Lanka Army chief warns against anti-reconciliation elements

Sri Lanka's Army chief Mahesh Senanayake has accused certain politicians, retired officers and civil society activists of trying to sow seeds of war in the country by sabotaging the country's reconciliation efforts with the Tamil minority community.

Senanayake ordered his troops not to allow any individual to drive a wedge between the military and the civilian population in the former battle zones in the north and eastern provinces.

In a memo sent to Army battalions and released to the media, Lt General Senanayake accused "certain politicians, retired military officers and civil society activists of being critical of the Army's reconciliation efforts, conducting lectures to make the civilians lose confidence in the state and the military."