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Lanka ready to help counter terror, Army Chief tells French envoy
Sri Lanka is willing to offer its expertise and share experiences with France as it faces terror threats, Army Commander Lieutenant General Crishanthe de Silva said yesterday.
The offer was made during a courtesy call last week on the Army Commander by the French Ambassador Jean-Marin Schuh in Colombo.
While conveying his condolences over the recent terror attacks in the French capital, Paris, the Commander expressed his concerns and offered assistance in defeating the terrorism that has surfaced in Europe.
However the Army Commander told the Sunday Times that a proper request from the French Government should be sent through diplomatic channels for the next step to be taken.
“As a country which got rid of terrorism, we don’t condone it. At the same time we are willing to help those who are in need of such help from us. Currently we are providing training to many institutions locally and abroad,” Commander de Silva said.
According to the Army Chief, the French envoy was very keen on Sri Lanka sharing its experiences on how it dealt with terrorism. Following the courtesy call, another meeting is being scheduled in the near future.
A spokesperson at the French Embassy in Colombo told the Sunday Times that the embassy thanked him very much for his kind words and offer of assistance.
Meanwhile Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi added that the Government will consider such a request if any appeal is made. He also noted that even though the French authorities have the capability to handle such issues militarily, as a country which got rid of terrorism we can share our experiences with them.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka will continue to maintain its security alert amidst emerging terror attacks by jihadists in the south Asian region.
A senior officer of the Diplomatic Security Division (DSD) – a separate police division to provide security to diplomatic missions and ambassadors’ residences in the country – said the DSD had not received any requests from those missions seeking to strengthen their security following the terror attacks in France.
DSD Director D.J.Palihakkara told the Sunday Times that his division has been providing static security round the clock for diplomatic missions based in Colombo but there has been no immediate necessity so far to increase it.
However, Mr. Palihakkara noted that during the August Parliamentary polls some diplomatic missions had requested their security be increased in view of possible election violence and the department took steps to increase security after studying the situation.
Immigration and Emigration Department officials said so far they had not received any directives from the defence authorities to block any individual’s entry for alleged links with the IS.
Immigration and Emigration Controller General M. N. Ranasinghe told the Sunday Times that there could be a possibility where foreigners who want to join the IS terrorists in Syria might use Sri Lanka as a transit hub but they will not be allowed to enter the country as their movement is limited.
“It’s up to the defence authorities to track them,” he added.
Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi told the Sunday Times that the Government has a zero tolerance policy towards any kind of terror attacks anywhere in the world and has taken adequate and timely measures to prevent such kind of attacks taking place in the country.
“Still we are in the process of collecting information on individuals allegedly having links with these jihadists. Since these investigations are ongoing with the participation of many intelligence agencies, I can’t reveal information about it,” he said.
Rejecting claims by the IS that at least 16 Sri Lankans are currently fighting in Syria, the Defence Secretary said those claims are very misleading and suspected that some Syrian government forces could be behind them.
“We are sensitive to the situation in Syria, but the Sri Lankans who opted to stay there did so of their own volition. We cannot do anything about that,” he said.
Following the death of the first Sri Lankan who joined the IS organisation, a magazine published by the IS claimed that at least 16 other individuals had been recruited from Sri Lanka.
Dabiq, a online magazine produced by the IS as recruiting tool, claimed a karate master from Galewela in Kandy, identified as Abu Shuraih Sailani in the Islamic State, was killed in Syria in an air strike. He had allegedly taken his entire family with him to Syria.
He is said to be the first Sri Lankan member of the ISIS. Abhu Shuraih Sailani had pursued Islamic studies and completed his Bachelor of Law (LLB) in Shariah Law from the International Islamic University in Pakistan.
On Thursday an unidentified gunman opened fire on a mosque in Bangladesh killing one man and injuring three others during evening prayers, hours after that IS claimed through social media, the responsibility for the terror attack.
In the Maldives, our immediate neighbour, at least 200 Maldivians are currently fighting for IS jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
| Think tank says terrorist activity increased by 80 per cent in 2014 The recently released Global Terrorism Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an independent think tank noted that terrorist activity increased by 80 per cent last year to its highest recorded level. The largest ever year-on-year increase in deaths from terrorism was recorded in 2014, rising from 18,111 in 2013 to 32,685 in 2014. The Index which placed Sri Lanka in 42nd place provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last fifteen years. “While terrorism is highly concentrated in a small number of countries, the number of countries which have had a terrorist attack is also increasing. In 2014 terrorism impacted more countries than ever before. Attacks were recorded in 93 countries, up from 88 in 2013. This continues the trend from 2011 with more countries experiencing terrorist attacks and deaths each year,” the report said. |