by the Department of Prisons. Following the attempted military coup in 1962, the arrested military and police officers were remanded pending trial in a special section at Welikada prison called the Magazine Section. To guard these officers, a special security detachment called the ''composite guard'' was selected from the Ceylon Light Infantry, with Major A Hulangamuwa in charge. In November 2012, 27 people died in clashes between inmates and prison guards.

Core functions

*Detention of prisoners on first conviction *Categorization of convicted prisoners on admission and transferring them to relevant prisons *Detention of condemned prisoners *Production of suspects to Kesbewa and Moratuwa courts *Provision of vocational training to prisoners *Launching of welfare and rehabilitation programs for prisoners

Relocation

It is proposed to relocate the prison to Horana by 2024. The existing complex will be opened for investments.

Notable inmates

* D S Senanayake - National hero, independence activist and first prime minister of Ceylon * F R Senanayake - National hero and independence activist *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Henry Pedris - National hero and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

of the independence movement * Anagarika Dharmapala - National hero, independence activist and leading figure of the Buddhist revival *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

F. C. de Saram - A leader of the attempted military corp of 1962 * Talduwe Somarama - The assassin of

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

, who was executed in 1962 * Bombardier Gratien Fernando - Leader of the Cocos islands mutiny * Douglas Devananda - Tamil politician and cabinet minister *

Sepala Ekanayake Sepala Ekanayake (or Ekanayaka; born June 3, 1949, in Karatota, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka) gained international notoriety after hijacking an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on June 30, 1982. Life and career Early life Ekanayake attend ...

- Airline hijacker * Sarath Fonseka - Former Commander of the Army and Chief of Defence Staff who led the army for a win against the LTTE * Selvarajah Yogachandran - also known as Kuttimani was one of the leaders of former Tamil militant organization TELO, killed in Welikada prison massacre * Nadarajah Thangathurai - one of the leaders of former Tamil militant organization TELO, killed in Welikada prison massacre

Scouting

The world's first prison Scout Group registered by Imperial Scout Headquarters started at Welikada Prison in 1926.

References

External links