The Chinese Ministry of National Defence has donated highly-developed 11 military automobiles worth USD 6.2 million to the Sri Lanka Army.

Acting Defence Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon on Tuesday (Aug. 22) officially accepted the ‘Emergency Command and Communication System Vehicle Fleet’ during a ceremony organized at the Army Headquarters premises.

These vehicles embedded with ultra-modern communication devices have originally been designed for military purposes, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Following the acceptance of this military-to-military donation from the Defence Attaché of the Embassy of China in Sri Lanka Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, the Acting Defence Minister handed over the same to Defence Secretary, General Kamal Gunaratne and the Defence Secretary symbolically presented the keys to the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Vikum Liyanage.

The Sri Lankan defense top brass along with the Chinese Embassy officials inspected the vehicles at the venue and Chief Signal Officer of the Sri Lanka Army Maj. Gen. Sugath Rathnayake and Chinese DA in Sri Lanka Senior Colonel Zhou Bo placed their signatures on an MOU between two countries during the session.

Sri Lanka Army intends to deploy these highly-developed military automobiles for both internal security and special duties in future, according to the Defence Ministry.

Culminating the proceedings of the event, Acting Defence Minister Tennakoon presented a memento to the Chinese DA Senior Col. Bo, on behalf of the Sri Lanka Army as a gesture of goodwill and to symbolize the event.

Additional Secretaries, Senior Officials of the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, Senior Army Officers and Assistant Defence Attaché of the Embassy of China in Sri Lanka were also present at the event.