The Sri Lankan military held a ceremony at its Commando Regiment Special Warfare Training School in the Vanni to celebrate the passing out of new recruits earlier this year.
A total of 258 new recruits passed out from the military school, completing a six-month long basic recruit training.
The continued expansion of the Sri Lankan military comes despite calls for demilitarisation. The Vanni in particular, remains heavily militarised, with reports indicating that there are as many as 1 soldier for every two civilians in the Mullaitivu district alone.
The Sri Lankan army’s continued expansion continues to dominate defense spending. Sri Lanka’s 2018 budget sees defence spending maintain the highest allocation, with a 2.3% increase from last year.
