“Required collective concerns regarding maritime justice to eliminate the transnational criminal groups involved in smuggling and human trafficking ” says the U.S Ambassador

Graduation ceremony of the Maritime Skills Training Programme (MSTP) conducted by the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Programme (ICITAP) in collaboration with Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) held on 21^st July 2023 at SLCG Headquarters. The Ambassador of the United States of America to Sri Lanka Hon. Julie J. Chung graced the occasion as the chief guest.

This second MSTP commenced on 10^th July 2023 with a total of 30 participants from the SLCG, Navy and Police covering the areas of basic law enforcement, maritime counter-narcotic training, small team tactics, investigative techniques, drug identification, boarding procedures and small team planning. Programme was conducted with the partnership between the SLCG, ICITAP, Joint Interagency Task Force (West) and Maritime Security Response Team (West.

Further, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Sri Lanka Hon. Julie J. Chung extended her sincere wishes and happiness towards all the graduates and specially emphasized the involvement of female candidates to the training. Hon. Ambassador present certificates for all the candidates who have successfully completed the MSTP.

Director General of SLCG RAdm Pujitha Vithana highlighted that the challenges faced in the maritime domain are complex and ever-evolving. Hence, it is essential to continue to build on the progress made by the programme, further strengthen partnerships and invest in the training and development of maritime personnel.

Graduation ceremony was followed by a discussion between Directors of SLCG and Hon. Ambassador. Finally, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Sri Lanka Hon. Julie J. Chung witnessed the operational readiness and a demonstration of SLCG lifesavers.

Commander Southern Naval Area of Sri Lanka Navy RAdm Saman Perera also witnessed the graduation ceremony.