A spokesperson for Sri Lanka’s army has said no decision has been taken to reduce the number of troops in the military, noting instead that over 20,000 people had been recruited into the armed forces for "development projects".
According to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, when questioned by reporters on plans to reduce the size of the armed forces, army spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera responded by saying no such decision had been taken.
Instead the brigadier told journalists that the security forces were “greatly involved in many development projects in various parts of the country” and that over 20,000 personnel had been recruited by the army.