More than 7,000 Tamil Tiger fighters have been questioned by judges as part of their rehabilitation following Asia's longest modern war, Sri Lanka's military said on Tuesday. After declaring victory over the separatist rebels last week, the government must now decide the fate of about 262,000 people, nearly all of whom fled the fighting. More than 210,000 are inside Manik Farm, the largest camp for war-displaced people in northern Sri Lanka.
The military took journalists on Tuesday on a guided tour of the camp which was visited last weekend by UN chief Ban Ki-moon. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told reporters the process of weeding out and rehabilitating former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters was already under way. Each one has been brought before judges, he said.
Nanayakkara said anyone who had been trained by the LTTE to carry arms was considered a combatant. "They have taken guns, fought against the army. So they have to go through rehabilitation so that they can live as normal Sri Lankans," Nanayakkara said.
"Since the start of fighting in different locations, 9,100 LTTE cadres have self-confessed. We have sent 7,000 of them to welfare camps for rehabilitation after legal proceedings, while others are facing court proceedings." The military has said it killed 22,000 LTTE fighters during its 34-month offensive to end the 25-year civil war and lost 6,200 of its own soldiers.