COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has granted amnesty to 800 prisoners to mark the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year on Saturday(today), his office announced.
The amnesty of about 779 prisoners followed the release of more than 1,000 detainees to mark Christmas.
AFP reported that there are under 30,000 prisoners in Sri Lankan jails, which were designed to accommodate 11,000.
As per local media reports, this year’s celebrations were marred by contradictory timetables announced by an official panel of astrologers tasked to decide on a schedule for traditional festivals.
However, the government of Sri Lanka has asked people to follow the decision of a majority astrologers, who said the people should light a stove and make their first food of the year just following midnight.
