The Sri Lanka Army has ordered all personnel below the rank of Major to surrender their passports to their respective regiments. The decision, confirmed by Army Spokesperson Brigadier Waruna Gamage, has been described as an administrative measure aimed at addressing delays in obtaining passports for official military purposes, such as overseas training programs.
Brigadier Gamage stated, “Since many Army personnel are away from home, there can be delays in acquiring passports for official purposes.”
Passports can be reacquired for personal use by informing the relevant departments. However, some have speculated online that the policy was enacted to prevent unauthorized absences. Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers have gone in the Russia-Ukraine war with dozens having been killed so far.
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Recently, Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake acknowledged that Sri Lanka is a "criminal state," citing extrajudicial killings and systemic abuses by state forces. His remarks follow a scandal involving the disappearance of 73 T-56 assault rifles from a military camp. “There are a few in the military who are hired to go out and shoot to kill and come back to the camp,” admitted Dissanayake in a public address.
