THREE POLICE OFFICERS PROMOTED AND GIVEN CASH PRIZES
FOR CATCHING LARGE LTTE HAUL OF WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES

By Walter Jayawardhana

Three Police Officers were given promotions and awarded Rupees 200000 each as cash rewards at a ceremony presided over by the Inspector General of Police Victor Perera at the Police Headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka for detecting one of the largest Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) arms hauls while being transported through the Southern Province at the Benthara road block inspection station.

The Police Chief addressing the ceremony said he was expressing his “gratitude to these police officers for averting a major LTTE attack by recovering explosives intended for a possible Tiger attack“. He also commended the dedicated service of these police officials in ensuring national security of the country by catching the haul of arms hidden inside a specially built underneath carriage of a truck on the Benthara Bridge and apprehended two LTTE cadres transporting the weapons, ammunition and explosives in a lorry bearing number 41 Sri 1281 from Kilinochchi. The detection was made during August in 2006.

“These police officers,” said Victor Perera, “have set a good example to the entire police force in Sri Lanka.”

Inspector of Police J.H.M.N. Jayapathma of the Karandeniya Police was promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector and awarded a cash prize of Rs. 200000/= Sub Inspector R.M. Duminda was promoted to the rank of Inspector of Police. He too received a cash award of Rs. 200000/=
Police Constable T.H. Sunil Shantha was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant and awarded Rs. 200000/= .

The biggest cash prize ever awarded to a police informant to the amount of Rupees 800000 was awarded to a civilian in this incident but the Police did not announce his name.

Last August, acting on a tip off from a civilian the Karandeniya police set up a snap road block Among the recovered were 30 side chargers weighing 5 kilos,02 claymore mines,03 T-56 assault rifles, 08 T-56 magazines, 01 pistol, C 4 explosives weighing 50 kilos, 48 hand grenades and 200 detonators.

It was announced the promotions will be done in consultation with the Police Commissions. Their dedication of duty and commitment for the security of the motherland cannot be evaluated by cash rewards or promotions the Police chief further said.