Prisoners are human beings

In developed countries such as US, prisons are normally built, far away from City Areas because of the risk of prison breaking as happened recently in Negombo. For an example, just imagine what would be the fate of people around Colombo, if an attempt to break the jail in Welikada become a success. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce strategies to discipline our prisoners to behave as humans rather than simply displaying above message to the people living outside of the prison, as happened in Sri Lanka. To materialised above idea. it is necessary discipline prisoners mentally before they are released. As a Buddhist country we could develop our own model based on Buddhist Stanza such as Wanaropa Sutta to mentally discipline the prisoners. According to that Stanza, people would naturally get self-disciplined themselves while growing trees

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports, that the food not only affects physical and mental health, but is also key to successful rehabilitation and resettlement after release of prisoners. Recognizing this, many organisations and correctional facilities are striving to create a stronger and more sustainable food system among prison populations, which totaled more than 10.35 million globally in 2016, according to the World Prison Brief.

Based on above observations, we could creatively plan to relocate our prisons outside cities. For an example, already ecologically damaged area adjacent to Wilpattu Sanctuary could be used to build an ecofriendly prison. It should be designed with qualified Landscape Architects specialized in designing ecofriendly prisons as adapted in other countries. Those projects should be a joint effort with prisoners because the prisoners themselves should also become the partners of the project while rejuvenating original forest cover after project completion. While creating the forest cover, in the case of Wipattu, we could also use our traditional Chena Cultivation approaches which are now treated in developed countries as most sustainable land use method, to produce healthy foods without damaging eco systems.

By that approach, we could also transform whole prison premises to Organic Food Production Farm, managed by the prisoners themselves. This is very common in developed countries. In my view, the prisoners serving long term jails are ideal for this effort. After their release, they would definitely duplicate their experience in their residence areas rather than repeating crimes as happening now days. They also could be entitled for any profits generated from the project which takes about 5 years for completion. Income generating from farms could be deposited into the bank accounts of prisoners in order to use it after their release.

Another potential area for this intervention is Kandakadu Prison, which was an Agriculture Farm before it was transformed to a rehabilitation camp. Being located adjacent to an area with elephant population and the Beach in Batticaloa, eco-tourism hotel might be the best option for this area. Income generation from tourism is the return on investment which could be used to duplicate same concept to similar locations. Another potential area is the Right Bank area of Maduru Oya located near an Army Camp. Animal Husbandry is ideal for this area. Another potential area is Manthieu island, Batticoloa.

Capital required to invest for this type intervention could be generated by selling the urban areas currently allocated to prisons. Sri Lanka Army could be the ideal implementation agency mainly because of possible reluctances of Prison Officers to work in remote areas such as Wilpattu.

Mahinda Panapitiya

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Man 'cuts off his own penis and uses it to set fire to a garage'

Christopher Peden, 36, initially told police he had been stabbed in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but later admitted he had cut off his own penis with a kitchen knife.

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Health Ministry issues warning over scam

The Health Ministry yesterday warned of an organised racket that fleeces health workers seeking transfers. A senior Ministry official said that some individuals had sought money from the nursing staff promising them transfers to hospitals of their choice. The official urged them not to be deceived as transfers couldn’t be influenced by outsiders and the Ministry wouldn’t take responsibility for payments made to outsiders.

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US launches new wave of strikes against Iran after promising to ‘hit them hard’

The US has launched a new round of strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump signalled he’d “hit them hard again tonight” following an overnight exchange of attacks on Tuesday.

Explosions have been reported by Iranian state media in parts of the country’s south, including Sirik and Bandar Abbas – port cities on the Strait of Hormuz.

After the latest strikes, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!”

Iran has not yet commented, but senior officials earlier warned any attack from the US would be met with an “immediate response”.

US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were carried out to “further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation” in the vital waterway.

In a statement it added: “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

Several explosions have also reportedly been heard in other parts of the Iranian coast, including the cities of Konarak and Chabahar.

Iranian state TV reported eight explosions in Bandar Abbas, and said two missiles had hit the ports of both Sirik and Jask – also in southern Iran.

It added that two projectiles hit the island of Abu Musa, which has been the subject of a longstanding ownership dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Air defence systems have been activated in Bandar Abbas, according to reports in Iranian state media.

