Speaking to The Morning, IUBF Acting Convenor Ven. Udenigama Gunarathana Thera said: “Siridhamma Thera is currently being treated in the 49^th Ward of the National Hospital in Colombo. Medical tests have revealed that he is infected with dengue. However, TID officers do not allow anyone, even the family members, to bring him any food or beverages. He is only given the food provided by the hospital. When we asked the TID officers who were with him, they said that they bring him the things that he needs with their personal money,” he said.

Gunarathana Thera said that the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has also been informed about the situation of Siridhamma Thera, and how the TID has been treating him. Claiming that the TID has carried out a “plan to kill” the union leader by not taking steps to provide him with timely treatment, or to hospitalise him, Gunarathana Thera said that the protest held outside the TID in Narahenpita yesterday (27) afternoon was in that regard.

A large number of Buddhist monks, IUSF activists, and other activists participated in the protest that took place outside the TID at around 12 noon yesterday. They engaged in the protest carrying placards with slogans such as “Assassination attempt of IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and Siridhamma Thera”, “Release Mudalige and Siridhamma Thera”, “President Ranil Wickremesinghe, try and jail us too”, and “Dengue for a week – no medicine was given at all”.

When the protest was being held, a large number of police officers and Special Task Force (STF) officers had been deployed, and water cannon trucks had been parked around the TID. Commenting on it, the activists of the IUBF and IUSF charged that public money is being wasted by deploying such a large number of police officers in the event of a peaceful protest.

Meanwhile, on 26 October, Attorney-at-Law Nuwan Bopage had requested the Tangalle Magistrate’s Court (MC) to give an opportunity to make an explanation regarding the detention of Siridhamma Thera and Mudalige at the TID in Colombo. He had pointed out that they had been ordered to be detained and interrogated at the TID Camp in Tangalle, but that they are currently being detained in Colombo. After considering those matters, the Tangalle Magistrate ordered the TID Director to appear before court today (28).

Siridhamma Thera had been admitted to the National Hospital on Tuesday (25) due to an illness. The IUSF and IUBF have claimed that although Siridhamma Thera had not been well for more than a week, the latter was admitted to the hospital only on the evening of Tuesday. Until then, they claimed, the TID officers had not taken steps to refer Siridhamma Thera for a blood test. Charging that the TID had not allowed the IUSF or any other activists to visit Siridhamma Thera, nor had it informed the relevant parties of his health situation, they stated that the truth of the situation would not have been revealed had his sister not visited him.

“We can say without a doubt that the programme of President Wickremesinghe and Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles is a murder conspiracy. We know how those who were involved in the students’ movement were persecuted in history. Student activists were killed during the Rajapaksa (a reference to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa) era as well. This incident is an attempt by the TID to allow Siridhamma Thera to die, and then claim it to be a natural death. Therefore, we request all parties to get together and defeat this programme. Let’s get together and force the Government to release all activists including Mudalige and Siridhamma Thera,” said IUSF Acting Convenor Terrance Rodrigo.

The IUSF had organised a massive protest in Colombo on 18 August against President Wickremesinghe and the Government. A total of 16 university students who were arrested during that protest were released on bail after being produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on 19 August, while Mudalige, Siridhamma Thera, and IUSF member Hashan Jeewantha were placed under detention by the Criminal Investigation Department. Jeewantha was later released on bail after being produced before the relevant Magistrate; however, Mudalige and Siridhamma Thera are still being interrogated by the TID on a 90-day detention order signed by Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Minister of Defence.

Meanwhile, observing that the arrest, detention, and continued incarceration of Mudalige and Siridhamma Thera under the PTA are unreasonable and without justification, the HRCSL had made a recommendation to not extend the detention order issued against the duo.

Buddhika Samaraweera

Click here to subscribe to ESSF newsletters in English and/or French.