Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardane pledged that nothing would affect “national security” on the island on Friday, at a ceremony to hand out benefit cards to Sri Lankan soldiers.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Mr Wijewardane said the “government will not allow any person or any organization to impact or influence on the national security”.
He went on to add that,
“President Maithripala Sirisena as the Defence Minister is continuously offering guidance and instruction to ensure and to further strengthen national security”.
Mr Sirisena took up the Defence Minister post when he assumed power as president in January 2015, having previously been sworn in as the acting defence minister in May 2009, during the final stages of the armed conflict.
The Sri Lankan president has also repeatedly stated his commitment to security, telling a delegation of German parliamentarians yesterday that he was “totally committed to safeguarding national security”.