A visit to a Colombo prison by Sri Lanka's Interior...

A visit to a Colombo prison by Sri Lanka's Interior Minister John Amaratunga to inspect the gallows and ensure the hangman's noose is ready for use - if needed - triggered a fresh debate on the use of the death penalty to curb crime.
Amaratunga, who is in charge of the police, visited the capital's main Welikada prison on February 7 and inspected the old execution chamber which has not been used since the 1970s.
Sri Lanka authorities have, since 1976, commuted death sentences to life imprisonment on defendants found guilty of serious crimes.
Rising crime in the country in the past decade on the back of a Tamil guerrilla revolt and people having easy access to deadly weapons has pushed the crime rate to worrisome levels.
The re-introduction of the death penalty has been urged by many sections of society but opposed by human rights activists with one of the arguments being that this form of punishment is becoming obsolete in most parts of the world and that serious crime is also connected to poverty and social inequity.
Amaratunga said legislation would be introduced in parliament allowing capital punishment to be re-imposed. He said, however, that the consent of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is an opponent of the ruling United National Party (UNP), was also necessary to make it law.
The minister, who stressed the need for the death penalty to serve as a deterrent to serious crime, said public surveys have revealed that the majority of the people favour the re-introduction of capital punishment.