Sri Lanka, July 9 -- The prisoner riot at the Negombo prison on Sunday and Monday (July 5 and 6) seems to be a godsend for the Sri Lankan Opposition parties, which are short of sensational issues to use against the government.

Until this unfortunate incident ended, leaving at least 26 people including seven prison officials dead and over a hundred people injured, they were agitating against a purported proposal by the government to increase the retirement age of the judges.

It was not clear whether they had convinced the public that the government was up to something suspicious through the proposed amendment, as it was too alien an issue for the majority of the population. Besides, some of those who oppose this purported amendment do...