‘Sri Lanka to modernise Army with Indian help’

Sri Lanka’s military is set to be modernised with assistance from militarily advanced nations such as India, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Sunday.

Mr Wickremesinghe was addressing a military passing out parade in the central town of Diyathalawa. “In Asia, only the armies of India and Japan are older than our Army,” he said. “It is important to maintain defence ties with militarily-advanced nations such as the US and Britain. India, China and Pakistan are also important,” he said.

He said the Sri Lankan Army needs to be educated on future warfare to become a modernised army by 2025. “The Army fought a war for over 30 years and they deserve all the credit,” Mr Wickremesinghe said adding that politicians must not try to build their images through military victories, a reference to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Mr Rajapaksa was criticised for using the military victory for his personal political gains. Mr Wickremesinghe’s comments came as Britain announced last month an assistance package for Sri Lankan military reform.