Groups told to hand over weapons

18 July 2011 01:09 am Views - 3767

The military will make public announcements at village level in the Eastern province from today onwards asking armed groups operating in the area to hand over their weapons as soon as possible, sources from the area said yesterday.

Daily Mirror learns that some of these gangsters are supporters of a certain political party having its base in the province. A few weeks ago, there was a series of killings of politicians in the area, which eventually led to the arrest of a provincial council member too.

According to reports armed gangs in the province are using their weapons for robberies as well.

“The military has recovered some weapons during the past few weeks. From today onwards, there will be public announcements at village level. The military and the police have decided to hand over gifts to people who provide reliable information to the security forces about those who possess weapons,” sources said.

Sources said there were no terrorist groups in the area.

“The recent bank robbery in Batticaloa was an example. There are many other gangsters having weapons such as T-56 guns and revolvers. They sometimes use weapons to carry out their political activities. If they volunteer to hand over their weapons, they will not be punished. Otherwise, action will be taken against them by the military,” sources said. (KB)