Aug 28, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Prison Department today will begin conducting interviews to select an executioner among over 150 prospective candidates.

The interviews will be held at the main Welikada Prison by a three-member panel, the Prisons Department said.

The Department looks to fill two posts - the hangman and an assistant- out of 178 eligible candidates selected from the vast number of applications the department received for the posts.

Sri Lanka judiciary imposes capital punishment but has not implemented the death penalty since 1976.

The government reinstated the death penalty in 2004 for murder, rape and drug trafficking following the murder of a high court judge.

Since 2000 there are 1,164 death row inmates languishing in jails waiting for execution or a final decision for commutation for execution. Some prisoners on death row at the moment have served over 15 years while waiting for their sentences to be carried out.

There are currently 357 people are in the death row in Sri Lanka's prisons.