Special police protection for 454 persons

• Including former MPs, former IGPs, retired judges, chief incumbent monks of several temples, a Bishop and a former First Lady

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

Special police protection is being provided to 454 persons, including former MPs, former IGPs, retired judges, chief incumbent monks of several temples, a Bishop and a former First Lady, Parliament was informed yesterday.  

A document tabled in Parliament by Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala in response to an oral question raised by MP Kavinda Jayawardene revealed that chief incumbent monks of temples in areas such as Anuradhapura, Colombo and Kandy, as well as the Catholic Bishop of Kandy, are among those provided with special police protection.  

The document also revealed that former First Lady Hema Premadasa, wife of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa; former IGPs Pujith Jayasundara, Deshabandu Tennekoon and N. K. Illangakoon; and former MPs Vinyagamurthi Muralitharan, Douglas Devananda, Sarath Fonseka and M. A. Sumanthiran have been provided with special police protection.  

It also states that one member of the Board of Directors of Central Finance has been provided with police security.  

Ruling party backbench MPs Ruwan Wijeweera, W. H. M. Dharamasena, Ajith Shantha Priyadarshana, Eranga Subasinghe and Sarath Kumara, along with Opposition MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, are also provided with special police protection.  

Special police protection is being provided to these individuals in addition to the President, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Maha Nayaka Theras, diplomats, Supreme Court, High Court and District Court judges, magistrates, and some retired judicial officers.  

The Minister said police protection had been provided following threat assessments.