08 January 2020 :

Justice Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has backed a proposal to implement the death penalty for drug smugglers.
Speaking at the Justice Ministry on 1st January 2020, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that there are other countries which implement the death penalty for similar offences.
He questioned why Sri Lanka could not implement the death penalty when countries like the US, Australia and Singapore did.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva charged that foreign pressure was only exerted on Sri Lanka when Sri Lanka looked to implement the death penalty.