Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, has announced that approximately 1,700 individuals who deserted the Sri Lankan armed forces have been arrested in a major crackdown on organised crime and illegal arms, with authorities acknowledging that many of those involved in criminal activity are former members of the military.
The comments were made following a meeting with senior Buddhist clergy, during which Wijepala outlined the scale of the security challenges facing the country. He revealed that significant numbers of deserters from the Sri Lankan army, navy, and air force have re-emerged in the criminal underworld, with some forming connections within the police and security establishment itself.
In response, the government has initiated disciplinary actions against those identified as complicit, including dismissals from service, he claimed. Authorities are also intensifying efforts to trace and prosecute others, both locally and abroad.
An international red notice has been issued for suspects who fled abroad, he stated, adding that extradition talks are currently underway with foreign governments.
Wijepala said the island wide security sweep has already led to the seizure of over a thousand illegal firearms and other weapons stockpiled across the island in the past two months. Several leaders and members of the underworld have been apprehended, he added.
The Sri Lankan government has deployed an additional 500 newly trained officers from the paramilitary Special Task Force (STF) to assist in ongoing operations.
The revelations follow increasing scrutiny over the long-standing issue of impunity for former military personnel accused of grave human rights abuses. Observers have long warned that the state’s failure to demobilise and hold to account tens of thousands of soldiers following the end of the armed conflict in 2009 has contributed to a dangerous culture of militarised violence.
