📈 Negombo Prison Violence Linked to Rival Drug Groups; Reform Measures Unveiled

Preliminary investigations indicate the recent violence at the Negombo Prison, which left 27 dead, was triggered by a confrontation between rival groups linked to the illegal drug trade. • Casualties & Impact: The death toll has risen to 27, comprising 7 prison officers and 20 inmates. A further 76 individuals remain hospitalized, including 23 prison officers and 53 inmates. • Incident Details: The clash escalated on Monday morning. Inmates targeting informants who helped prevent contraband smuggling deliberately destroyed security infrastructure, including CCTV cameras and a body scanner. Unarmed officers were attacked while attempting to contain the breach. • Ongoing Investigations: Multiple concurrent probes have been launched, including an independent Cabinet-appointed committee inquiry, a joint Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) investigation, and an internal Prisons Department probe. • Prison Sector Reforms: To address systemic overcrowding, the Government announced plans to expand prison capacity by 10,000 places. A committee is also reviewing amendments to the House Arrest Act to allow electronic monitoring for certain remand prisoners. • Human Resources: The Justice Ministry acknowledged severe recruitment challenges in the state prison service, noting a drastic decrease in job applications due to the sector becoming increasingly unattractive.