A/HRC/7/3/Add.6 page 32 V. PAYAGALA NORTH POLICE STATION, COLOMBO (Visited on 3 October 2007) 21. Payagala North Police Station has one small cell where at the time of the visit six male detainees were held. One female detainee sat on a bench in front of the cell. All had been arrested the day before and interrogated. Three persons had been held for over 24 hours. The Special Rapporteur was received by the Officer in Charge, Inspector of Police, Mr. C. Ayjitukumara. 22. G.S., age 15. On 2 October 2007 at 12 a.m., he was arrested on suspicion of having stolen cattle and was brought to the police station. He reported that he was taken by three police officers behind the station and was beaten by one police officer (Sunit Saand) with a wooden stick on his back in order to extort a confession. 23. Detainee, child. His hands were bound with a rope in front. He reported the officers used foul language. When he was brought to the police station, a constable questioned him about a theft. During the hour long interrogation, he was struck twice on his buttocks with a wooden stick, and slapped in the face. However, he did not confess. When sitting, he reported that he still feels pain in his back side. His family had been informed of his arrest and had contacted a lawyer. VI. TID DETENTION FACILITY AT BOOSA (Visited on 3 October 2007) 24. Located in the vicinity of Galle in the south of the country, the TID Detention Facility at Boosa primarily holds prisoners suspected of involvement with the LTTE. At the time of the visit, 54 male detainees were held, all LTTE suspects. Most of them have been detained there for more than three months, and 22 of whom had been produced before a court. The detainees were held in three different wings: 19 persons in the first wing, 14 persons in the second wing and 21 persons in the third wing. The detainees in the first wing sleep on the floor in several small cells, whereas in the second and third wings the detainees are held in large halls. The wings were fairly clean and were not crowded, though the detainees complained of rats. They were allowed to be outside the cell during day time. No women were detained at the time of the Special Rapporteur’s visit. The Special Rapporteur was received by OIC H.G. Srisena. He reported that Boosa was solely a detention facility and that no interrogations took place there. 25. The detainees who were interviewed reported that some detainees were recently transferred out before the Special Rapporteur’s visit and were the ones that were most heavily subjected to torture and ill-treatment, and would still have visible injuries. Upon enquiry, the OIC confirmed to the Special Rapporteur that in the last few days (beginning on 28 September 2007) 59 detainees were transferred to TID, Colombo, on instructions of TID Director Nandana Munasinghe. They were reportedly transferred for court appearances.