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Defence Ministry advisor publicly attacks security strategies
A newly appointed advisor to the Ministry of Defence publicly criticised Sri Lanka’s defence and management process, not to his superiors, but at a public event – a seminar in Colombo on other issues not directly related to the defence establishment.

The occasion was a two-day symposium jointly organised by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies and the US based Near East-South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies (NESA Centre). The first day was devoted to (a) Change and challenge in strategic Asia (b) Regional Security issues in South Asia. The next day, two others issues (c) Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean and (d) Managing transition from war to peace were taken up.

Bhatiya Sanjaya Colonne, Strategic Affairs Advisor to the Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order, appointed under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Administration, declared “the management of Sri Lanka’s national security is far from satisfactory.” He and R.A.D.S. Ranatunga were the Defence Ministry’s nominees for the two-day seminar. It was held on January 25 and 26 at the BMICH.

Mr. Colonne’s comments came both in a speech and a one-page document titled “Sri Lanka’s Security Predicament” he circulated under his name and official designation to all participants. Some of the highlights of the points he made:

• The failure to establish strategic expertise (either within or outside the government) has not received the attention it deserves. This has seriously hindered the nation’s strategic thinking and, as a result the professional development of its security policies and institutions. No public discourse on defence and security issues, other than internal conflict, has contributed to a lack of transparency and accountability within the defence sector and general mystification of defence and security issues.

• The country’s defence and security management process itself is largely devoid of competent strategic direction, and is plagued by malfunctioning mechanisms of transparency and accountability.

• The “haphazard expansion and empowerment” of security forces have led to rapid deterioration of civil-military relations, leadership, training and discipline.

• These problems are further compounded by the lack of informed public discussion on security issues within the media, civil society and academia – a dearth that favours groups from all directions propagating extremist alternatives to the country’s – security predicament.

• These conditions in particular have created fertile ground for the spawning and sustenance of corruption, human rights violations, political cronyism as well as flawed strategies and operational concepts.

• All of the above issues need to be addressed as a first step towards ensuring the professionalism and efficacy of Sri Lanka’s defence and security services.

An embarrassed senior Defence Ministry official, who spoke on grounds of anonymity told The Sunday Times “the issue is not what he has said. It is a case of to whom it has been said since Mr. Colonne is a Government official and was representing the Ministry of Defence.”
He added “this is not altogether the official view of the Government. Though he has used his name and official position, the views are entirely his. It would have been wiser if he did not make them at a public forum attended by foreign experts.”

These remarks have raised new issues about Mr. Colonne’s appointment as Strategic Affairs Advisor with an office in the Ministry of Defence. In this position he had access to subjects, including sensitive issues, relating to national security.

It has now come to light that Mr. Colonne earlier failed to seek appointment as a Reserve Assistant Superintendent of Police (RASP) under the former United National Front Government. However, he succeeded in securing the post of Strategic Affairs Advisor after President Rajapaksa assumed office.

The Sunday Times learnt that the UNF Government secured the services of a foreign intelligence advisor, reportedly from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States. Working closely with the Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII), he recommended the setting up of a Intelligence Analysis Centre (IAC) at the DII. This was approved by then Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The US intelligence advisor together with retired DIG Merril Gunaratne, Defence Advisor to the UNF Government and retired DIG Felix Alles, then Director of DII interviewed applicants for this Centre.

After Mr. Colonne was selected as a member of this centre, Mr. Gunaratne, The Sunday Times learnt, recommended to then Minister of Defence Tilak Marapana that he be recruited to the Sri Lanka Police Reserve as an ASP.
The Sunday Times investigations revealed that in March 2003 Mr. Marapana wrote to John Ameratunga, Minister of Interior, recommending that the then Inspector General of Police, T.E. Anandarajah be directed to recruit him. Mr. Ameratunga in turn ordered the one time Police Chief to do so without delay but the appointment did not materialise in view of a crisis that developed in the intelligence community.

On July 13, 2003 The Sunday Times published a front page report headlined “Mystery American at secret intelligence meetings.” The report said “Defence circles were highly perturbed over the presence of an American at recent meetings of the Sri Lankan intelligence community chaired by retired DIG Merril Gunaratne, now Defence Advisor to the Ministry of Defence and the person tasked to oversee all intelligence matters.”

The Sunday Times report added: “This is the first time a foreign national has appeared at a regular meeting of all local intelligence agency heads, one that is held to review the week’s intelligence. Such meetings are regarded as highly sensitive since all intelligence information received by the respective agencies, is collated, discussed and analysed. According to sources at the Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII), the country’s premier intelligence agency, this is the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that a foreign national has been allowed to sit with heads of all government intelligence agencies and hear their intelligence inputs.”

The Sunday Times report together with complaints from some intelligence sleuths that the foreign advisor was questioning their sources prompted former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to summon then Defence Secretary, Austin Fernando and Defence Advisor Merril Gunaratne. In the backdrop of these developments, the US intelligence expert withdrew from Sri Lanka. The setting up of the IAC was stalled.

Later, there was a top level inquiry at the DII to ascertain how funds from a secret fund was used by a senior officer to purchase a necklace from a jewellery shop to be gifted to the wife of the foreign intelligence advisor. It came to light that she was, however, not present in Sri Lanka during her husband’s tour of duty.

Last month’s seminar was attended by some high ranking defence experts in the United States. It included Dr. Donald L. Berlin, Professor, Asia-Pacific Centre for Strategic Studies, Dr. James Clad, Professor Nesa Centre, Ms Alisa Stack O’Connor, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defence University, Washington D.C, Dr. Douglas Porch, Security Specialist, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Jack Fletcher, US Army Pacific Command and Kirsten Fontenrose, Chief of External and Strategic Communications, Nesa Centre.

Representatives of the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force, intelligence services, Foreign Ministry and the Presidential Secretariat also took part in this symposium.

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