(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Sri Lanka insisted today that there was no need for foreign military assistance to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Sri Lanka.
Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said that the Sri Lankan Tri-Forces and the Police had already proved their capabilities in containing the spread of the virus.
“Our military has already shown their expertise and professionalism in handling the emergency situation created under coronavirus threat,” he said.
The Defence Secretary said Sri Lanka would set an example to other countries, which were battling with coronavirus, on how a country could use its intelligence agencies with the military and health authorities effectively to control the spread of the highly infectious virus.
“Sri Lanka’s intelligence agencies have been used to trace people who are closely associated with coronavirus positive patients and also their whereabouts to direct them to the 14-days quarantine process,” he said.
Referring to a news report which said that the Indian Army would be deployed to Sri Lanka to support the country’s effort to control the spread the coronavirus, the Defence Secretary said no such dialogue had taken place between the two countries.
Earlier the Indian High Commission in Colombo had already rejected the news report published in the Indian media.
