Army Chief says no to regiments' carnivals and musical shows

BY RANIL Wijayapala

ARMY Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka has issued notice to stop all fund-raising events in the form of carnivals and musical shows by Army Regiments to boost their Regimental Funds, which he sees as a burden to the people.

"We are not here to raise funds, we are here to protect them. And people are not here to raise funds for us," Lt. General Fonseka commenting on his decision told the Daily News.

He said he had received several complaints about certain malpractices regarding the fund-raising events and this made him to take this decision.

"I don't want to see fund raising events being organised at various levels of the Army. If we need funds for the soldiers and their families' welfare the Army Headquarters can raise funds," he added.

The Commander said these fund-raising events burden soldiers and their family members as they have to either buy tickets or sell them.

The Army Commander said sports events and other fund-raising events organised by Regiments with the Army Headquarters' approval will not be affected by this decision.

"Carnivals organised without prior approval of the Army Headquarters will be stopped. The Regiments will have to bear the brunt if they have not taken prior approval from the Headquarters," he added.