The United States Embassy in Colombo has announced that the country has been providing training to Sri Lanka’s Navy and Coast Guard as part of improving the island’s “border security”.
20 Sri Lankan Coast Guard Officers and 4 Sri Lankan Navy Officers had graduated as Coast Guard instructors who could go on to train other members, after training funded by the US Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program.
US Ambassador Sison spoke at a passing out ceremony, also attended bySri Lanka Coast Guard chief Rear Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, saying,
"The United States Government is pleased to conduct this training in Sri Lanka for the second time as part of our premier initiative to partner with other countries to improve their border security".
"The United States hopes to continue its cooperation with the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard through this program,"
"It draws on expertise from the U S Departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, Energy, and Defense and provides a range of legal, licensing, and enforcement training and equipment for countries around the globe."