President Maithripala Sirisena says that he has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to report to him regarding all the vehicle convoys of around 7-8 vehicles traveling at high speeds on the road flashing headlights from January 1.

“At the cabinet meeting last week, I spoke regarding the behavior of certain VIPs while traveling on the road,” he said, addressing an event in Colombo today (Dec. 01). 

“I told the ministers that there is no longer a war or Prabhakaran and that they have nothing to fear. Mainly it was about how we set an example to others when traveling on the road.” 

The President said that he informed the Cabinet last Tuesday that he asked the IGP to stop and check all such vehicle convoys and report to him as to who is traveling about in this manner. 

He said that the reason for this is because it is hard to differentiate whether an actual VIP is traveling in these vehicles or whether it is an underworld figure. 

He said that even the police move aside when such convoys of 7-8 vehicles travel at high speeds while flashing headlights. “They don’t adhere to left lane, right lane or speed limits.” 

“There is no longer a need for anybody to travel on roads in the country in that manner.”

The President said that the ministers themselves had expressed that one vehicle is sufficient to travel behind their vehicle for security.