The Colombo-based Defence Advisors of Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, United States and the United Kingdom held a meeting with the war crimes accused head of the Sri Lankan military last week, to discuss the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
General Shavendra Silva, who is Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), met with the diplomats to discuss Sri Lanka’s use of quarantine centres and the outbreak of clusters.
Days after Silva reassured the diplomats of Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 measures, parliament was ordered to close in order to disinfect the premises after a police officer at the complex tested positive for the coronavirus amid a new surge of the virus in the country.
This new surge has hit the capital of Colombo the hardest with Colombo City reporting 548 new cases in the last four days. The Sri Lankan military has meanwhile deployed armed soldiers across the island in response.
Read more about the meeting here.
The meeting with Silva comes, despite the Sri Lankan general being banned from the US over his role in overseeing war crimes.
Read more on the ban and Silva's record here.
