AMN/ WEB DESK
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted amnesty to more than a thousand convicts, and they were released from jails across the country to mark Christmas. Among those freed today were people jailed for not being able to pay outstanding fines.
The latest pardon came after police arrested nearly 15,000 people during a weeklong military-backed anti-narcotics drive that was halted on the eve of Christmas. A police statement said 13,666 suspects were arrested while nearly 1,100 addicts were detained and sent for compulsory rehabilitation at a military-run facility.