Sri Lanka to Rehabilitate Tamil Rebels

After the civil war’s end, several thousand suspected Tamil Tiger rebels have been questioned by judges who will now undergo “rehabilitation”, said Sri Lanka.

Army spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said that nearly 2,000 Tamils, who had confessed belonging to the Tigers, are likely to be tried. Also, suspected Tamil Tiger  rebel are being kept separate from thousands of displaced Tamil civilians.

The Lankan government has again said that it is doing all it can to look after them.

“They have taken guns, fought against the army. So they have to go through rehabilitation so that they can live as normal Sri Lankans,” Brig Nanayakkara said about the 2,000 people who are “self confessed” former rebels.

He said that the process of “weeding out and rehabilitating” them was already under way and each one has been brought before judges.

He said that said anyone who had been trained by the Tamil Tigers to carry arms was considered a combatant.

“Since the start of fighting in different locations, 9,100 Tamil Tiger cadres have self-confessed,” he said.

“We have sent 7,000 of them to welfare camps for rehabilitation after legal proceedings, while others are facing court proceedings.”

The military says that it killed 22,000 rebel fighters during its 34-month offensive to end the 25-year civil war and lost 6,200 of its own soldiers.