DEW informs that he would not attend meetings that would be chaired by Namal

Prisons and Rehabilitation Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera has said that he would hereafter not attend any meeting that would be chaired by parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa in place of the President.

He had made this statement during a discussion with several Central Committee members of the Communist Party.

The reason fro the decision as stated by the Minister is that the President had called a meeting with Prisons officials and the Minister to discuss the moving of the Bogambara prison to Pallekele and on the day of the meeting at Temple Trees, the President had been occupied with another serious

  state business. However, the President’s personal secretary Namal Rajapaksa had chaired the meeting in place of the President while the subject minister, DEW had been seated aside.

At the outset of the meeting, Namal had inquired from the prisons officials the estimated cost of the Pallekela prison project. The officials have said that the first phase would cost close to Rs. 1,500 million.

Namal had then inquired as to the monies currently available with the Prisons Department and the officials have said the amount to be around Rs. 5 million. Namal had then asked the officials to commence the project with the Rs. 5 million. 

The officials had then laughed and said that a project estimated to cost Rs. 1,500 million could not be started with Rs. 5 million.

Minister D.E.W. Gunsekera realizing that the meeting was not going to bring about any serious results had walked out midway saying he had a prior engagement.