News
Amnesty for return of weapons starts tomorrow
The Government has estimated that some 1,000 illegal weapons are in circulation as the amnesty to surrender these firearms gets underway tomorrow, a Defence Ministry official said.
The amnesty will be effective until May 6.
Defence Ministry Additional Secretary (Civil Security & Development) N.G. Panditharatne said that according to official estimates, as many as 1,000 illegal firearms could be in circulation, though an exact number is impossible to determine.
“We believe 800-1,000 illegal firearms are currently in circulation. This includes about 200 firearms lost by the security forces,” he revealed.
Authorities have so far been able to recover some 700 of about 900 firearms belonging to security forces and smuggled out, mostly by military deserters. Thus, about 200 firearms remain unaccounted for, Mr. Panditharatne said.
Law & Order and Southern Development Ministry Secretary Jagath P. Wijeweera said he believed that a general amnesty to hand over illegal firearms is the best way to curb the circulation of illicit weapons.
He said going by past experience some 700 weapons were collected in previous amnesties.
“We would have to wait till the conclusion of this amnesty to gauge the public response, but we believe it will be positive, with perhaps over 300 firearms being handed in,” he told the Sunday Times.
Officials however, have acknowledged that it was impossible to determine how many illegal firearms were currently in circulation.
Determining the number of illegal firearms is compounded by lack of information regarding weapons that once belonged to the LTTE and may now be in the hands of various underworld gangs, and arms smuggled into the country.
An added difficulty is the manufacture of locally made illicit firearms, such as trap guns, galkatas and T-katas (modified to fire T56 ammunition) firearms. Police have raided several small ‘factories’ manufacturing such weapons in the past. Officials concede these firearms are continuing to be manufactured in various parts of the country.
The most recent detailed survey on illegal firearms was the survey on the “Prevalence of Illicit Small Arms in Sri Lanka,” published in 2008 and commissioned by the National Commission Against Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms, coming under the Ministry of Defence. Even this survey, carried out between 2006 and 2007, did not cover many areas in the North and East due to ongoing fighting between the armed forces and the LTTE. “There is insufficient evidence, based on information generated by the survey, to offer a new estimate with confidence,” the survey report notes. Even then however, the report stresses that large numbers of illegal firearms have been seized by police in the Southern and Uva Provinces, illustrating the extent to which illicit small arms have permeated Sri Lanka beyond operational areas. The scenario in post-war Sri Lanka might be even more different.
The latest amnesty aimed at reducing the number of illegal firearms will involve coordination between three ministries, namely Defence, Law & Order and Home Affairs, as well as various branches coming under them.
An official at the Defence Ministry told this newspaper that about Rs.3.5 million has been allocated for the entire project.
In a bid to provide financial incentives to persuade people to hand in illegal firearms during the amnesty, authorities have announced a set of cash rewards for their return.
Accordingly, a reward of Rs.5,000 will be offered for all shotguns or similar firearms such as galkatas or trap guns. Anyone handing over a pistol/revolver will be paid Rs.10, 000 while authorities will pay Rs.25, 000 for a T 56 weapon.
While the amnesty is in effect, members of the public who are in possession of any illegal firearms can hand them over to the nearest District Secretariat, Divisional Secretariat or police station during office hours on weekdays.
Any person who hands over such a firearm during this period will not be subjected to a fine or other form of punishment stipulated under Section 22 of the Firearms Ordinance.
Extensive search operations are due to be launched after the amnesty ends on May 6 to locate illegal firearms and those found to be in possession of such weapons after the general amnesty period will be severely dealt with according to the law, the authorities have further stressed.
Despite the lack of clarity regarding how many illegal firearms might be in circulation, senior officials who fronted a packed media briefing this week were hopeful that the public would make good use of the grace period.
Law & Order Ministry Secretary Wijeweera referred to two groups which might be holding illegal firearms. “The first group might be in possession of unlicensed firearms passed down through several generations and may be keeping them as they can’t decide what to do with the weapons. The second group is comprised those who knowingly keep the illegal weapons for their use. Some may want to hand them over, but are reluctant to do so for any number of reasons.”
He said both groups needed to understand that according to the law of the land, keeping an unlicensed firearm was a serious criminal offence. “We urge them to make use of this opportunity to hand over these arms without fear of legal action,” he stressed.
Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi meanwhile, disclosed that the National Security Council (NSC) had decided that in future, applications for issuing of firearms licences for personal protection and crop protection must be forwarded to a committee comprising the Law and Order Ministry Secretary, the Inspector General of Police, the Defence Ministry Secretary and several other senior officials. The decision of this committee is thereafter forwarded to the NSC which would then make the firearm legally available. This is a departure from the existing method where the Defence Secretary is authorised to issue firearms licences based on recommendations by the Police and the District Secretary in the region where the applicant resides.