COLOMBO, July 7 -- Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Tuesday (7) questioned the government's ability to ensure public safety following the deadly violence at Negombo Prison, arguing that if authorities could not maintain security inside prisons, they could not guarantee the safety of Sri Lanka's 22 million people.

Speaking during an adjournment debate in Parliament on the Negombo Prison incident, Premadasa said the Justice Minister had failed to discharge his responsibilities and should be held accountable for the prison unrest, which has left 27 people dead and around 100 others injured.

Premadasa recalled that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, while in the opposition, had maintained that the government bears full responsibility ...