Army will not be removed from north, Defence State Minister assures Chief Prelates

Monday, 19 January 2015 00:48 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The new Government says the Army in the north will not be withdrawn and national security will be given priority. State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said that President Maithripala Sirisena had made it clear from the day he won the presidential election that he would not allow the country to be divided. Wijewardene said that after Sirisena had won the election there had been several false reports spreading that the Army would be withdrawn from the north but he insisted those reports were false.

The new State Minister of Defence made these comments after visiting Kandy yesterday where he met the Chief Prelates and obtained their blessings. The fears of the Army being withdrawn from the north were based on the support Sirisena got from the Tamil National Alliance. The Tamil National Alliance has in the pastbeen pushing for the Army presence in the north to be reduced following the end of the war with LTTE. Wijewardene meanwhile said that the new Government would ensure the security forces were treated with respect and given all the facilities they required. He also said that the issues faced by the families of the soldiers would also be looked into while special attention would also be given to disabled soldiers. Wijewardene said that members of the Civil Defence Force had also raised some concerns and he had decided to meet them to discuss those issues. (Colombo Gazette) Pix by Pradeep Pathirana