While the nation was captivated with the Government’s shallow exercise of ending the privileges of former executive presidents, rather than filing credible indictments to reclaim the billions which were allegedly ‘stolen’ and hauled overseas, the news broke in Colombo that an Army officer was arrested for selling ammunition to a known organised crime figure.
According to reports, the Commanding Officer of a military installation, a Lieutenant Colonel, was arrested by the Western Province North Police Crimes Division for allegedly selling 260 rounds of ammunition, used in Type-56 rifles for Rs. 650,000 to the organised crime figure known by the alias ‘Commando Salintha’. The incident, coming hot on the heels of a wave of organised crime linked to gun crime, highlights a serious security concern for the island state. This is not the first time that armed forces personnel, including officers, have been implicated in the leakage of arms and ammunition from state armouries.
Over the last few years, linkages between law enforcement personnel and armed forces personnel, both active and retired, to organised crime figures have come to light. While the number of such rogue actors who have chosen the road to riches through crime are few, they risk tarnishing the image and honour of the services which have given so much in the defence of the nation.
Sri Lanka has a systemic issue regarding gun violence, and it is linked to the undeniable issue of easy availability of firearms and ammunition within the island. This is strange as Sri Lanka has, arguably, a tight mechanism which keeps legal-licensed firearms ownership at a low level. The root of the issue can be traced back to multiple insurgencies, a 30-year-long internal conflict and a culture of political violence which was born out of that age. To say Sri Lanka was awash with ‘small arms’ (light firearms which can be carried by individuals) following the end of the conflict in 2009, would not be an understatement. War trophies, poor documentation, storage and management of enemy arms confiscated during the conflict, and small arms supplied to political parties, politicians and groups linked to them have never been thoroughly accounted for. Further, hidden stockpiles of LTTE arms, which continue to surface with the passing of time, become highly-priced commodities in the Sri Lanka black market. There have also been serious concerns about leakages from State armouries over the years.
In 2023, The Sunday Morning reported about growing concerns within the defence and security establishments about shortcomings in properly cataloguing and stockpiling small arms recovered from the LTTE during and after the end of the conflict in 2009. Highly-placed sources in the defence establishment told The Sunday Morning on terms of anonymity that some of the small arms which had been taken into custody from the LTTE and stored in the Army arsenals post-war had not been properly documented and stored safely, which had led to pilfering of assault rifles and pistols, which were frequently used by organised criminal groups and gunmen for hire.
It is learnt that LTTE small arms, which were not listed in inventories and were not properly documented, are in demand, as even if their serial numbers, which are mostly obscured by criminals, were recovered by forensic specialists, they would be untraceable. Add to the issue, there is evidence that some stocks of small arms arrive in the island, as packaged deals with Heroin and Methamphetamine shipments from the Afghan-Iran-Pakistan belt, adding to the armouries of organised crime groups. There is also a thriving criminal element that rents firearms for hire to other criminals. Later that year, the government said that they would enact a range of countermeasures and will review internal processes, and double down on the control of state armouries.
The Government, a few months ago stated during a press conference held at the Ministry of Defence that a thorough audit of the state armouries is being carried out, with a report due soon. It would be prudent of the Government to act quickly on such findings and modernise the controls and regulations which govern armoury control, given what is coming to light. The state must also move quickly to actively reduce such risks involving armed forces personnel, and prosecute those found guilty to the fullest extent of the law.