‘Prez shouldn’t have questioned loyalty of armed forces’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retired) Sarath Weerasekera said that the National People’s Power (NPP) government should explain the rationale in reducing the overall strength of the armed forces to 158,000 officers and men by 2030.

Weerasekera, who served as the Navy Chief of Staff at the time he retired at the onset of Eelam War IV, said that the NPP appeared to have adopted the proposal made by the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government in late 2023.

Weerasekera was commenting on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent declaration in Parliament that the strength of the Army, Navy and Air Force would be reduced to 100,000, 40,000 and 18,000, respectively, by 2030. The President said so addressing Parliament during the Committee Stage Debate on the 2025 Budget.

President Dissanayake, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, in addition to being the Defence Minister, owed the country an explanation as to whether he adopted the previous government’s plan and who actually formulated the strategy, the naval veteran queried.

At the height of the war in 2008/2009, the combined strength of the armed forces was around 300,000, the war veteran said. Acknowledging that since the conclusion of the war in 2009, the strength of the armed forces had been gradually decreased, the ex-parliamentarian emphasized the responsibility on the part of the incumbent government to be prepared to face any eventuality.

The former Minister said that having served the Navy for over three decades he was so disappointed to hear the President questioning the professionalism of the country’s armed forces. The President’s assertion that our armed forces had been loyal to individuals but not the State was nothing but an insult to those who defeated northern and southern terror, the ex-MP said.

There had never been a single instance of the armed forces disregarding political directives during the war in the north-east and at the time of southern insurrections in 1971 and 1987-1990, the SLPPer said.

The war veteran asked whether the reduction of the armed forces had been in line with the agreement the previous government finalized with the IMF. In 2024 the Parliament unanimously passed the controversial Economic Transformation Bill that guaranteed whoever won the presidential and parliamentary polls the IMF agreement would be followed.

The former Minister said that the NPP government couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for defending our armed forces at the Geneva-based UNHRC. Unfortunately, the NPP not only questioned the professionalism of our armed forces but their loyalty, as well, amidst ongoing Geneva sessions, the ex-parliamentarian who served as the Chairman of the Oversight Committee on National Security, during the previous administration, said.

Commenting on the recent directive to arrest military deserters in the wake of a legally discharged soldier killing Ganemulle Sanjeewa in a courtroom at Hulftsdorp, Weerasekera emphasized the government couldn’t rein in the underworld by such measures alone.

There could be instances of serving personnel carrying out hits for the underworld, Weerasekera said, urging the government to be cautious in addressing perennial issues, such as nexus between the armed forces men and the underworld.

Weerasekera said that the economy was still in dire straits and the country couldn’t afford to undermine the security apparatus. Reference was also made to recent happenings at the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) where over a dozen Brigadiers and Colonels had been moved out to pave the way for a relatively junior officer to move up the ladder.

The former Minister pointed out that fresh uncertainty was developing in the wake of the NPP’s contentious approach to defence.

By Saman Indrajith

The government is working on plans to introduce a new brand of liquor in quarter bottles to reduce the consumption of illicit alcohol better known as kasippu in the country.

This was revealed during the last meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), where officials from the Ministry of Finance and related statutory bodies discussed the initiative. The new product is expected to generate tax revenue, ranging between Rs 50 to 100 billion.

The meeting was chaired by SJB Colombo District MP Dr. Harsha de Silva.

Officials said that in view of introducing the new quarter bottle, discussions had been held with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Excise Department, the Department of Government Analyst, the Industrial Technology Institute, and industry leaders.

They have been working together on the development of the new liquor brand, which will be produced from spirits with a strength of 85 percent, lower than the 96-96.2 percent spirits used in the current market. This brand will be sold in quarter bottles, aimed at luring consumers away from cheaper, illicit alcohol.

Officials present at the meeting said that nearly 40% of alcohol consumers in the country currently consumed moonshine as it was a cheap alternative. Despite the country producing approximately 90 million litres of spirit annually, only two-thirds of the alcohol consumed is legally produced.

Officials pointed out that the surplus of molasses from Pelwatte and Sevanagala sugar factories could be used to produce the new brand of liquor. That presented an opportunity for domestic resources to be utilized in the production process, further supporting the initiative, officials said.

The meeting also included discussions on recent gazette notifications related to excise duties and liquor regulations. Present at the COPF meeting were Deputy Ministers Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma and Chathuranga Abeysinghe along with MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Nimal Palihena, Wijesiri Basnayake, Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra, and officials.

Jaffna-based Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has reiterated its demand for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The TNPF raised the issue in a letter addressed to the Heads of Missions in Geneva of the UNHRC Core Group on Sri Lanka.

The TNPF criticised previous UN HRC resolutions as ineffective, stating that they have failed to deliver justice for Tamil victims.

The letter, signed by TNPF President Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam MP, and General Secretary S. Kajendren, rejected the Core Group’s response to Sri Lanka’s proposal for domestic mechanisms. The TNPF warned that the current administration, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has made it clear that it would not prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.

The TNPF outlined how the NPP government has categorically dismissed international accountability mechanisms, echoing the policies of its predecessors. The letter highlighted that since at least 27 August 2024, President Dissanayake has repeatedly assured the Sinhala electorate that “no one will be punished for IHL (International Humanitarian Law) or Human Rights law violations that took place during the war.”

Instead, the government has insisted on so-called “truth-seeking” mechanisms, which, the TNPF states, are designed to avoid prosecution rather than ensure accountability. The letter warned that any domestic initiative under the current administration will not hold perpetrators accountable—a strategy that has been used repeatedly to delay and deny justice to Tamil victims.

“This context makes it abundantly clear that the present government, like its predecessors, will never willingly prosecute perpetrators,” the TNPF wrote, reaffirming that Tamil demands for justice and non-recurrence remain unmet.

The TNPF also rebuked the UNHRC Core Group’s continued failure to push for meaningful action against Sri Lanka. The letter stressed that the approach taken in previous resolutions—which focus on engagement and domestic mechanisms—has only allowed Sri Lanka to buy time and avoid accountability.

The Core Group, which includes Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United Kingdom, has once again welcomed superficial measures taken by Sri Lanka, including so-called “initial steps” such as returning small plots of land, lifting roadblocks, and allowing memorialisation. However, these actions come as tens of thousands of Sri Lankan troops continue to occupy Tamil land, engaging in surveillance, intimidation, and the suppression of Tamil civil society.

The TNPF made it clear that a new resolution in line with past ones cannot be sustained in the name of accountability. Instead, they demanded a radical shift in the UNHRC’s approach:

“A new resolution consistent with the matters pointed out in this letter and specifically, a referral of the situation in Sri Lanka to the ICC, and other international fora, is fundamental if the resolution is to have the consent of the Tamil victims.”

This demand reflects the growing frustration among Tamil political leaders, civil society, and victims’ families over the continued failure of the international community to deliver justice more than 15 years after the Mullivaikkal genocide, the TNPF said.