President revamps his security
Maithripala Sirisena has disbanded the Presidential Security Division following reports that it was linked to murders during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, and replaced the elite Sri Lankan unit with a highly-trained team of commandos.
Sirisena’s move to revamp his security comes ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for August 17. Sirisena had continued with the same Presidential Security Division (PSD) which protected Rajapaksa during his 10-year term, including when the country was at war with separatist rebels of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The 5,000-strong PSD’s role came under the cloud following a string of investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department since Sirisena’s surprise victory over Rajapaksa in January.
Two weeks later, in another second security lapse Sirisena mistakenly boarded the official vehicle of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinge after an event, the daily reported. It said the PSD personnel did not guide Sirisena to his official vehicle. (Economic Times)