11th May 2022 17:19:27 Hours
“We all urge you to extend your maximum support to heroic members of our armed forces to maintain peace and normalcy in the country and help facilitate the transport of essentials, needed for civilians across the island. We are now observing a considerable decline of violent acts in the past couple of hours and certain attempts to incite two communities in Negombo area were also defused after deploying troops and bringing the situation under control,” so remarked General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army speaking to Media at the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday (11).
“While the curfew is in force today too, troops after placing roadblocks conduct search roles and facilitate the movement of vehicles, engaged in emergency essential needs of the country. Instructions have been given to the tri-services to stop vehicles without proper movement approvals. Likewise, we appeal all of you to remain in your homes without disturbing our duties and not to move out to the roads as groups for any purposes,” he appealed.
In response to a question of a journalist, General Shavendra Silva said that the armed forces cannot allow more and more people to follow suit and resort to violence. “We are a well experienced force and we are fully capable of managing with our own security and defence of the country, so we do not want any foreign forces to arrive here to restore law and order. We are fully capable of managing our own security affairs as professionally-qualified tri-servicemen,” General Shavendra Silva added.
Secretary Defence, General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) contributing to the sessions declared that tri-services, summoned to assist the Police to maintain law and order would use their minimum possible force to control and would not fail to quell any situation as and when deemed necessary. “With powers vested in me constitutionally, we reluctantly were compelled to announce those emergency measures as a deterrent to the escalating violence. We earnestly appeal all our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters to refrain from those violent acts, destruction of private and public property and harm to the lives of the people, no matter what their political affiliations are. Policemen in uniforms are also human beings and when they are harassed and humiliated, how is it possible to maintain law and order”, the Defence Secretary asked.
“Arson attacks, damage to private and public property caused in the last 48 hours were very big and it is yet to be estimated. Many owners of those properties are still in hiding for fear of their lives. What we wanted at first was to watch the developments and use the minimum force by explaining the impact of violent acts to those mobs. That is why we asked the troops to take control of the situation even after so many hours of imposition of the emergency regulations. This was done reluctantly but meant to bring down escalation of spiralling violence. You saw how our soldiers without any rebuttal patiently and how several instances were managed with restrained,” General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) added.
