Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the newly appointed Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake this week, thanking him for his work during his time as Jaffna Commander.

“During cordial discussions that ensued, Prime Minister expressed his pleasure about right decisions and measures that had been taken by Lieutenant General Senanayake as the then Jaffna Commander, responding to the concerns of Jaffna people,” reported an official army website.

The prime minister went on request that the commander “continue with the ongoing nation-building roles of the Army”.

Senanayake worked closely with the former Army General, Sarath Fonseka, who was leading the Sri Lankan military in the final stages of the armed conflict against the LTTE in 2009 when widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity took place.

In his role as Jaffna commander, the Sri Lankan military has continued to be heavily involved in Tamil civilian life in the North-East, regularly appearing at schools and place of worship. Meanwhile, the military has continued to assist in the construction of Buddhist viharas across the Tamil homeland.

The Lieutenant General also stated last year that there had been no reduction in security in Jaffna with the number of troops and army camps remaining the same, adding that “the recent hand over of lands does not mean giving up camps".