- 70 184. Needless to say, it is the duty of the Government to put an end to any act of torture or ill-treatment, to examine independently all allegations of torture and violations of article 16, to prosecute suspects and compensate the victims, and to comply fully with all the recommendations made by the Committee. In particular, the Committee welcomes the measures taken by the Government to bring the paramilitary groups under control, as they are reported to be responsible for many torture cases. It is the view of the Committee that these groups should be disbanded as a measure to prevent any possible systematic occurrence of torture. 185. The Committee, whilst welcoming the setting up of the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee and the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Human Rights Issues as a very important step in the right direction, calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure their continued effectiveness. 6. Further information provided by the Government of Sri Lanka 186. By communication dated 11 March 2002, the Government of Sri Lanka provided a reply to the findings and conclusions of the Committee. Some of the information provided has been reflected above, as it refers to further developments related to the recommendations made by the Committee. 187. According to the reply, the Government, through the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, the Police Higher Training Institute and the several training institutions of the Sri Lanka Army, continues to ensure that police officers and security forces personnel are trained to comply with and respect standards and norms pertaining to human rights and humanitarian law. Aspects of human rights and humanitarian law are now included in the normal syllabuses of police and security forces training. 188. The Government also informed the Committee that upon an in-depth analysis of the need to ensure that the Police Department and its personnel function only as a law enforcement entity and not as a supplementary force to the three security forces, it has established a new ministry, called the Ministry of the Interior, for the main purpose of effectively delinking the police from the security forces and the Ministry of Defence. 189. In addition, Directorates of Human Rights have been established in the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force. The mandate of the Directorate of Human Rights of the Sri Lanka Army includes advising the Army Commander on all matters concerning international humanitarian law with regard to conflict situation; conducting training programmes among members of the Army; and closely coordinating with the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Colombo and the National Human Rights Commission to address human rights and humanitarian concerns. 190. The Government also informed the Committee that as a result of initial negotiations facilitated by the Government of Norway, on 23 February 2002, the Government of Sri Lanka was able to enter into a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE. According to the Government, the agreement contains a series of provisions to foster a conducive environment for enhanced peaceful coexistence amongst the different communities living in Sri Lanka and seeks to promote and protect their human rights.