Army extends seed capital to pardoned ex-LTTE combatants courtesy Tamil philanthropist

The Sri Lanka Army has provided financial assistance to 15 ex-LTTE combatants recently freed from jail on a Presidential pardon to launch their own self-employment projects.

The event was held at Jetwing Hotel in Jaffna over the last weekend with the participation of General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, who was on a tour of the North to assess COVID-19 transmission impact as Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID 19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).

The Army Chief witnessed the former combatants receiving Rs 100,000 each to start self-income generating projects after their release after more than a decade of incarceration on a Presidential pardon, thanks to the kind patronage, given to the Army by Vamadevan Thyagendran, a well-known social activist and a philanthropist who volunteered to support the project in close coordination with Major General Jagath Kodithuwakku, Commander, Security Forces – Jaffna. District Secretary for Jaffna Kanapathi Pillai Maheshan was also among the invitees to the occasion.

General Shavendra Silva spoke to the ex-combatants. He said: “It is now your turn after the Presidential pardon to show the world that you have eschewed violence and are ready to lead peaceful lives as law-abiding and respected citizens of this country as all of us are human-beings, nurtured in valuable ethos of religions and cultures. We treat you as our own brothers and seriously want to give our maximum support for your rehabilitated livelihoods and progress by way of constructing even houses for you in the future,.”

General Shavendra Silva presented a memento to Thyagendran.