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Sri Lanka's State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said the “President, Prime Minister and the Government will never allow anyone to influence national security or sovereignty of the country,” at a military ceremony on Saturday.
The minister added that the Sri Lankan government had “gained the confidence of the international community” and praised called on the attendees to “rise as one”.
His comments echo that made by Sri Lanka's leaders, including the president, who in recent months have reiterated their commitment to security and the armed forces. His remarks come as a spate of arrests continued in the Tamil North-East.
Mr Wijewardene was speaking at a ceremony to hand out 'Virusara' privilege cards to Sri Lankan soldiers, with a total of 1180 beneficiaries on Saturday alone. He added that the government was already undertaking discussions to “increase the benefits already enjoyed by the beneficiaries”.