On February 23, the Forum of the Representatives of...

On February 23, the Forum of the Representatives of State Corporations and Statutory Bodies urged the Government to take steps to arrest the rising wave of crime in the country by amending Section 296 of the Penal Code to include murder, sexual abuse against women and children, illegal trade in dangerous drugs, and robbery as death-qualifiable offenses. The Forum said it is clear that education and fostering of religious and cultural values alone are insufficient to arrest the high incidence of crime. The recent killing of 6 persons of the same family at Hokandara had been committed in the course of 6 hours. This showed that the killers were not in their right minds, and it is alleged that they were under the influence of drugs while committing the crime. Forum President A. B. C. de Silva, said that drug abuse is designated as a crime punishable with the death sentence, but today this is very often commuted to a period of imprisonment not exceeding 20 years.