Army Commander Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva said that the army is also committed to protect the public at all costs.

The Commander expressed these views when asked about comments made recently by the Chief Minister of Sri Lanka's Tamil dominated North, C.V. Wigneswaran which was seen as a threat to the unity in the country.

"It is our duty to protect the public and as Army Commander I can assure you we will do that," he said.

He was speaking to the media in the central town of Kandy after formally inaugurating a series of religious ceremonies on account of the forthcoming 67th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army which falls on October 10.

The Commander offered alms to 67 Buddhist monks at the Temple of Tooth in Kandy where the most sacred relics remain enshrined. Endit

(Xinhua - china.org.cn)