• Australia donates ATVs, drones to Coast Guard 
• SLAF uses Australia-donated patrol aircraft to aid in maritime law enforcement 

The Australian Border Force and Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) last week launched the third phase of the Disi Rela public awareness and community engagement program, marking the third consecutive year of the joint maritime security initiative.Disi Rela aims to strengthen maritime surveillance, operational capabilities, and public awareness across Sri Lanka’s coastal regions. This year, Disi Rela 2026 expands its community engagement and public awareness activities to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, following successful activities conducted in the Western and Southern Provinces in previous years. It is the latest in a series of maritime security and law enforcement partnerships which both Indian Ocean neighbours have been building over the last decade.

The partnership aims to strengthen maritime security, combat transnational maritime crime, and promote safer seas across the region. Through intelligence sharing, operational cooperation, advanced equipment support, and public awareness initiatives, both countries continue to work together to address threats such as people smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and other unlawful maritime activities. Continuing its support to capacity building of its Sri Lankan counterparts, the Australian Government donated five All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) under Disi Rela 2026 to support coastal surveillance and rapid response operations.

It also supplied the SLCG with a number of unmanned aerial systems – drones for better situational awareness and coastal surveillance duties. The new assets were handed over to the Coast Guard by the Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Matthew Duckworth.

Reflecting upon the continued partnership and shared commitment of both nations to safeguard Sri Lanka’s maritime boundaries and coastal communities, SLCG Director General Rear Admiral Rohan Joseph, speaking at the handover ceremony held last week in Colombo, said: “Disi Rela 2026 demonstrates the enduring cooperation between the SLCG and the Australian Border Force in strengthening maritime security across our region. As the initiative expands into the Eastern Province, community awareness and public participation continue to play a vital role in helping us protect our seas and prevent unlawful maritime activity.”

Royal Australian Navy Maritime Border Command and Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, AM said the initiative reflected the strong and ongoing partnership between Australia and Sri Lanka.

“For the third consecutive year, Disi Rela demonstrates the importance both Australia and Sri Lanka place on maritime security and regional cooperation. Through continued capability building, operational support, and community engagement, we are working together to strengthen maritime safety and security across the region,” Rear Admiral Sonter said.

During the handover ceremony, Superintendent Blaise Taylor of the Australian Border Force told The Sunday Morning that the partnership and shared effort between Australia and Sri Lanka had deterred risky people smuggling attempts by sea from Sri Lanka over the last three years and that no reported crossings had occurred during the period.

Responding to a question by The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Director General of Air Operations Air Vice Marshal Dhammika Dias stated that the SLAF had been using the Australian-donated Beechcraft 350 Maritime Patrol Aircraft on surveillance missions at sea and provided intelligence which the Navy, Police, and Coast Guard had acted on to arrest maritime crime.

The SLCG encourages reporting suspicious maritime activity through the dedicated 24/7 hotline number, 106. Calls can be made anonymously.