Responding to a question raised in Parliament by the JVP, Media Minister Gayantha Karunatillake said that Rajapaksa was recruited to the navy when the former Government was in power, reportedly in an attempt to encourage youth to join the navy.

Karunatillake said that it was understood that youth were reluctant to join the military when the war was at its peak and so Yoshitha Rajapaksa was recruited to the navy to encourage other youth to also join.

However he said that Rajapaksa was later sent to the UK and Ukraine on Government expense for training and was hardly in service in the navy in Sri Lanka.

The Minister also admitted that there was a delay by the navy in implementing a set of recommendations submitted by the Ministry of Defence based on an investigation conducted on Yoshitha Rajapaksa by a three member navy committee.

Gayantha Karunatillake said that the recommendations had been sent to the Presidential secretariat which in turn had advised the navy to take appropriate action.

(colombogazette.com)