Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala announced in Parliament that inmate unrest at both New Magazine Prison in Borella and Kuruwita Prison has been contained.
Meanwhile, a disturbance at Pallansena Open Prison Camp in Negombo was actively being contained.
Special Task Force, Police Riot Control, and Air Force personnel deployed tear gas to disperse inmates protesting on the facility's roof.
Context
The disturbances initially flared up at New Magazine Prison on Thursday night after authorities intercepted a package containing narcotics thrown over the boundary wall.
About forty inmates subsequently broke out of a prison ward around 10:15 p.m.
Although initial clashes at Kuruwita Prison were controlled, violence erupted again on Friday, prompting security forces to use tear gas and live fire to restore full order.
Cause for Unrest
Minister Wijepala stated that intelligence briefings and ongoing official investigations indicate the coordinated uprisings stem from a broader conspiracy aimed at sabotage.
He noted that these actions were orchestrated by syndicates linked to illegal drug trafficking and organized crime networks.
Nevertheless, the Minister reassured the public by adding that there was no broader threat to overall national security during these prison disruptions.
Prison Unrest
These recent incidents follow previous violent riots across the country's penal facilities, including Negombo and Mahara prisons.
Last month, thirty two individuals, including ten prison officers, died when clashes between rival inmate groups escalated dramatically.
Furthermore, on August 1, more than one thousand inmates at Mahara Prison engaged in destructive rioting, which Justice Minister Nanayakkara highlighted as an attempt to systematically sabotage standard facility operations.
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