Doubling Forces' numbers crucial for war victory - Defence Secretary
In addition to the political leadership given by
President Mahinda Rajapaksa it was the brave decision to double the
manpower of the Security Forces that became the main factor in wining
the war against the LTTE, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
The Defence Secretary addressing the first
felicitation ceremony of Civil Security Department (CSD) officials in
Anuradhapura said the timely decision of the President led to victory in
the war since like in any other endeavour, a skilful, knowledgeable
workforce is a must to achieve success.
The ceremony was aimed at recognizing the service of
officials of CSD. At the ceremony some CSD officials received promotions
by the Defence Secretary while four others were awarded certificates for
their bravery and tactical skills during the war against the LTTE.
On the advice of the President, steps were taken to
increase the manpower of the Three Forces, Police and CSD by 250,000.
Accordingly 200,000 were recruited to the Armed Services while 35,000 to
the Police and 20,000 to the CSD. The recruits underwent a complete
training while encouraging them to face any challenge, the Defence
Secretary said.
After the LTTE's brutal attack on civilians at
Kebitigollewa, the President advised a complete overhaul of the security
mechanism for vulnerable villages. On President Mahinda Rajapaksa's
directives the manpower of the CSD was increased to 41,500 from 19,000,
he said.
"We continuously recruited 5,000 per month for three
years to the Security Forces," the Defence Secretary added.
The Government had implemented a strategy to win the
war learning from past failures. CSD officials were issued T56 weapons
instead of shot guns and they were put through professional training.
All the CSD officers were given standard uniforms which gave them honour
and dignity. As a result, of around 4,500 CSD officers took part in the
final battle against the LTTE, he said.
Addressing the gathering Chief Minister of the North
Central Province Berty Premalal Dissanayake said, normality was
disturbed in most parts of the North Central Province due to the brutal
activities of the LTTE. However, the President has led the country to
defeating the LTTE allowing everyone to live peacefully without fear of
death. Therefore the people will definitely pay their gratitude to
President Rajapaksa at the forthcoming Presidential Election, the Chief
Minister said.
Under the Defence Secretary's guidance, the CSD was
reorganized and converted into a skilful unit which can overcome any
crisis. The salaries of CSD officers were increased by 40 percent. Moves
are underway to offer them a pension scheme, General Civil Security
Department Director Rear Admiral Sarath P. Weerasekara said.
Courtesy : Daily News |
