Colombo, Aug 06: The Sri Lankan government plans to issue permits to politicians to carry automatic pistols and revolvers in a bid to have greater control over the use of firearms, officials said today. The latest move by the interior ministry is aimed at keeping a track of the firearms already in the hands of local politicians, officials said.
A ministry spokesman said many guns were in the hands of politicians since the mid 1980s when they were given weapons to guard against attacks by the JVP, or People's Liberation Front, militants.
Despite the crushing of the JVP in 1989, politicians continued to hold on to their guns and several attempts to get back the weapons failed. The new move aims at legalising the guns already in the hands of politicians and thereby ensuring some sort of monitoring, officials said.
Sri Lanka had also sought help from the United Nations to help track down thousands of small arms in the country. Either stolen from the military or seized by the JVP during their uprising, guns are easily available in Sri Lanka. Bureau Report