யுத்தக் குற்றமிழைத்த ஸ்ரீலங்கா படையுடன் கை கோர்க்கும் ஐ.நா.சபை

யுத்தம் குற்றம் இழைத்த ஸ்ரீலங்கா இராணுவத்துடன் கை கோர்க்கும் ஐ,நா.சபை

U.N. peacekeepers fire bullets and tear gas into a crowd of protesters in front of Haiti's National Palace.

Protesters had called on Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis to resign as the food protests continued to paralyze the country.
Lanka strengthens Armoured Corps, eyes more UN missions
* Talks underway with Russia
December 15, 2010, 9:45 pm
By Shamindra Ferdinando

The government is boosting the strength of the Armoured Corps, with a view to securing more UN peace keeping missions in which AC can play a leading role.

This was revealed by Army Chief Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, who is also Colonel Commandant of the Armoured Corps, at the 55th anniversary of the Corps held at its Regimental Headquarters, Rock House, Muttwal on Wednesday (Dec.15).

Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Sinha Regiment veteran General Sarath Fonseka, Jayasuriya remains the Colonel Commandant of the Armoured Corps even after taking over the Army. Fonseka held the position of Colonel Commandant of Sinha Regiment throughout the war, while being the Commander of the Army.

Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya said that the government was in the process of negotiating with Russia to acquire armoured fighting vehicles as part of its overall strategy to secure fresh UN missions.

During the war, the government acquired two types of armoured fighting vehicles from Russia and China for the Mechanised Infantry Regiment. About 140 troops of the Mechanised Infantry with several armoured fighting vehicles among other equipment are about to be deployed in South Lebanon under UN Command shortly.

Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya said that the army would never allow terrorism to raise its head again. Whatever the situation abroad, the army chief vowed not to allow those with separatist and treacherous sentiments to cause trouble in the country.

The announcement of a move to acquire new equipment is the first such public statement since the conclusion of the war in May last year.

Since September 2004, Sri Lanka maintains a battalion of troops in the Caribbean Island of Haiti. Army headquarters told The Island that more troops could be assigned to overseas missions and the country remained ready to take on new assignments at short notice.

The government increased the defence allocation at the recently presented budget to facilitate among other acquisition of new equipment as well as payments for what Sri Lanka had acquired over the years.