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The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with ten U.S. Navy TH-57 helicopters at no cost, despite the force’s longstanding record of war crimes.
The announcement was made by US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated on social media that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defense Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the U.S. Navy.
According to Washington, the transfer is intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.
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The decision comes despite the Sri Lankan military’s history and its continued role in the repression of the Tamil nation. During the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009, Sri Lankan armed forces were responsible for mass atrocities at Mullivaikkal, where more than 140,000 Tamil civilians are believed to have been killed in what has been increasingly recognised by experts as genocide.
More than sixteen years later, no member of the Sri Lankan military has been held accountable for these crimes. Despite repeated calls from the Tamil people and international rights advocates to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court, successive governments have shielded the armed forces from prosecution, entrenching a culture of impunity.
The provision of military equipment is further scrutinised in the context of the ongoing militarisation of the Tamil homeland in the North-East. Large swathes of Tamil land remain under military occupation, with the armed forces operating an extensive network of surveillance, intelligence gathering, and intimidation that continues to affect the daily lives of the people of the Tamil homeland.