Civil committees help thwart terror attacks

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

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Attacks planned by terrorists during the Sinhala and the Tamil New Year have been thwarted with the formation of Civil Monitoring Committees.

A top level security conference chaired by the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was held in Colombo last week to review the progress of the Civil Monitoring committees set up country-wide during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year to assist the police and armed services in monitoring terrorist activities during the festive season, police sources told the Sunday Observer.

For the first time Civil Monitoring Committees were formed consisting of persons of different ethnicity belonging to their areas to assist the police in curtailing terrorist activity. It was revealed that no terrorist attack was launched in any part of the country during the festive season.

It was also disclosed that organising committees of New Year festivity consisted of a security committee headed by OIC of the respective police station. A mammoth security operation was launched in 14, 913 Grama Niladhrai Divisions in the country last week. The Advisor to the Defence Ministry (Police) H. M. G. B. Kotakadeniya Senior Assistant Secretaries of the Defence Ministry Jagath Wijeweera, Mrs. H. K. Balasuriya with IGP Victor Perera and DIG's of police ranges the Director of the Police Community Division, Senior Supdt of Police I. M. Karunaratne were present.