Published on - 5/19/2005
Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) & Commander of the Navy, Lieutenant General Shantha Kottegoda, Commander of the Army and Air Vice Marshal Donald Perera, Commander of the Air Force on Wednesday (04) morning flew to Batticaloa with a view to assessing current security developments and speaking to a cross section of members of the armed forces, now serving in those areas.
Their first stop was at Welikanda, where a spate of violent acts was reported in the recent past after entry of different Tamil factions into the area. Director General, General Staff, Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi, Security Forces Commander (East) Major General G. Hettiarachchi, General Officer Commanding 23 Division, Brigadier T.W. Jayawardene and all other senior officers joined up with visiting military chiefs for a conference on the current security concerns in the area, housing and welfare matters related to troops, etc.
The CDS and his entourage afterwards visited the 233 Brigade Headquarters in Batticaloa and attended a similar type of discussion attended by Security Forces Commander (East) Major General G. Hettiarachchi, General Officer Commanding 23 Division, General Officer Commanding 23 Division Brigadier T.W. Jayawardene Brigade Commander Brigadier Laksiri Amaratunge, Senior Superintendent of Police for Batticaloa and the Assistant Superintendent of Police for Special Task Forces. Brigade Commander Brigadier Laksiri Amaratunge gave the audience a thorough account of prevailing current security situation in the area before they flew back.
