SLA forms new battalion with marginally injured soldiers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 September 2008, 10:43 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has formed a new battalion called Vanni Reinforcement Battalion this week by re-inducting marginally injured in infantry units in the war front, according to the Situation Report of the Sunday Times of September 7. The soldiers are being deployed for non-direct combat related tasks in Vanni.

On the SLA desertions, the paper said a few thousand deserters of the SLA were being arrested and the military courts operating in the SLA Volunteer Force Headquarters, situated in Pelwatte, Kotte, was sentencing them to jail terms to send a strong message to their fellow deserters.

"The only exception would be those who agree to return to the battlefield."

"Besides those killed in action or injured and left out of battle, there was a new development this week over others. Those who are marginally injured in infantry units have been re-inducted to service," according to the paper.