Allegations are mere allegations: Army Commander

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Responding to war crimes allegations levelled against him, Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva yesterday said that anyone can make allegation but those are only allegations.

Addressing a news briefing in Colombo, the Commander said there have been allegations in the past.

“Anyone can make any allegation but we go forward. This is not the first time they made allegations. When we look at the allegations made on the Mannar mass gravesite, it was later proved that we had nothing to do with it and nothing happened thereafter,” he said.

Commenting on the concerns about being appointed as the army commander, he said “There could be some concern by various people. But it is their concern about my appointment. But I’m sure the President appointed me as the army commander considering national security and the leadership of the army. I respect and accepted the decision taken by the President” he said

He said the army commander’s post was not restricted to one ethnicity. “I’m the commander of the army to protect each and every Sri Lankan. My first concern is about the protection of the country, protection of its people, development of the army and the well-being of the members of the army,” he said.

He said he was looking forward to developing the efficiency of army intelligence during his career as the army commander. “There could be structural changes in the intelligence service when ensuring the efficiency,” he said.

He said intelligence service was the most important aspect when it comes to national security.

Commenting on the removal of Army camps in the North, the army commander said no decision was taken to remove any camp or to reduce the number of security personnel from those areas as of now. He said if any requirement arose, they will take appropriate action