(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –The Sri Lankan government says it has taken all necessary steps to promote Sri Lanka as a country which protects internationally accepted human rights and civil rights and to ensure the rule of law is functioning properly.
Although the recent illegal activities and organized crime by some persons involved in the underworld have had some impact on the peaceful situation during recent disturbances, there was no breakdown in law and order as the reported by the media, the Government Information Department said in a statement requesting the public to act calmly and wisely.
The statement said the government has already taken a number of strategic measures to curb such organized crime in the country.
The President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have given special attention to this and under their guidance a special committee has been appointed to instruct police on the need to stop the crime and establish law and order.
On the instruction of this committee, activities of Special Tasks Force (STF) and Police Intelligence Bureau have been strengthened to control the underworld more effectively in future.
Under this program, the Sri Lanka Police, the Organized Crime Prevention Division and Police Special Task Force have deployed officers on day and night petrol for surveillance activities in Colombo and its suburbs where most of the underworld crimes takes place.
Special Law Enforcement Committees have been established with officers in uniform as well as in civil clothes for all 10 divisions in the Western Province and when necessary instant road blocks will be set up for inspections.
It was reported that several underworld leaders have been arrested by these security groups during the past few days.
The Police Intelligence units are investigating details of underworld operatives who are said to be operating from abroad and preliminary investigations are underway to arrest the underworld gangsters in the country as well as the overseas underworld leaders with the assistance of the International Police (Interpol).
In addition to these clashes, the government has also implemented various plans to curb the narcotics trade that is being handled by underworld.
In particular, measures had been taken to establish a special police division to prevent drug trade and organized crime and through that, the trade of narcotics in the guise of medicines has been successfully controlled and effective measures have been taken to prevent the drug abuse.
