Awa group has no connection to LTTE: Nalin Bandara

The police have the capacity and ability to control and do away with the Awa group. It is not a threat to the Sri Lanka Police

The ‘Awa’ group has no connection with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Law and Order Deputy Minister Nalin Bandara said.

Addressing a news briefing, he said, according to the police intelligence and investigations, it had been proved that the ‘Awa’ group was neither connected to the LTTE nor formed to create ethnic disputes.

In response to the speculation that ‘Awa’ group is rapidly spreading, the Deputy Minister said, “The police have the capacity and ability to control and do away with the Awa group. It is not a threat to the Sri Lanka Police”.

“We have expedited the investigations in relation to the violent activities of ‘Awa’ group that have taken place in the North,” he said.

The police have reportedly taken steps to strengthen the security in Jaffna Town as a means of putting an end to the attacks and robberies allegedly committed by the ‘Awa’ group. Meanwhile, he said the government would launch a special programme to minimize road accidents that seemed to have rapidly increased over the years.

“18,491 deaths have been reported following road accidents since 2012. The most number of deaths were reported in 2017 at 3,100,” he said. “Primarily, the main cause for most of the road accidents is the negligence and reckless driving of drivers,” the Deputy Minister added.