Welikada Prison
Encyclopedia
The Welikada Prison is a maximum security prison and is the largest prison in Sri Lanka
. It was built in 1841 by the British colonial government under Governor Cameron. The prison covers and area of 48 acres (194,249.3 m²). It is over-crowded with about 1700 detainees exceeding the actual member that could be accommodated. The prison also has a gallows
(although not used since 1959) and has its own hospital too. The prison is administrated by the Department of Prisons
.
Following the attempted military coup in 1962
, the arrested military and police officers remanded,pending trial in a special section at Welikada prison called the Magazine Section. A special security detachment was selected called the composite guard to guard these officers from the Ceylon Light Infantry with Major A Hulangamuwa in Charge.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It was built in 1841 by the British colonial government under Governor Cameron. The prison covers and area of 48 acres (194,249.3 m²). It is over-crowded with about 1700 detainees exceeding the actual member that could be accommodated. The prison also has a gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
(although not used since 1959) and has its own hospital too. The prison is administrated by the Department of Prisons
Department of Prisons (Sri Lanka)
The Department of Prisons is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders and terror suspects in Sri Lanka, it comes under purview of the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms...
.
Following the attempted military coup in 1962
Attempted military coup in Ceylon, 1962
The 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt was a failed military coup planned in Sri Lanka . Several Christian senior military and policy officers planned to topple the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mrs...
, the arrested military and police officers remanded,pending trial in a special section at Welikada prison called the Magazine Section. A special security detachment was selected called the composite guard to guard these officers from the Ceylon Light Infantry with Major A Hulangamuwa in Charge.
Core Functions of the Welikada Prison
- Detention of prisoners on first conviction
- Categorizing 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.
Famous inmates
- D S SenanayakeDon Stephen SenanayakeDon Stephen Senanayake was an independence activist who served as the first Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1947 to 1952.-Early life:...
- National hero, independence activist and first prime minister of Ceylon - F R SenanayakeFredrick Richard SenanayakeFredrick Richard Senanayake popularly referred to as F.R. Senanayake) was a Sri Lankan politician and independence activist.-Education:...
- National hero and independence activist - Captain Henry PedrisHenry PedrisCaptain Duenuge Edward Henry Pedris CTG was a militia officer and a prominent socialite in colonial Ceylon who was executed by British officials for alleged incitement of racial riots in 1915, which were proven false...
- National hero and martyrMartyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of the independence movement - Anagarika DharmapalaAnagarika DharmapalaAnagarika Dharmapala was a leading figure of Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was one of the founding contributors of Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalism and Protestant Buddhism...
- National hero, independence activist and leading figure of the Buddhist revival - ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
F. C. de Saram - A leader of the attempted military corp of 1962 - BombardierBombardier (rank)Bombardier is a rank used in artillery units in the armies of Commonwealth countries instead of corporal. Lance-bombardier is used instead of lance-corporal....
Gratien FernandoGratien FernandoBombardier Gratien Fernando CGA was the leader of the Cocos Islands Mutiny, an agitator for the freedom of Sri Lanka from the British....
- Leader of the Cocos islands mutiny - Douglas DevanandaDouglas DevanandaKathiravelu Nithyananda Douglas Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda, is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri Lanka Tamil militant who fought against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil Eelam, he...
- Tamil politician and a cabinetminister. - Suresh PereraSuresh PereraSuresh Perera is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
- former Sri Lankan cricketer - Sepala EkanayakeSepala EkanayakeSepala Ekanayake is a Sri Lankan hijacker who gained international notoriety after hijacking an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on June 30, 1982.- Early life :...
- Airline hijacker - Sarath FonsekaSarath FonsekaGardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, known as Sarath Fonseka is a former commander and General of the Sri Lanka Army and a former candidate for President of Sri Lanka. As Commander of the Army, he played an instrumental role in ending the 26 year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the...
- Former Commander of the Army and Chief of Defence Staff who led the army for a win against the LTTE