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74 Tamil political prisoners transferred to Magazine, placed with criminal prisoners in Sri Lanka
Wednesday, 19 November 2008 - 8:12 PM SL Time
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Prison authorities of Colombo Remand Prison (CRP) Tuesday evening suddenly transferred 74 Tamil political prisoners, including senior journalist J.S.Tissanayagam to Colombo Magazine Prison, placing them with hardcore criminal prisoners from South, according to initial messages passed by the prisoners to their relatives. The political prisoners, who have been urging the authorities to transfer them to remand prisons in Northern and Eastern provinces, in their message said they have been intimidated by the move as they are reminded of the massacre of more than 50 Tamil political prisoners inside the nearby Welikada prison in July 1983 by prison guards and fellow Sinhala prisoners.
The political prisoners have managed to convey their plight to their relatives outside the prison and urged them to alert parliamentarians, media and human rights watchdogs with the message that they have been moved to a block, where remand prisoners accused of mass-murders, rapes, drug offenses and other underworld crimes were being held.
The sudden transfer comes following the reports that the Tamil political prisoners in the Colombo Remand Prison and in Anuradhapura prisons recently staged a token fast urging the authorities to expedite their cases, which have been postponed fortnightly for several months, to consider bail applications, and to transfer them to prisons in Northern and Eastern Provinces. They had also signaled a fast-unto-death campaign if authorities failed to respond to their token fast.
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Ruhunu
Joined: Jul 2008
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 19 Nov 2008 15:24:56 GMT Report for Abuse
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Why is the Associated Press calling Terrorists (and suspects) political prisners ?
There are no political Prisners in Sri Lanka. They are in North Korea, Cuba, Iran, China, Burma and some other places. |
Mojo
Joined: Nov 2008
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 19 Nov 2008 19:05:36 GMT Report for Abuse
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| North Korea, Cuba, Iran and China view political prisoners just like you do, terrorists. Each person defines terrorists to suit themselves. For instance tamils always view sinhalese as butches, terrorist, genocidist, and quite justifiably I must add. |
kiwikanga
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 19 Nov 2008 20:29:14 GMT Report for Abuse
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Ruhunu,
Why is the Associated Press calling Terrorists (and suspects) political prisners ?
Remandees at a Remand Prison are there because they cannot be released on bail. They are NOT convicted people. That's the difference with the inmates of a Prison and the Remand Prison. What is the justification to place people who are not convicted with people who have been convicted?
If they are suspects of having committed acts of terrorism why aren't court cases being filed and charges being framed with the evidence the TID has and convicting these supposed terrorists to serve proper jail terms for the acts of terrorism they are supposed to have committed?
For instance the journalists Tissnayagam is languishing in custody for almost two years now without charges being filed. Do you say that's alright?
Under the normal Criminal Procedure Code of SL a suspect has to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest and either has to be bailed if the offence is bailable or remanded if the police objects to bail on reasonable grounds or if the offence is non bailable the suspect could be remanded for two weeks and either way within the two weeks the police has to file a report with the evidence against the suspect for charges to be framed and a case filed. Of course if the police has not been able to carry out investigations and get at all the evidence at the due date a further two weeks can be obtained and however after 4 weeks in remand the magistrate has to release the suspect on bail, usually very heavy bail where the purpoted offence is serious.
There are instances where suspects arrested and remanded have been released by the magistrate due to police inaction even after one month and then FR cases are filed by such people in the SC against the Police and the State for wrongful arrest, detention and often even torture.
This is not so with arrests carried out under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. ANYONE can be arrested under the PTA and kept indefinitely in custody without framing any charges or filing any reports. No investigations are required. In short it is a piece of draconian legislation which allowes committing a person to serve an indefinite jail term without proper adjudication of evidence, without allowing such a person the due process of the legal system and without independent judicial sentencing. It is however an easy way out for the police and the State. Do you condone such an environment?
You or I or anyone can be arrested under the PTA even for 'personal' or 'politicial' reasons the 'powers that be' may have against us and we can be held in custody indefinitely. Tamils (terrorists or not)are today arrested under the PTA.
In many instances there is no evidence to suggest those arrested are terrorists. The only 'offence' or the 'suspicion' in many instances for such arrests is that they are tamils haling from the NE. In the case of Tissnayagam it's that his writing did not favor the government. That's why no charges are framed or cases filed BUT the PTA is used as a shield to put away these tamils. I as a sinhalese don't see it as correct.
Edited By - kiwikanga - 19 Nov 2008 21:26:56 GMT |
jacktheliger
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 19 Nov 2008 21:36:59 GMT Report for Abuse
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When you hear this kind of thing, makes you think that Tamils are the only ones trying to rectify this kind of wrong.
Only if the LTTE was a purely political organisation. |
Damed
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 19 Nov 2008 21:43:47 GMT Report for Abuse
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Going Through the Guantanamo Course right now.
Edited By - Damed - 19 Nov 2008 21:45:43 GMT |
MahaDev
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 20 Nov 2008 04:14:12 GMT Report for Abuse
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placing them with hardcore criminal prisoners from South,
they have been intimidated by the move as they are reminded of the massacre of more than 50 Tamil political prisoners inside the nearby Welikada prison in July 1983 by prison guards and fellow Sinhala prisoners.
Hope mistakes will not be repeated!!
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MahaDev
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20 Nov 2008 04:16:18 GMT Report for Abuse
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There are no political Prisners in Sri Lanka. They are in North Korea, Cuba, Iran, China, Burma and some other places.
OK sir, we believe you! |
eltham40
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 20 Nov 2008 08:58:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Good move, terrorist a criminals thy should be with criminals.better than USA Cuban prison. |
Spetsnaz1
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20 Nov 2008 13:23:17 GMT Report for Abuse
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Prison authorities of Colombo Remand Prison (CRP) Tuesday evening suddenly transferred 74 Tamil political prisoners, including senior journalist J.S.Tissanayagam to Colombo Magazine Prison, placing them with hardcore criminal prisoners from South
either they are political or criminal when they are jailed they come under the responsibility of the prisons officials.. in this instant this maybe a serious mistake they did by doing this transfer.. should there be riots in prison and some breakout of violence there will be a definite clash between the two races... in time like this this issue should have been handled in a different way such as keeping these political prisoners who are linked to LTTE terrorists out of the other criminals.. lets hope the authorities will soon realize this and shift the prisoners before it is too late...
Edited By - Spetsnaz1 - 20 Nov 2008 13:28:08 GMT |
Ruhunu
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20 Nov 2008 20:01:17 GMT Report for Abuse
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There was a group of so-called political prisoners once in Kalutara and Douglas Devananda paid a visit. He went there to help those Tamil prisoners, so he never expected any harm.
But the Cruel Prisoners shocked the whole world by stabbing Mr Devananda with Sharp knives all over his body in a savage attack. He lost an eye to stabbing. they even stabbed on his head and he was bleeding all over.
Everybody thought Mr Devananda was DEAD, but God helped him to recover from injuries. Such is the nature of these so-called political prisoners, they can get extremely violent.
Edited By - Ruhunu - 20 Nov 2008 20:05:41 GMT |
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