From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: new report exposes massive militarisation

An internationally released report exposes the creeping take over of civil administration by security force commanders in Sri Lanka within just over a year of the second Rajapaksa rule.

A CHART published by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) jointly with JDS names 39 mainly army officers recently given key positions of state by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, himself an ex-army officer.

The statement follows:

JOINT PRESS RELEASE: From the Battlefield to the Boardroom – the militarisation of Sri Lanka.

Johannesburg: Dozens of retired military officers are taking over the civil service in Sri Lanka, said journalists and lawyers outside the country. A CHART published by the International Truth and Justice Project and Journalists for Democracy Sri Lanka names 38 mainly army officers recently given key positions of state by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, himself an ex army officer.

“This is a creeping take over,” said the ITJP’s Executive Director, Yasmin Sooka, “add to this the centralisation of power in the hands of the President, the nepotism, the cronyism and the appointment to government positions of a shocking number of individuals who still had court cases against them at the time.This amounts to a coup by stealth. Democracy is being steadily eroded.”

The chart shows loyal military officers exert control over the COVID response, the police, the intelligence services, the prisons, foreign policy, airports, sea ports, customs, utilities, agriculture, fisheries, land development, wildlife protection, and last but not least, the Bribery Commission.

“This is unprecedented militarisation of the state apparatus. Retired and serving military officers have taken over administrative posts, party positions and hefty ministerial portfolios – this will decisively mark the end of the civilian character of the state,” warned Bashana Abeywardane of Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka. ”The military stands accused of committing unspeakable crimes against the country's civilian population for over three decades; allowing them to consolidate their power in political and administrative spheres will be irreversible”.

CLICK HERE to read the chart.

© JDS

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Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka

  • JDS is the Sri Lankan partner organization of international media rights group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The launching of this website was made possible by the EU’s European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), of which Reporters Without Borders is a beneficiary.