A report by ‘The Island’ says,

The government yesterday cleared the names of Rakna Arakshaka Lanka and Avant Garde Maritime Services. Parliament was told that the setting up of the companies concerned, recruitment of personnel and the payment of taxes and other dues had been done properly.

Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella, reading out responses to a series of questions raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Rakna Arakshaka Lanka and Avant Garde Maritime Services the previous week, said that the Ministry of Defence had given permission to Rakna Arakshaka Lanka to deploy sea marshals. The organisation came under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. The organisation had recruited retired military officers. As the threat of sea pirates was increasing, the organisation had commenced deploying of sea marshals and it had done so in accordance with the provisions and standards stipulated by the International Maritime Organisation of the UN in the Circular MSC1/Circ/1443.

Rakna Arakshaka Lanka had been paying taxes due to the government regularly. It had paid more than Rs. 535 million to the government since 2011. In addition it had paid dividends to the Treasury. The amount of dividends paid by Rakna Arakshaka Lanka to the Treasury since 2011 exceeded Rs. 94 million, Minister Kiriella said.