Police issue deadline for surrendering illegal weapons in the East

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 October 2010, 15:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police authorities have instructed all police stations in the Eastern province to seize illegal firearms from unauthorized persons if they fail to surrender them before 30 October. The order has been issued following reports that unauthorized persons in the province are in possession of a large number of unlicensed firearms. Meanwhile, last week Kalmunai Police Officer-in-Charge had ordered the Muslim militant youths in his division to surrender their weapons to the nearest mosque in his division.

Edision Gunatilake, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Eastern province said those possessing illegal firearms should surrender their weapons on or before October 30.

They would be arrested and legal action will be taken against them if they fail to meet the deadline. Every police station in the province has been notified of the deadline, he said.

During the second Eelam War that began on 11.06.1990 the Government of Sri Lanka gave military training to Muslim youths under the leadership of late M. H. M. Ashraff, founder President of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and provided them with machine guns.