A company called Ceyline Management Ltd., has contacted political leaders and media with false information regarding Avant Garde.

The owner of this company is one Ajith Peiris who had been in the Merchant Navy. He also owns another maritime security company called Ceyline.

Though this company is one of 24 maritime security companies of the country, it is also one of the six that has been blacklisted. The reason for such blacklisting had been losing four Sri Lanka government weapons whilst carrying out maritime security operations, and conducting business with an illegal floating armoury in the Indian Ocean. On 14th November, 2012, Ceyship Ltd., had tried to disembark four sea marshals of an American maritime security company called Advanfort without weapons from a Kuwaiti ship; MV AJ Baidia, which is illegal. According to the agreement between Maritime Security companies and Ministry of Defence, and other regulations, sea marshals entering Sri Lanka should do so with their weapons.

These weapons, on being checked by Sri Lanka Navy and Rakna Lanka, are stored by the Navy and Rakna Lanka in the Avant Garde floating armoury. Since the only legal floating armoury is the one belonging to Avant Garde, whenever sea marshals enter or leave Sri Lanka it has to happen through this Avant Garde floating armoury.

However, in the above mentioned incident, the whereabouts of weapons used by those sea marshals were not known.

The names and passport numbers of those four sea marshals involved in the above mentioned incident were; Jonathan Kaem (108320579), Michael Foster (309472454), James Gaunt (112174069), Michael Harris (5059949691).

Though an investigation was conducted by the Galle Harbour police and CID on a complaint made by Avant Garde, the sea marshals stated that the weapons were taken away in a small boat.

Since there was a serious doubt that these sea marshals may have disposed of the weapons in gun smuggling, the responsibility of such a serious matter rests with Ceyship Ltd., because it coordinates all activities of these sea marshals.

Consequently, this company had blatantly violated the agreement with the MOD and also failed to submit any reasonable explanation about the disappearance of those weapons. We have received further information that immediately after removal of Rajapakse regime from power, the owner of this company has influenced a powerful politico of the new government with false information in order to get this lucrative business to his hands.

However, the powerful politician has realized about the false information and is therefore keeping quiet now, but the owner of Ceyship Ltd., continues to try to disrupt Avant Garde business by trying to influence other political leaders to act against Avant Garde promising that all expenses incurred would be borne by him.

Investigations about Avant Garde floating armoury is still continuing. Though it has been realized that it is a legal operation, concerns have been raised that a private company is earning money that could have been earned by the government.

Our investigations revealed that even that is not correct because 40% of the turnover (not from profit) of the floating armoury is being given to the government.

Similarly, there could be an argument that the Navy could have earned the full amount. Sometime ago, the Navy decided that this business could not be carried out by them because of some irregularities that had happened during that time. The business had gone to Avant Garde because of that.

During that time there were allegations that Al Qaida terrorists have received a number of weapons belonging to the Sri Lanka Navy, resulting in an international investigation about 149 such weapons. That in turn could have resulted in the Sri Lanka government being accused of international gun running and even subjected to economic sanctions.

It had been Avant Garde that had initiated an operation to locate these lost weapons, and succeeded in bringing a large number of them back to the country. That caused the company to be well recognized internationally. It is now internationally accepted that the largest Maritime Security Company in the world is Avant Garde.

Even now, this company is well recognized having two other floating armouries and seven shore armouries thus receiving international acclaim, recognition and acceptance.

(The Gossip Factory)