The government has decided to remove the security provided by the tri-forces to former Presidents from next week, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala announced today in Parliament.
The move to replace it with police protection, aimed at reducing public expenditure, follows a comprehensive review of security expenses.
Minister Wijepala disclosed detailed financial allocations, highlighting that a significant portion of the Rs. 1,448 million spent over the past 11 months was attributed to tri-forces personnel. This decision is part of broader efforts to address economic challenges while optimizing public resources.
He said decisions on the security of former Presidents will be taken after a review of their security every six months.
Commenting further regarding the matter, Minister Wijepala highlighted the substantial financial burden that the government has shouldered in the form of security expenses for former presidents.
He detailed the financial expenditure on security for each former president so far during this year, which includes contributions from the Tri-Forces, Sri Lanka Police, and the Presidential Secretariat:
- Mahinda Rajapaksa
Tri-Forces: Rs. 328 million
Police: Rs. 327 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 55 million
Total: Rs. 710 million
- Maithripala Sirisena
Tri-Forces: Rs. 6 million
Police: Rs. 185 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 16 million
Total: Rs. 207 million
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Tri-Forces: Rs. 258 million
Police: Rs. 39 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 10 million
Total: Rs. 307 million
- Ranil Wickremesinghe (for 3 months)
Tri-Forces: Rs. 19 million
Police: Rs. 60 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 3 million
Total: Rs. 82 million
- Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
Police: Rs. 99 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 12 million
Total: Rs. 112 million
- Hema Premadasa (Wife of late former President Ranasinghe Premadasa)
Police: Rs. 30 million
Presidential Secretariat: Rs. 3 million
Total: Rs. 32 million
Total of Rs.611 million has been spent on Tri-forces for the security of Former presidents during last 11 months.
