Sri Lanka’s state minister of defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, assured troops on Friday that army camps will not be dismantled and soldiers will not be withdrawn from the north of the island.
Speaking to soldiers at the Security Force Headquarters – Jaffna during his visit to the North-East, the minister said there will be no change in policy, “under any circumstances”.
“National security will remain the priority of our government and there is no change in that policy under any circumstances. I say this with responsibility. Members of the armed forces should not believe in unfounded rumours and various fabricated stories in relation to security concerns. I assure you that the government would not remove any army formations in the peninsula, nor does the government plan to scale down security arrangements”, he said.
Mr Wijewardene said all members of the military will continue to receive welfare facilities and pledged that steps will be taken to further increase benefits.
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