Army commander Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake, when inquired on a comment he had made to a print media on April 5th on whether he was influenced by a Minister to release a suspect that was arrested in Dehiwala, the commander stated that it was more of a request than an influence.
Lt. Gen. Senanayake made these remarks addressing a press conference yesterday (16).
The question and answer session between the Commander and the journalist is as follows.
Q: It was reported that Minister Rishad Bathiudeen had influenced you to release one particular suspect. Is it true?
A: The Minister called me and mentioned an individual’s name. He talked about their relationship and asked what I could do about it.
Q: Were you asked to release the suspect?
A: In the first phone call, I said that I will inquire into it.
Q: Even when he called me for the second time, I didn’t have time to inquire into it. During the third phone call, I asked him to ring me in an hour and a half so that I could give an answer.
Q: Which suspect was the Minister asking about?
A: There were many names similar to Mohamad so I can’t remember exactly. If you want, I will find out the name later. But I remember one thing. The suspect was arrested in Dehiwala. With the powers that have been vested in me, I could keep the suspect in legal custody for up to a year and a half.
Most of the army personnel deployed around the country were recalled called into conflict areas on the 13th and 14th of this month and the Army only used minimum force to control this situation, he said. However, if the situation got out of control, the Army has legal provisions to use maximum force, the Commander added.
The Army chief also said that the Army is always trying to control any situation using a minimum amount of force. He further said that the tri forces and the police have ensured the peace in the country and urged the public to have faith in the armed forces.
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