Sinhala papers to help SLA recruitment

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Anuruddha Ratwatte, summoned editors of the Sinhala press today and requested their cooperation in the Sri Lanka Government's fresh recruitment drive for soldiers, and in a final call for deserters from the security forces to rejoin, said journalist sources in Colombo.

At least two editors of prominent Sinhala dailies were present, said the sources.

The Sri Lanka government is to commence a drive which will concentrate on schools to recruit up to 15,000 soldiers, to make up the growing shortfall in the ranks of the security forces.

Meanwhile, the government has issued a final call for deserters to rejoin the security forces, or face prosecution.

A government communiqué read out in the state run Radio Sri Lanka said this evening, that deserters would face a sentence up two years imprisonment.

It is estimated that around 19,000 personnel have deserted the security forces in the past few years.