Sri Lanka to offer amnesty if illegal arms are surrendered

The newly sworn-in government says it will soon offer amnesty for the surrender of tens of thousands of firearms believed to be in the possession of gangsters and certain politicians, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The amnesty is part of the government's efforts to thwart crime and reverse
the breakdown of law and order in the country, ‘The Sunday Times’, an independent newspaper said.

At least 10,000 Chinese-made T-56 automatic rifles, as many 9-mm rifles and an
unspecified number of hand grenades are in the hands of criminal groups, the
newspaper quoted interior minister John Amaratunga as saying.

After the amnesty, a committee will be appointed to advise the police on ways
to recover the weapons, the newspaper said.

Bureau Report