Sri lankan president likely to decide fate of fisherman in next five days
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Chennai: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to decide in the next few days about the fate of the five Tamil Nadu fishermen sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court for alleged smuggling of brown sugar, official sources said in Colombo. They say there is no truth in reports in some sections of the media that the President has already ordered their release.
Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told reporters in Colombo that President Rajapaksa was actively considering various options, such as commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment and send them to India to serve out the term. It might be possible for the President to subsequently pardon the five men, he said.
On the other hand, India has been pressing President Rajapaksa to order the release of the fishermen “with full pardon and at once”.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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