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The Department of Civil Security ( Sinhala: සිවිල් ආරක්ෂක දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Sivil ārakshaka depathamentuwā''; Tamil: சிவில் பாதுகாப்பு துறை) (also known as the Civil Defence Force) is an
auxiliary force Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, usu ...
administrated by the Ministry of Defence. It traces its roots to the Home Guards which were lightly armed local volunteers organized to protect their villages from attacks by the LTTE. These units were formed into the National Home Guard Service in 1986 under the Mobilization of Supplementary Force Act No. 40 of 1985. These home-guardsmen came under the command of the local police becoming one of two paramilitary units under the
Sri Lanka Police (The one who lives by the Dhamma is protected by the Dhamma itself) , mission = , formedyear = , preceding1 = Ceylon Police Force (1866–1972) , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = ...
. The Home Guard Service was re-structured on under the Gazette notification No. 1462/20 of 13 September 2006 which established the Civil Security Department (CSD). The CSD is headed by a Director General, currently held by Major General N.R. Lamahewage (Rtd). The CDS is not to be confused with the
Sri Lanka National Guard The Sri Lanka National Guard (SLNG) is the largest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army. It is a volunteer regiment currently made up of 20 battalions coming under the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. History The number of battalions was gradually ...
, which is a volunteer reserve regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.


Functions

The original role of the CDS was the protection of "threatened villages" also known as "border villages" that were adjacent to LTTE held areas most of which are in Puttlam,
Anuradhapura Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central P ...
,
Vavuniya Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Va ...
, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa,
Ampara Ampara ( si, අම්පාර, ta, அம்பாறை) is the main town of Ampara District, governed by an Urban Council. It is located in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, about east of Colombo and approximately south of Batticaloa. H ...
and
Monaragala Monaragala ( si, මොනරාගල, translit=Monarāgala; ta, மொணராகலை, translit=Moṇarākalai) is a town located in Monaragala District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. It is the largest town in Monaragala District and is located ...
Districts. However the role later expanded to protecting important sites and supply routes. The main roles of the CDS are, *To serve as auxiliary to the police and the military to aid in the maintenance of internal security, *To serve in static defensive duties such as manning checkpoints, guarding low priority buildings or installations, guarding villages, etc. during time of war, *To proved security for government buildings and instutions, *To function as an emergency force intended for special tasks directly or indirectly connected with the defense of the country, and *To help the community in any kind of emergency, such as a natural disaster. Other, more special duties include: *Providing security to centers of economic importance during time of war, *Protecting supply routes during time of war.


History and establishment

The start of the Sri Lankan civil war saw attacks by the LTTE on "border villages" (villages bordering the edges of the frontlines), causing considerable civilian casualties. Villagers began organising themselves into Home Guards, wherein local volunteers were initially armed with shotguns by the government, to help defend low priority rural areas that could not be held or protected by the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
without compromising the frontlines. The National Home Guard Service was thus established in 1986 by then Minister of National Security
Lalith Athulathmudali Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali, PC (; 26 November 1936 – 23 April 1993), known as Lalith Athulathmudali, was a Sri Lankan statesman. He was a prominent member of the United National Party, who served as Minister of Trade and Sh ...
with a strength of about 5000 personnel, armed with 12 gauge shotguns and brown uniforms. No allowances were paid initially, but some rations were issued through co-operative outlets. Subsequent to the takeover by the Police, the volunteers were paid a daily allowance and provided training at Kumbuka camp,
Horana Horana ( si, හොරණ, , ta, ஹொரணை) is a town in Kalutara District, in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is on the A8 highway between Panadura and Ratnapura, away from Ratnapura and away from Panadura. Horana is connected ...
. In 1988 guardswomen were allowed to volunteer, and 1993 saw the first issue of automatic rifles to the Home Guard. However they were not very well organised, trained, or motivated resulting in many villages being massacred by LTTE raids. Further during the 2002 ‘'Ceasefire Agreement" their importance was reduced and were given non-security duties. In April 2006 due the resumption of the conflict and LTTE raids the then Secretary of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa reformed the organisation renaming it into the Civil Defence Force, followed by the establishment of the Department of Civil Security on 1 January 2007 (through gazette notification No. 1462/20 of 13 September 2006) to oversee it. The first Director General of the Civil Defence Force was Rear Admiral
Sarath Weerasekara Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, RSP, VSV, USP, MP is a Sri Lankan senior naval officer and politician. He was a former Cabinet Minister of Public Security and a State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Affairs, member of pa ...
. Functions of the Department of Civil Security were established to be: *Taking actions as a supplementary force for aiding and assisting the armed forces and police service, depending on the prevailing security status in the country, *Taking action to safeguard villages, properties, and cities where terrorist threats are present, *Assisting the police and armed forces to maintain law and order, *Engaging in security duties on instances of national events and any other important occasions, *Assisting with disaster mitigation and relief efforts, *Assisting with social welfare activities, *Carrying out any special duties specified by the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, line ministries or the government, and *Operation of a Civil Security Department Headquarters. The numbers employed increased to 41,500 from just 19,200 and a month-long military training regime under Army and Navy Instructors was introduced. Further, two types of uniforms (similar to military uniforms) were issued to guardsmen. Those in the most vulnerable places were even equipped with night vision equipment. Since then, members of the force have been deployed outside their home villages to maintain public security, including within the capital Colombo. By May 2009 near the end of the war 80% of the Main Supply Routes and 75% of the Forward Defence Lines were guarded by the CDF as well as major religious places such as Sri Maha Bodhiya and Dalada Maligawa as well as crucial economic targets. Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara with the approval of the Defence Secretary formed a special elite unit called ‘Nandimithra' named after one of the Ten Giant Warriors. The elite unit consisted of four-man groups from almost all vulnerable villages that were special commando training for ten weeks including ambushes, night fighting, un-armed combat including
Angampora Angampora is a Sinhalese martial art that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake ''angam'', which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and ''illangam'', involving the ...
. They waited in pathways leading to villages and ambushed LTTE forces that attempted to target villagers and their success deterred terrorist attacks. Unlike the rest of CDF whose duty was to hold off the enemy protecting civilians until reinforcement arrive Nandimithra units launched limited offensives just outside the threatened villages. In the post-war period, CSD personnel are involved in community service projects, including agriculture, social welfare development, animal husbandry, and construction projects.


Ranks

Current ranks *District Officer *Leader *Sub Leader *Civil Guard Former ranks *District Officer *Warden *Sub Warden *Home Guard


Training

Training is provided in two stages: basic training is provided by the Sri Lankan Army at various army training centres, usually for 2–4 weeks, while periodical training is carried out by mobile training units in the areas where units are deployed.


Equipment

*
Type 56 The Type 56 (; literally; "Assault Rifle, Model of 1956") is a Chinese 7.62×39mm rifle. It is a variant of the Soviet-designed AK-47 (specifically Type 3) and AKM rifles.Miller, David (2001). ''The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns'' ...
-2 assault rifle * FN FAL * Heckler & Koch G3 *
Glock 17 Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...


Former Director-Generals

* Rear Admiral
Sarath Weerasekara Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, RSP, VSV, USP, MP is a Sri Lankan senior naval officer and politician. He was a former Cabinet Minister of Public Security and a State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Affairs, member of pa ...
* Major General Nandana Senadeera


References


External links


Official website of the Civil Security DepartmentOfficial website of the Ministry of DefenceHomeguard page
{{Sri Lankan Civil War Paramilitary organisations based in Sri Lanka
Civil Security Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...
Military units and formations of Sri Lanka Military units and formations established in 1986