Two inmates died on Friday morning at Kuruwita Prison, Wijepala said.
Between the two incidents, 23 inmates were injured and admitted to hospitals, Wijepala said, adding that the violence was related to narcotics dealers and rival criminal gangs.
Prison officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The reports of the three deaths come a month after a clash in Negombo prison on July 6 left at least 26 people dead, including seven prison officers. This was the country’s deadliest prison riot in more than five years.
Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 39,000 inmates crowded into a system with a total capacity of just 10,000, according to a recent speech in Parliament by Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.
“The number of prisoners in Sri Lanka today is four times the capacity,” said Senaka Perera, president of the Committee for Rights of Prisoners. “In fact, they have been patient for so long.”
Last month, the authorities announced plans to convert disused state buildings into prisons, but new facilities are yet to be added.
More than three-quarters of inmates in Sri Lanka are remand prisoners awaiting trial, and most are being held in connection with drug offences.
