COLOMBO : State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte has resigned from his position over the incidents at the Anuradhapura and Welikada prisons.
A statement issued by the President’s Media Division said that the parliamentarian has accepted responsibility for the incidents involving him at the Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons premises and decided to resign from his post as State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation.
He has informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of this decision and the President has accepted his resignation, the PMD said.
Ratwatte will continue to hold the portfolio of State Minister of Gem & Jewellery related Industries, despite resigning as the State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation.
According to Government sources, Ratwatte has only resigned from the post of State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation.
The sources said, therefore, he will continue to serve as the State Minister of Gem & Jewellery related Industries which was the portfolio he was initially assigned.
Daily Mirror reported that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who is presently in Italy, had telephoned Ratwatta and told him to step down and had then telephoned President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well.
The Prime Minister has called for a full scale investigation into the allegations against Ratwatta and has asked him to step down immediately.
Earlier in the day,the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) called for the immediate resignation of State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte for the authorities to initiate a credible investigation into the alleged incidents, and action taken without fear or favour.
In a statement, the CPA stated that it was deeply disturbed by media reports of two incidents this week where the State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte is alleged to have abused his position by entering two prisons inebriated, and attempted to assault remand prisoners.
On Sunday 12 September, the State Minister is reported to have entered the Welikada Prison with a group of friends. Subsequently he is reported to have travelled by helicopter to Anuradhapura where he had entered the Anuradhapura Prison and ordered two suspects at gunpoint to kneel down in front of him.
The CPA announced that both these incidents reflect the alarming trend of flaunting political office for personal gratification, the callousness and disregard for the rights of prisoners and human dignity, the use of arms to threaten individuals and the contempt for the rule of law in Sri Lanka.