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Sri Lanka jail riot 'injures 31' in Colombo | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
At least 31 people have been injured in clashes between guards and rioting inmates at a prison in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, police say. | |
Most of the injured are prisoners who were shot by guards. Police deny claims that three inmates were killed. | |
Several buildings were set alight in the remand wing of Colombo's main prison before order was restored. | |
Prisoners say they want better food and conditions. Police said inmates were angry at moves to curb drug smuggling. | |
The head of Sri Lanka's prisons department admitted that the treatment of prisoners in the jail fell short of acceptable standards. | |
A local resident told the Associated Press news agency that disturbances had been going on for several days. | |
Wounds 'not serious' | |
Throughout Tuesday smoke billowed from the Welikada (Magazine) prison as dozens of inmates demonstrated on the rooftops. Some held up a banner calling for the head of the prison to be removed. | |
The BBC's Charles Haviland says the air outside the jail was acrid with tear gas and smoke - inside the barrier gate the prison is teeming with police and armed military. | |
Ambulances have been taking the wounded to Colombo's National Hospital. A senior staff member there told the BBC that 26 inmates and five officers were being treated, although the injuries were not serious. | |
The prisoners had gunshot wounds, mostly below the knee. The officers had head or leg injuries after being assaulted. | |
Earlier, one of the inmates told the BBC Sinhala service that three prisoners had been killed when officers at the gates shot at a large group in the compound. | |
The deaths are unconfirmed and exactly what happened is unclear. | |
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said gunfire and tear gas had been used after prisoners rioted over new regulations. | |
"The new prison administration have launched a massive programme in order to curtail the drugs inside the prison and apart from that to prevent drugs going inside the prison," he said. | |
"I think this is the reason for this protest." | |
But the prisoners said the new rules in fact banned food from outside. | |
Later the head of the prisons department told BBC Sinhala that the treatment of the prisoners was less than ideal and that this would be corrected. | |
Prisons Commissioner PW Kodippili said food had been sent in but there was no immediate confirmation of this from the prisoners. | |
He also said that 180 remand prisoners suspected of links with the Tamil Tigers had now been transferred to another jail. |