Civil defence committees thwart calamities - IGP

by Jayamapthy JAYASINGHE

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Civil Defence committees set up in the country have been responsible for thwarting major calamities in the country, said IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne after opening of the new Community Police office at Pettah Colombo yesterday. The Minister Co-ordinating Civil Defence Committees, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera participated at the ceremony.

Wickremaratne said "At a time when the security forces are making a valiant effort to capture territory held by terrorists in the north, it is our bounden duty to protect areas where we live vulnerable to terrorists attack".

He said the police were able to prevent major catastrophes as a result of co-operation received from members of the civil defence committees. It had been observed that terrorists resort to various methods of causing sabotage. In recent times they exploded small types of bombs in the Pettah area. Later they changed their tactic and started by blowing up two transformers in the Colombo city. "However we were able to overcome these attacks by deploying the personnel from civil defence committees. Around 4 kilos of C4 type high explosives were detected this year preventing a major disaster", he said.

Senior DIG Western Province, Nimal Mediweka said police were able to recover a large haul of explosives, arms and ammunition in the Colombo area due to vigilance exercised by ordinary people. He said the setting up of the Community police office and the setting up of Civil Committees were the concepts of IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne after he assumed office.

Minister Aluthgamage said the most wanted terrorist would sooner or later have to surrender to the security forces.

He will have two options, one to go before the Rupavahini and apologise for the crimes he had committed or to swallow the cyanide capsule he has around his neck.

He said during the last eight months more than 150,000 volunteers have been drafted to the civil defence committees set up in the country to protect the country.

He said terrorists were planning to cause explosions in the city of Colombo at a time when security forces were planning to capture Kilinochchi. Therefore people have to be more vigilant these days, he said.