Rehabilitation of LTTE ex combatants the priority
Sandasen MARASINGHE
A concerned leader among the soldiers during the humantarian
operations. |
Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Suhada Gamlath explained as to
what measures would be taken to rehabilitate the ex combatants of the
LTTE who were the members of a cult that wore a cyanide capsule around
their necks and showed no hesitation to obey the orders to turn
themselves into human bombs.
Secretary to the Justice and Law Reforms Ministry, Suhada Gamlath was
appointed as the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was a Deputy Solicitor General at the Attorney
General Department at the time when he was appointed to the post of
Secretary to the Justice and Law Reforms Ministry.
No doubt we have reached a very significant watershed in the events
of the history of the country particularly, in the post independent era.
This is a time to be deeply and sincerely engaged in a broad based soul
searching process, as a nation. The creation of a monstrous figure like
Prabhakaran must be due to some factors that went wrong in the
contemporary history of our nation.
Based on the deeply sad experiences that this nation has been
experiencing for the past few decades we presently, directly encountered
with the task of finding ways and means to generate nurture and foster a
pluralistic society in which we could all be living in harmony
especially without having to resort to violent and turbulent political
courses of actions.
It is in this context we should be very seriously examining the
conceptual philosophical, and the political message President Mahinda
Rajapaksa so eloquently presented to the whole world on Tuesday morning
in his address to the nation.
"I would like to suggest that the copies of his speech be made
available to all educational institutions, schools and government
institutions etc. so that its contents can be turned into a pragmatic
basis upon which the nation that we all aspire to build for a peaceful
and a harmonious existence can be fashioned.
"On my part as the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation of
ex-combatants of the LTTE, I am being very specifically advised by
President Mahinda Rajapaksa to approach the subject in a humane and a
legalistic manner that is compatible with the international standards
followed by the Committee of Nations in dealing with rehabilitation of
surrendee who are members of a terrorist organization."
Many people are not aware of the salutary work that has been carried
out by this Government to help the LTTE combatants to rehabilitate
themselves and to reintegrate into society.
This by no means is an easy task for many of the ex combatants were
members of a cult that wear a cyanide capsule around their necks and
showed no hesitation to obey the orders to turn themselves into human
bombs.
The Most Pertinent Question....
How do we deal with these crowds is one of the most pertinent
questions at this juncture.
We have already established very finely organized three centers for
this purpose. One in the Eastern Province while another in the Northern
Province.
Another special centre is well established for the rehabilitation of
the ex child combatants. Our approach is to rehabilitate these people
under four modules.
Namely those modules are Psycho-social rehabilitation, Vocational
Rehabilitation, Religious Rehabilitation and Social Rehabilitation.
There are a large number of Governmental and non-Governmental personnel
and organizations involved in doing this business.
The Government is spending a large sum of money out of the
President's Vote for the rehabilitation programs. "We are grateful to
the UNICEF for helping to maintain the center specially meant for the ex
LTTE child combatants.
Rehabilitation of ex LTTE combatants is undoubtedly one of the most
important features involved in the post-conflict era.
Sri Lanka is uniquely placed in the international arena in doing this
successfully for it was in 1971, we initiated a well structured
rehabilitation program for the JVP ex insurrects.
That was a program very successful in achieving its goals.
So much so it received many plaudits and accolades from even the
international community.
The President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already appointed a very high
powered committee consisting of officials from the legal and Justice
Sectors relevant to the subjects to come out with a viable program to be
launched to rehabilitate the large numbers of ex combatants whose
number, according the sources of the Forces, exceeds even 4000 persons.
This has to be a structured program and its success is going to be
very crucial in our endeavours to achieve a peaceful nation in the post
conflict era and this presently is the most pre-occupied subject in our
minds.
Where should the misled Tamil Youths be directed.....
The disgruntled and the misled Tamil youths should be shown a new
path devoid of violence. They should be told we are brothers and sisters
and in this nation there are only two categories of persons.
"They are as the President Mahinda Rajapaksa pronounced it eloquently
on Tuesday morning, those who love our motherland and those who do not
love our motherland." This spiritual land of ours has offered us
everything in abundance.
We shall take every endeavor to show the ex combatants to develop
that feeling of love for this wonderful country of ours, which is by all
means theirs as well.
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