TNA Wants Full Access To Women Recruits
By Raisa Wickrematunge-Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says it has been given limited access to the women who had allegedly been forcibly recruited into the military recently.
The Women’s Action Network (WAN) released a statement last week condemning the recruitment of some 109 women from Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu to the army. The women were recruited but told that they would only be doing a little clerical work, perhaps with the local Grama Niladhari official and promised Rs. 30,000 a month, the WAN reported.
Upon realising that they were meant to join the military for a training course in Sinhala and English (subsequent to a military function that was held on November 16) several of the women had panicked and said they did not wish to join, but were told they could not return home until after the function. Six women were released due to the efforts made by their families, the WAN report said. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran told The Sunday Leader that a further 13 women had also wanted to leave, but had been prevented from doing so.
They had been brought to the Kilinochchi hospital and admitted into a separate ward, which was then guarded by military personnel, Premachandran said.
“Upon being questioned the military had said the issue was minor and the women were only homesick. They were being given counselling and would return to the training session,” Premachandran said.
The army however insisted that the Tamil girls in the north are not being forced to join the army and that those recruited have access to their families.
Army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that that reports to the effect that the Northern Commander had gone from house to house and forcibly recruited girls were false.
“As outlined earlier the recruitment process was a pure voluntary recruitment which was open to all female citizens living in the north who are of that age group with required qualifications,” the army spokesman said. The spokesman said that the army was among the first State agencies which had taken cognizance of the LLRC Report and in order to implement the LLRC recommendations it was decided to recruit Tamils, both male and female, from the North to the Army.
“We have plans to recruit males as well and very shortly they will be recruited. We thought of giving priority to women because the very existence of Tamil female soldiers in the Army would be an ante-dote to false propaganda against the Army. Precisely for this reason, the LTTE rump domiciled abroad and other interested parties are making a hue and cry on this issue. They seem to worry that the success of this process would mark the end of their campaign for false propaganda,” he said.
The Women’s Action Network (WAN) released a statement last week condemning the recruitment of some 109 women from Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu to the army. The women were recruited but told that they would only be doing a little clerical work, perhaps with the local Grama Niladhari official and promised Rs. 30,000 a month, the WAN reported.
Upon realising that they were meant to join the military for a training course in Sinhala and English (subsequent to a military function that was held on November 16) several of the women had panicked and said they did not wish to join, but were told they could not return home until after the function. Six women were released due to the efforts made by their families, the WAN report said. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran told The Sunday Leader that a further 13 women had also wanted to leave, but had been prevented from doing so.
They had been brought to the Kilinochchi hospital and admitted into a separate ward, which was then guarded by military personnel, Premachandran said.
“Upon being questioned the military had said the issue was minor and the women were only homesick. They were being given counselling and would return to the training session,” Premachandran said.
The army however insisted that the Tamil girls in the north are not being forced to join the army and that those recruited have access to their families.
Army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that that reports to the effect that the Northern Commander had gone from house to house and forcibly recruited girls were false.
“As outlined earlier the recruitment process was a pure voluntary recruitment which was open to all female citizens living in the north who are of that age group with required qualifications,” the army spokesman said. The spokesman said that the army was among the first State agencies which had taken cognizance of the LLRC Report and in order to implement the LLRC recommendations it was decided to recruit Tamils, both male and female, from the North to the Army.
“We have plans to recruit males as well and very shortly they will be recruited. We thought of giving priority to women because the very existence of Tamil female soldiers in the Army would be an ante-dote to false propaganda against the Army. Precisely for this reason, the LTTE rump domiciled abroad and other interested parties are making a hue and cry on this issue. They seem to worry that the success of this process would mark the end of their campaign for false propaganda,” he said.
