August 05, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s top defence official has confirmed that the country is not facing any active threat to its national security at present, despite a noticeable increase in underworld-related violence in recent months.
Speaking at an event marking China’s contribution of disaster response equipment to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre, Secretary of Defence Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha sought to reassure the public, stating that the overall security situation remains stable and under control.
“There is no disruption to national security,” he remarked during the ceremony. “If there were, you wouldn’t have been able to come here today so easily.”
He emphasised that criminal elements operating within the underworld do not fall under the umbrella of national security threats, and that such matters are being dealt with by the Ministry of Public Security.
The Defence Secretary explained that whilst his ministry supports operations related to maintaining law and order, it does so strictly within its designated responsibilities and legal limitations.
“We work closely with the police and other enforcement agencies, but our involvement is bound by the roles assigned to us,” he said.
Addressing the recent rise in gang-related shootings, Thuyacontha acknowledged that the ongoing violence appears to stem from internal turmoil within criminal networks, largely due to the removal of previous political patronage that may have once shielded these groups from prosecution.
“The criminal underworld is in a state of disarray because it no longer enjoys the political protection it once did. That disruption has left them vulnerable, and what you’re seeing now is the fallout from that shift,” he explained. “The Ministry of Public Security has implemented a strategy to deal with these groups, and arrests are being made. The system is responding.”
