Sri Lanka reactivated its dormant death penalty

Sri Lanka reactivated its dormant death penalty for murder, rape and drug trafficking after a near 30-year lull, the government said, a day after a high court judge was murdered in the capital.  
 There had been no hangings in Sri Lanka since 1976 and while many drug smugglers and murders were on death row, their sentences had effectively been commuted to life in prison.
"The death penalty will be effective from today for rape, murder and narcotics dealings," President Chandrika Kumaratunga's office said in a statement.
"The crime prevention unit of the police will be reorganized and strengthened with immediate effect," the statement said.
Sri Lanka’s police force, short on manpower, had come under fire for not doing enough to crack down on organized crime, especially in the commercial hub, Colombo.
"It's reaching panic levels and you got to have a deterrent and I am happy the president decided to reactivate the death penalty," Inspector-General of Police Chandra Fernando said.
The move came after Judge Sarath Ambepitiya was shot dead outside his Colombo home on November 19 by a suspected drug gang.
Ambepitiya had also sentenced Tamil Tiger rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to 200 years in jail in absentia in 2002, and in his career sentenced to death hardcore criminals and underworld kingpins.