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The Sri Lankan government confirmed on Tuesday it would raise defence spending by over 5% in 2012, over 2 years since the end of the conflict.
The total expenditure on military expenses in 2012 will be $2.1 billion, up from $1.92 in 2011.
According to figures released in parliament, nearly half of the defence budget will be spent on maintaining the nearly 300,000 strong forces.
Sri Lanka, which maintains one of the largest armies in the world, spend over 3.5% of their GDP on their military in 2010, a higher percentage spend than China’s or the United Kingdom’s.
The Sri Lankan military is mainly deployed in the North-East of the island, where they have been accused of extra-judicial killings, rape and occupying large tracts of civilian land, with the rightful owners still displaced in makeshift camps.
Sri Lanka’s armed forces are accused of committing horrendous war crimes during the final phase of the armed conflict, with not a single soldier charged with a crime.
