The Sri Lankan parliament has approved an additional 20% budget for the country's military for the remainder of this year, reported the BBC.
The government argued the cash boost was essential despite the end of the long-running war in May because the security forces still need strengthening.
It was pushing for an additional $300m to be added to the military budget – on top of the record $1.6bn already allocated this year.
The extra revenue is said to be for funding the armed forces' fuel and medical supplies and provide compensation for those who were injured or died. All three armed services wings will benefit, the government claimed.
The money was approved by parliament which also extended by a further month the country's state of emergency, nearly five months after the end of the war, reported the BBC.
When an opposition politician, speaking in parliament, asked why the extra military budget was needed given the end of the conflict, the government pointed to the need to prevent any resurgence of the Liberation Tigers and the need to maintain the heavy fortifications.
There are plans to set up two major new military bases in areas captured from the Tigers and to increase military surveillance of the north which will last long after the planned resettlement of Tamil displaced people currently interned in camps, BBC reported.
The country is plastered with posters glorifying the armed forces, most of them in the majority Sinhalese language whose speakers constitute the vast bulk of the military.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army celebrated its 60th anniversary in early October.
“[T]he renowned "Defenders of the Nation" which has triumphantly accomplished a record multiplicity of tasks in its sixty years of survival as a distinguished and admirable force to reckon with, marked its 60th Anniversary cum Army Day (Oct 10th) during a colourful parade and other important features,” reported the defence.lk website.
