Sri Lanka Police have launched an internal investigation into a tense confrontation between police officers and Sri Lanka Air Force personnel during a raid for suspected smuggled goods at the Kalpitiya seashore, Ada Derana reported on Thursday.
A police team had moved into the Kalpitiya coastal area to seize a consignment of illegal items believed to have been smuggled into the country, officials said. Air Force personnel stationed at the location reportedly intervened, claiming that the area fell under their jurisdiction, and a heated exchange between the two parties followed.
No arrests or injuries were reported, and police did not disclose the nature or value of the goods targeted in the operation. Further inquiries are underway, the police said.
The standoff is the second public friction over policing at Kalpitiya in less than two weeks. Earlier this month, a group of officers attached to the Kalpitiya Police Station were transferred on the Inspector General of Police’s orders over a separate misconduct complaint. The Navy also recovered firearms and ammunition from the Kalpitiya lagoon area in early June, reflecting the area’s standing as a recurring node for coastal smuggling and security investigations along the north-western seaboard.
Coordination between police and the armed forces is governed by jurisdictional protocols that distinguish military camp perimeters from civilian shorelines under standard policing. Disputes over which agency has primacy at the line between the two have surfaced occasionally during anti-smuggling operations along the country’s western and northern coasts but rarely escalate into open confrontation.
Update — June 19: Air Force orders Court of Inquiry
The Sri Lanka Air Force on Friday gave its account of the same incident, recasting it as an unauthorised entry into a restricted bomb-disposal zone at the Kalpitiya Firing Range on June 17 rather than a coastal smuggling operation.
In a statement, the Air Force said three individuals entered the secured perimeter of the firing range while a bomb disposal exercise was in progress, without prior authorisation or notification. Seven Air Force personnel on duty, together with an officer from the Police Special Task Force, questioned the three; one was identified as a police officer and the two others as civilians accompanying him. A heated argument followed during the questioning, the statement said.
Areas designated for bomb disposal exercises are declared restricted security zones strictly off-limits to the public, the Air Force said, adding that it bears responsibility for the safety of all individuals in the area during such operations. The Commander of the Air Force has appointed a special Court of Inquiry to investigate the incident and submit a report on its findings.
Sources: Probe launched into Police-Air Force standoff in Kalpitiya — Ada Derana, June 18; SLAF launches special investigation into incident at Kalpitiya Firing Range — Ada Derana, June 19.
