Japan boosts SL’s counter-terrorism efforts

Japanese Ambassador SUGIYAMA Akira donated anti-terrorism surveillance and investigation vehicles to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat last week.

The vehicles were the first batch of equipment donated by the Japanese government to the Sri Lanka Police for the country’s counter-terrorism efforts in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019.

Among those in attendance at the ceremony were Minister of Public Security, Sarath Weerasekera, Inspector General of Police, C. D. Wickramaratne and W. L. A. S. Priyantha, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police.

In addition to the vehicles donated under the grant aid worth JPY 1 billion (Rs. 1.7 billion), a wide range of essential equipment for enhancing counter-terrorism and public security capabilities is to be donated to the Sri Lanka Police and the Airport & Aviation Services Sri Lanka (AASL), including Mobile X-Ray Scanners, Walk Through Safety Inspection Gates, Vehicle Chassis Safety Inspection Systems, and Patrol Craft.

As a longstanding friend of Sri Lanka, Japan is firmly committed to combat terrorism together with Sri Lanka. Japan renews its deep condolences to all those affected by the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019, and strongly hopes that the equipment donated under this grant aid will enhance Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism capabilities.