Sri Lanka east arms amnesty extended

An amnesty declared by the military in eastern Sri Lanka to hand over all illegal weapons has been further extended, an official said Friday. Major General Boniface Perera, the eastern military commander said the previous deadline which ended on July 31 has now been extended. "We have decided to extend the period till August 7th. During the deadline which expired on July 31 we received 14 weapons", Perera said. Perera said no arrests will be made of anyone handing over weapons during the amnesty. "Thereafter we will arrest anyone holding illegal weapons", Perera said. The crackdown on illegal weapons in the east was caused by a bank heist in the district of Batticaloa mid June. Police said several groups were roaming around in the province carrying illegal weapons, some of whom are being harbored by powerful politicians in the region. Police said that all banks and financial institutions in the province have been provided with additional security in a joint operation with the army.