Marking the harvest festival celebrations by Tamils both locally and internationally, Government of Sri Lanka released some 78 LTTE carders today (15th January 2011) in Jaffna.
These former LTTE rebels have successfully completed a rehabilitation program conducted by the Office of the Commissioner General for Coordinating Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation and the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa during an exclusive discussion yesterday with the foreign correspondents stated that all efforts will be taken to rehabilitate the former LTTE rebels. “We will put them in the right path. Only the hardcore LTTE carders will be prosecuted,” President said.
Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadeera told Asian Tribune that there were 48 females among those released today. “We have a magnificent rehabilitation program for them. As a result, some 375 of them sat for the recent G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination, out of which 210 have passed. Among the passed, there are 40 eligible to enter universities and were selected for higher education in the national universities. Two LTTErs were even s qualified to enter the medical faculties,” said Minister Gajadeera.
According to Minister Gajadeera there are 4,500 former LTTE cadres - men and women left in the rehabilitation centers and they will be released in batches after completing their rehabilitation program and learning some livelihood.
It is reported that some 10,000 combatants gave themselves up when government troops wiped out the Tigers' top leadership in May 2009, ending the 37-year fight against terrorism, which claimed up to 100,000 lives, according to United Nations.
- Asian Tribune -
By Ashwin Hemmathagama – National Correspondent
Colombo, 16 January, (Asiantribune.com)
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