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Colombo cancels arms import from China, Pakistan

COLOMBO: The newly-appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Sarath Fonseka, said on Wednesday that the island nation had cancelled the import of ammunition valued at $200 million from China and Pakistan following the end Eelam War IV. He also announced that India was sending 500 personnel to clear mines in the north.

General Fonseka, who in his earlier position as Army chief was one of the architects of the war against the Tigers, further said 800 cadres of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulika (TMVP), a breakaway faction of the LTTE, had been formally absorbed into the army.

Talking with reporters after taking office as the CDS, General Fonseka said the Chinese order was cancelled because there was no need to stock ammunition for heavy guns after the victory over the LTTE.

The cancellation assumes importance as Sri Lanka is awaiting clearance of a $1.9-billion International Monetary Fund loan to resolve balance-of-payments problem triggered by heavy spending on defence.

Defence spending in 2009 was estimated at Sri Lanka Rs. 200 billion ($1.74 billion), accounting for 17 per cent of the country’s total expenditure.

Sri Lanka’s military and police, with a combined strength of 3,50,000, won one of the Asia’s longest modern wars and declared victory over the Tigers on May 19.

Separately, Sri Lanka’s new Army chief Jagath Jayasuriya on assumption of office said he would “re-motivate” his 2,00,000-strong force and build a peacetime military.

Lieutenant-General Jayasuriya said his first priority would be the military’s new role in supporting the massive reconstruction effort in areas once held by the LTTE. “We have to transform them from fighting to other things. We have to re-motivate them,” he told reporters in an informal talk.

“Running a peacetime army is quite different. Discipline has to be emphasised. I am very concerned about it,” he said. The new chief said the Army recruited 80,000 soldiers in the past two years.

A statement by the Defence Ministry said Gen. Fonseka paid a courtesy call on the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa after taking charge as CDS.

General Fonseka is the first person to hold the post of Chief of Defence Staff, after the Chief of Defence Staff Act was passed in the Parliament.

Meanwhile, Minister for Human Rights and Disaster Management Mahinda Samarasinghe said out of the $155 million required for providing relief and resettlement of the nearly three lakh war displaced, nearly 60 per cent has been received.

“It is about $100 million that has been received so far and in addition another $40 million over and above the CHAP has also been mobilised. This money is coming to the U.N. through their projects that will be implemented by selected INGOs and NGOs identified jointly with the government and of course facilitated by the government,” he said.

“But in an addition there are number of other countries which have given direct aid to the government of Sri Lanka. This is also the money that has been spent on behalf of the people,” he added.

On the Indian offer for assistance, the Minister said subject would be discussed with the external resources department as well as national planning department of the Ministry of Finance.

“Then subsequently it is discussed with the task force who is put in charge. Actually we are looking to connect with rehabilitation, resettlement as well as relief services because these are things that have to be discussed bilaterally and this discussion will take place now that the allocation has been provided for,” he said.

In a related development, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced a scheme for contributions from various quarters for relief and resettlement of the war displaced. All contributions to the scheme are exempted from income tax.

It said the Central Bank will receive foreign currency and rupee donations through the fund account number 4237 maintained at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka through SWIFT, telegraphic transfers, bank drafts, cheques and money orders and credit cards.

In another development, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) charged the Sri Lanka government with continuing its offensive against the independent news media, blocking domestic access to a news website and smearing lawyers who were representing a leading newspaper.

It said domestic access to the independent website Lanka News Web was shut down over the weekend.

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