Lanka’s peace keeping battalion for Haiti

The 750-strong army contingent to be assigned peace keeping duties in Haiti as part of a UN force is ready to leave.
Sri Lanka’s first peace keeping battallion for overseas deployment will be led by Colonel Amal Karunasekera of the army’s oldest fighting regiment, the CLI. Lt. Colonel Prasanna Silva would be its second-in-command.
"We are ready to leave," a battallion spokesperson told The Sunday Island yesterday. The battallion had been drawn primarily from the CLI, he said, adding that small elements from the medical corps, signals, engineers and service corps had been attached. They would take all their equipment and vehicles, including light armoured personnel carriers from here.
Colonel Karunasekera recently led a group of peacekeepers on a reconnaissance mission to the troubled Caribbean island neighbouring the US.
The peacekeepers are scheduled to accord a guard-of-honour to Maj. Gen. Nanda Mallawarachchi, Colonel of the CLI at their Panagoda Regimental Headquarters on Wednesday (8). Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda is also expected to address the troops.
The initial deployment would be for six months. "We would be then replaced by another contingent from Sri Lanka," the spokesperson said.
Sri Lankan troops are key part of a UN mission with about 6,700 peacekeepers asked to restore political stability in Haiti. (SF)