2 April 2020 02:16 am
Defence Ministry Secretary Maj.Gen.(Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne said while fighting against COVID-19, all intelligence agencies, including military intelligence, were also kept on high alert to face any possible security threat, including re-grouping of certain elements involve in terrorism and extremism.
He said the military and Police personnel were deployed, island wide, to maintain law and order, to restrict people’s movement to contain the highly contagious virus and also to be alerted on other security threats.
“Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces, Police and other security agencies are kept on high alert on other security threats while they have been tasked to support the Government’s mechanism to control the spreading of COVID-19,” Defence Secretary, who visited the Sri Lanka Navys (SLN), Dikowita harbor, where the country’s largest ever drug haul worth of Rs. 12,500 million nabbed at international waters six-days ago was displayed, said.
The SLN’s Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS ‘Sayura’ seized a total of 1184.9kilos of drugs including 605.4 kilos of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE) 579.5 kilos of Ketamine, 200 packets of babul and another 100 grams of unidentified pills of drugs in intercepted large foreign vessel
Maj.Gen. Gunaratne said SLN’s detection of this large consignment was the best example to say that the Government had not neglect its responsibility to protect the country while fighting against COVID-19.
“The national security is the top priority of the Government. The SLN had ventured into 463 nautical miles (835km) off of country’s Southern coast to carry out this detection while bearing the risk of COVID-19 infection as there were nine Pakistani drug smugglers in an organised drug smuggling network were in the vessel, which had no State flag,” he said.
Commending the efforts and commitment taken by SLN Commander Vice Admiral Priyal De Silva and his men to nab local and international drug trafficking networks, Maj.Gen. Gunaratne said all intelligence agencies, including military intelligence, were also kept on high alert to face any possible security threat, including re-grouping of certain elements involve in terrorism and extremism.