No NSC meeting held over Mirihana incident: Defense Secretary

Refuting reports of an alleged National Security Council (NSC) meeting convened over the violent protests in Mirihana, Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne, contrary to media reports, stated that no such meeting had taken place.

The Defence Secretary illustrating the composition and the significance of the NSC stressed that there are no instances of unauthorized persons attending the NSC meetings, a statement from the Defense Ministry said.

President as the Minister of Defence and Chairperson and Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Public Security, State Minister of Defence, Secretary to  President, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary to Ministry of Public Security, Secretary to the Treasury, Chief of the Defence Staff, Tri-Service Commanders, Inspector General of Police are the Statutory Members attending while the Chief of National Intelligence, Director General of State Intelligence Service, Director General of Military Intelligence, Deputy Inspector General of Criminal Investigation Department, Director of Counter Terrorist Investigation Division and the Commandant of Special Task Force are participating as the appointed members of the NSC.

The meeting is hosted by the Presidential Secretariat as it is the principal organ for the President to make decisions on all National Security aspects of the country. After H.E Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed office as the President, no any unauthorised persons were invited/allowed to attend the NSC meetings. 

"If there are matters which have an impact on National Security, then the heads of those respective institutions will be called and the matter will be dealt with prior to the NSC agenda," the statement said.