More than 1,000 prisoners in Sri Lanka have been given a presidential pardon in time for Christmas, a prison official said today.

The 1,004 prisoners released include people who had been jailed for non-payment of finessaid official Gamini Dissanayake.

Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka announced a group amnesty in May during the Vesak holiday, which marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.

During the week before Christmas, Sri Lankan police conducted an anti-drug operation that was criticized by human rights defenders for the lack of legal warrants and preliminary investigations.

Nearly 13,700 people allegedly involved in drug trafficking have been arrested, as have 1,100 users, who are to undergo a detoxification program at military centers, law enforcement said yesterday.

The operation is expected to continue from December 27 (ie the day after tomorrow Wednesday), according to the authorities in Colombo.

Sri Lankan prisons are notorious for their overcrowded conditions. About 30,000 prisoners are housed in facilities built for 11,000 people, according to official figures as of last Friday.