Memories of the Sixties/Welikade Prison

  Welikade Prison Chaplain of the 1960s who served a Prison Term from 1984 to 1997   Background In the 1960s, Fr. Mathew Peiris, the Vicar of St. Paul's Church, Kynsey Rd. Borella was the Christian Chaplain at the Welikade Prison . He also covered the Colombo Remand Prison and the New Magazine Prison, where the Coup Suspects (many were christians) were held until their release.  He was a popular and much respected priest, believed also to be highly influential, as the then Governor General attended his church. He was also an exorcist, reputed to be capable of driving away supernatural spirits, spiritually and his services were sought by many people. Being an Anglican Priest, he was married, had children, all of whom lived in the Vicarage. Fr. Peiris was a key figure in the controversial conversion  to Christianity and baptism as Peter, of   Talduwe  Somarama , the assassin of Prime Minister, Bandaranaike, a few days before the execution. Death row p...

As the Office Jailor responsible for general administration matters at Welikade Prison, from 1963 to 1967, I was required to be present in the prison at 6.00 a.m. on all working days, as prisoners had to be sent out early morning to other prisons, to court houses, medical clinics etc. On the day in question, I arrived at the outer door of the prison shortly before 6.00 am & was surprised to note feverish activity among the staff & knew at once that something serious was taking place. As I approached the inner locked steel gate of the prison, the Gate Keeper on duty informed me that: 1. the son of prisoner Devasurendra had been murdered during the night 2. prisoner Lionel Gunasekera, was suspected to be the killer 3. the Superintendent (SP), Mr. W. J. de Silva was already in office  4. the police are due to arrive for investigations. Readers may wonder how a murder could be committed at night inside a prison, where prisoners are supposed to be locked up in their cells at nig...