News
Drug dealers should be hanged: Commissioner of Prisons
Five schoolboys and 21 women among those on death row
The southern Province has become a hotbed of underworld activities, Commissioner of Prisons and Media Spokesman Jagath Weerasinghe has said, warning that large-scale drug traffickers are destroying the nation’s future.Speaking at a ceremony held in Nawalapitiya, recently, Commissioner Weerasinghe revealed that 826 individuals were on death row in Sri Lanka’s prisons. Among them were five schoolboys and 21 women, he said.
Weerasinghe described the rise in violent crime and narcotics trade as a “moral collapse,” noting that the South, despite being known as a province with a high literacy rate, had now become a criminal hotspot with numerous contract killings and gang-related activities reported daily.
“I cannot understand how such an educated society has produced people who kill for money,” Weerasinghe said. “Those who bring drugs into the country on a large scale are destroying the entire nation. They must be hanged.
There is nothing sinful about it.”
Weerasinghe said drug trafficking was at the root of most of the country’s social problems, adding that enforcing the death penalty on major drug lords would serve as a deterrent.
Weerasinghe called for stringent measures to curb the spread of narcotics.
Sri Lanka has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty for several decades, despite capital punishment remaining in the statute books for the most serious crimes. Successive Presidents have refrained from signing execution orders, influenced by human rights considerations, international pressure, and concerns about judicial fallibility.
Public opinion periodically shifts in favour of resuming executions during surges in violent crime, creating a persistent debate between deterrence and humanitarian principles.
Advocates for the abolition of the death penalty argue that life imprisonment sufficiently ensures public safety, while opponents believe executions could curb drug trafficking, murders and other such grave crimes. The moratorium endures as the government weighs justice against human rights.
INS Sindhukesari, a submarine serving in the Indian Navy, arrived at the port of Colombo on 03 May 26 to undertake Operational Turnarounds.
The visiting submarine was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in precision with naval traditions.
Throughout its stay in the island, the submarine’s crew is scheduled to participate in a variety of programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, including visits to several tourist attractions in Sri Lanka.
Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, officially visited the Russian House in Colombo to attend the Sri Lanka–Russia Medical Forum, where members of the Sri Lanka Russia Business Council and graduates from the Association of Sri Lankan Graduates from Socialist countries (ASLGSC) attended.
This historic gathering was graced by rectors and representatives from several world-class Russian medical institutions, including Kursk State Medical University, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, and Tver State Medical University, among others.
The forum commenced with an address by Minister Murashko, during which Russian medical graduates in attendance raised pertinent questions regarding medical and pharmaceutical sector opportunities in Sri Lanka.
Levan Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, together with Madam Maria L. Popova, Counsellor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka & the Maldives and Director of the Russian House in Colombo, graced the occasion. Both officials expressed strong support for continued collaboration and future initiatives between the two nations.
The official appointment letters for the members of the newly established “Cricket Transformation Committee” (CTC) were handed over on Monday (04) by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.
The following members received their letters of appointment at the Ministry premises:
Sidath Wettimuny
Thushira Radella
Prakash Schaffter
Ms. Avanthi Colombage
The Ministry also noted that veteran cricketers Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara, who are key members of the committee, are currently overseas. Their official appointments will be formalised immediately upon their arrival in Sri Lanka.
The Cricket Transformation Committee has been mandated to oversee the administration and drive structural reforms within Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in accordance with the powers vested in the Minister under the Sports Act No. 25 of 1973.
INS Sindhukesari arrives in Colombo
Minister of Health of the Russian Federation attends the Sri Lanka–Russia Medical Forum
Members of Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee Officially Appointed
Three prison guards arrested following the death of an inmate
Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places of the island after 1.00 pm.
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