Senior Lankan Military Officer Explains '3-Step' Shoot-At-Sight Orders

Soon after sensational claims of Sri Lankan authorities issuing shoot-on-sight orders on Tuesday to quell unrest a day after the island was hit by deadly violence and rioting over a dire economic crisis, the Lankan government has sought to set the record straight by explaining what the order meant.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Sri Lanka's Secretary to the Defence Ministry General G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne clarified that it's not a clear shoot on sight order and that the extreme step would only be used as a last resort.

"People who are violating the curfew, coming to demonstrations and indulging in violence are all Sri Lankans, and so are the police and security forces. We don't want to shoot at our own people," he said.

Detailing the standard operating procedure being used by the country's police, he said if there is a violent mob, the police will first ask them to disperse by warning them that it's illegal. "If they refuse to leave, police will fire warning shots in the air. If they aren't deterred even after that, one or two policemen will open fire below the knee level. in case the mob is still violent and out of control, they will call the army," he said.

On how long they plan to protect former Prime Minister and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he said that Mr Rajapaksa is a "well-respected leader" and just because some people have joined this protest against him that does not mean that he should not be protected by the Constitution of Sri Lanka. "Any former President will be protected by a security contingent until his death, right? So that will be provided for him," he said.

There have been reports of civilians being killed during these massive protests. Responding to how the police will make sure those fired upon are troublemakers and not innocent civilians, Mr Gunaratne said "our police is capable enough to understand whether he's an innocent civilian or a hooligan". He claims the police forces are very well experienced and know what someone's up to and what their intentions are. 

Mr Gunaratne said investigations are ongoing to identify cases of violence and civilian casualties and "the hooligans and the murderers will be taken to task and tried in courts".