Underworld members' birthday party in Galle Prison (video)

Although the prison should be the last bastion to secure law and justice in a country, has it now become a luxurious recreational facility for underworld criminals?

A video of a birthday party, filmed using mobile phones and cutting a cake inside the 'E' or 'Maha Cell' ward of the high-security Galle Prison, is currently circulating rapidly on social media. The host of this event is Haththimuni Namal Shantha alias 'Podia', who is a brother and close associate of the notorious underworld gang leader 'Ahungalle Loku Pati', and is facing numerous serious criminal charges including murder and large-scale drug trafficking.

In a country where ordinary people live in fear of the law, to see heinous criminals freely holding parties inside prison cells causes severe shock throughout society. This video provides excellent evidence that one law applies to prisoners serving sentences for ordinary offenses, while another law operates within the prison system for those with underworld power and money. It is no secret that the breakdown of the rule of law in institutions maintained by public funds poses a direct threat to the safety of ordinary citizens.

The Prisons Department has currently focused its attention on this controversial incident and a special report has been called for. Prison Media Spokesman, Commissioner A.C. Gajanayake, has stated that the Superintendent of Galle Prison has already been informed to immediately investigate the timeframe of the said celebration and provide a prompt report. However, according to authorities, many of the detainees who appeared in the video and participated in the party have already been released on bail and have left the prison.

This incident raises serious questions before society regarding the internal security and discipline of the prison system. It is a major problem how celebratory items like cakes and smartphones or communication devices for video recording were brought into a high-security zone with strict searches. Just as seen in large-scale trafficking incidents previously caught at Katunayake Airport or incidents reported centering around the Anuradhapura sacred site, this also clearly illustrates the serious loopholes in the law enforcement system.

This prison party repeatedly proclaims to the world that what is imprisoned today by iron bars and high walls is not the criminals, but the law and justice of this country.

Watch the video related to this incident ›