The extent of damage from the US strikes is not yet known, but Iranian media has reported power cuts in Chabahar and a fire at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) barracks in Bushehr.

Two of three power lines cut off in Chabahar had been restored quickly and a third would be operational soon, the Iranian Students’ News Agency said.

On Tuesday, the US military said it had launched “powerful” strikes in response to attacks on three tankers in the strait.

On Wednesday, Iran said it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation.

Tuesday into Wednesday saw the worst exchange of strikes between the US and Iran since the deal – known as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) – was signed on 17 June.

Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement signed last month with Iran is “over”, and added the US “hit them very

hard last night” and will “probably hit them hard again tonight”.

In response, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X: “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour.”

The deal between the US and Iran included 14 points, among them a 60-day period for a ceasefire during which negotiations should continue, the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and the US lifting sanctions on Iran.

The 60-day-period for negotiations is not yet up, but Trump has said he saw further talks as “a waste of time”.

These are not the first strikes since the MoU was signed.

The US launched a series of strikes on Iran on 26 June after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Further US strikes took place on 27 June, following an attack on a tanker. But later that month both sides had agreed to “stand down”.

(BBC)

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Prison riots and political battles

Wednesday 8th July, 2026

Prison riots in Negombo have claimed 27 lives including those of seven officers and left more than 100 others injured. It is believed that a clash between a group of drug peddlers among inmates and those who opposed their illegal operations led to the deadly mayhem. A committee has been appointed to probe the violence.

The drug Mafia has flexed its muscles again. The government has embarked on an ambitious campaign to rid the country of narcotics, and rightly so. The ongoing nationwide drug bust deserves the fullest public cooperation. However, if the latest outbreak of prison violence is anything to go by, a special programme needs to be launched to root out the scourge of narcotics in prisons, where some corrupt officers are in league with drug dealers.

The mastermind behind the Negombo Prison riots has been identified. He is an associate of a powerful drug dealer, according to media reports. The netherworld of narcotics and crime has emerged so powerful that it can plunge the country’s prison system into utter chaos at will. Worse, in 2023, an underworld gang planned a commando-style operation to free a drug dealer, called Nadun Chinthaka alias Harak Kata, detained at the CID headquarters. The STF managed to scuttle their plan. We reported that the gang had enrolled some serving military personnel and a sniper for the attack to spring its leader free. Another drug leader had High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya and his MSD bodyguard Inspector Upali Ranasinghe gunned down in late 2004. An underworld gang attacked a prison bus in Kalutara, killing five of its rivals and two prison guards, in 2017. Successive governments have only made half-hearted attempts to neutralise powerful crime syndicates run by drug dealers.

It is puzzling why the prison authorities did not transfer all troublemakers responsible for Sunday’s clash in Negombo to other prisons, after bringing the situation under control. On Monday morning, they gave the all-clear. It was the calm before the storm; violence erupted again soon afterwards. There was a total intelligence failure. If the rioters had been sent to other prisons on Sunday itself, Monday’s violence could have been averted.

Sadly, incidents of prison violence lead to political clashes between the government and the Opposition. There have been several deadly riots in prisons during the past several decades. In 1983, about 50 Tamil prisoners were massacred inside the Welikada Prison in two separate attacks. In the same prison, 27 inmates were killed in 2012 during a riot that followed a search operation conducted by the STF for weapons, drugs and mobile phones. In 2020, violent clashes in the Mahara Prison left 11 inmates dead. All those incidents triggered political battles, with Opposition politicians flaying their ruling party counterparts for failure to ensure the safety of prisoners. If they had put their heads together and taken action to eliminate the root causes of prison unrest and violence, instead of fighting political battles, perhaps the Negombo prison riots would not have occurred.

There have been some half-hearted attempts at prison reforms under successive governments. But the structural problems in Sri Lanka’s prison system remain unresolved. They include overcrowding, delays in court proceedings, gang rivalries, drug peddling, inadequate facilities, corruption and difficulties in maintaining security in large custodial institutions. The Negombo prison is reported to have been experiencing a shortage of officers. These issues have to be resolved urgently as part of a multi-pronged strategy to make prisons safe. Rhetoric won’t do.

Following the Mahara prison violence in 2020, President Anura Kaumara Dissanayake, who was an Opposition firebrand at that time, went ballistic in Parliament, condemning the then SLPP government for its failure to protect prisoners. A video of his fiery speech is doing the rounds in the digital realm. It has become grist for the Opposition’s mill.

