Thursday, 26 March 2015 01:19
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Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s office, while denying Government claims that he used 21 state vehicles, said that he was at risk due to a lack of vehicles to transport his security personnel.
The statement which carried these claims revealed that all the vehicles that were assigned to his security detail were withdrawn on 3 March following a directive from the Presidential Secretary P.B. Abeykoon.
The statement further stated that although 108 soldiers and 105 policemen were assigned to Rajapaksa’s security detail only six vehicles had been provided.
The following is the full statement issued by Media Co-ordinator for former President Rajapaksa, Rohan Welivita.
Referring to the security provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Cabinet spokesman Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a press conference yesterday (24 March ) that the former President has been provided with two high security vehicles, one ‘dummy’ vehicle, one Defender jeep, one Toyota Land Cruiser and one double cab. He further said that 108 soldiers and 105 policemen had been assigned for the protection of the former President and that these security personnel had been provided with three double cabs, one Land Cruiser, two vans, one bus and eight motorcycles for their use.
According to minister Senaratne, a total of 21 vehicles have been provided for the use of the former President.
We wish to inform the public that this statement is not correct and that the former President has been provided with only six vehicles at present. All the vehicles that were assigned to the police personnel in the former president’s security detail were withdrawn on 3 March 2015 by a letter bearing reference number SP/O4/0/8 issued by the Secretary to the President Mr. P.B.Abeykoon.
As Minister Rajitha Senaratne said, there are in fact 108 soldiers and 105 policemen who have been assigned to protect former President Mahinda Rajapaksa but they have no vehicles. The former Secretary to the President Mr. Lalith Weeratunga wrote to the present Secretary to the President Mr. P.B.Abeykoon on 16 March 2015 stating that problems had arisen as there were no vehicles to transport the army and police personnel in the former President’s security detail. There has been no response to this letter as yet.
We wish to remind the public that it was former president Mahinda Rajapaksa who won the war against the LTTE which was officially designated by the FBI as the world’s deadliest terrorist organisation. After the defeat, attempts were made by former LTTE cadres to regroup with help from the Tamil diaspora. These attempts were detected early and prevented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government.
As such there is an ever present threat to the life of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his security should be a matter of the highest priority. It need not be stressed that the lack of vehicles to transport his security personnel has jeopardised the former president’s security.