Opposition politicians are now doing what the JVP did in the past; they are tearing into the JVP-NPP government over the Negombo prison violence. But prisons will not be any less vulnerable to violence even if the holders of power change; those who are berating the current administration may find themselves in the dock one day if they form a government.

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Ms. U. L. Mathisha Jinanjalie Jayathilake, appointedto the post of Commissioner, Department of Probation and Child Protection Services

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs to appoint Ms. U. L. Mathisha Jinanjalie Jayathilake, the officer in Grade I of Sri Lanka Administrative Service to the post of the Commissioner at the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services with immediate effect.

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Argentina stage stunning late comeback to beat Egypt in World Cup last 16

Argentina staged a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to avoid a shocking exit at the hands of Egypt and prolong Lionel Messi’s World Cup career with a 3-2 win  to reach the quarterfinals.

The holders looked down and out on Tuesday when goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, either side of Messi having a penalty saved, put the Pharaohs in sight of a historic victory in Atlanta.

However, Cristian Romero’s header sparked the comeback as Argentina struck three times in the final 11 minutes plus stoppage time.

Messi smashed home the equaliser to score for a ninth consecutive World Cup game and retake the lead for the Golden Boot with eight this tournament.

Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround with a superb header two minutes into stoppage time.

At the end, Messi shed tears of joy as he embraced his teammates.

Egypt were left furious after a number of controversial calls went against them, including a disallowed goal early in the second half, and a member of their coaching staff was red-carded in the aftermath of the winning goal.

But despite a second almighty scare against African opposition, Argentina will face either Colombia or Switzerland  in the last eight on Saturday.

Lionel Scaloni attempted to refresh a side that looked dead on their feet in the closing stages of a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday.

Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes and Julian Alvarez came in from the team that started in Miami, but Argentina got off to another slow start.

Marwan Attia’s deep cross to the back post was powered home by Yasser.

Argentina had the chance to level five minutes later when Tagliafico was wiped out by Haissem Hassan inside the box.

However, there was another chapter to Messi’s misery from the penalty spot at World Cups.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or’s strike was tentative, and Mostafa Shobeir flew to his left to save, meaning Messi has now missed four of his eight non-shootout penalties at World Cups. He also became the first player to miss two in a single tournament, having also failed to hit the target against Austria in the group stages.

Messi reacts after missing a chance to score [Aljazeera]

The penalty save was just the start of Shobeir’s inspired afternoon.

Alexis Mac Allister’s powerful header from point-blank range was next to be parried by the Al Ahly stopper.

Shobeir then produced one of the saves of the tournament to prevent Alvarez’s shot finding the bottom corner.

Egypt thought they had doubled their lead on the hour mark after a brilliant counterattack.

Mohamed Salah played in Mostafa Ziko, who dinked the ball perfectly over the onrushing Emi Martinez.

However, Egyptian celebrations were cut short by a hugely controversial VAR intervention for a foul on Lisandro Martinez, just outside the Egypt box, at the start of the buildup to the goal.

The decision finally fired up the majority Argentinian crowd, but they were silenced once more moments later by another blistering Egyptian break.

Zico celebrates scoring Egypt’s second goal [Aljazzera]

Salah again led the charge before feeding Hassan, and his cross was swept in by Zico.

Argentina looked like a beaten side with Messi among those whose head was bowed during the second-half drinks break.

Yet Romero’s header – that Shobeir just failed to keep out – sparked a remarkable revival as the defending champions hauled themselves off the canvas.

Moments later a dazzling run by Messi teed up Lautaro Martinez, who headed just wide and Messi was to have his moment of redemption seven minutes from time.

Gonzalo Montiel fed the ball back for his captain to strike sweetly on the half volley.

Shobeir again got a touch but could not keep it out as the ball cannoned in off the bar for Messi’s 21st World Cup goal.

Then Fernandez’s bullet header from Lautaro Martinez’s cross completed the fightback, and Argentina’s relief was on full display after the final whistle.

Scaloni gave a very brief interview to reporters after the match.

“I can’t look up, I’m sorry. I’m really emotional right now,” Argentina’s coach said.

“What a group of players, man. That’s it, I’ve got to go.”

(Aljazeera)

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