Sri Lanka Bishop appeals for religious services for ex-rebel soldiers

(September 5, 2009) A bishop has asked a military commander to allow religious services to be conducted for former Tamil Tiger soldiers being held in rehabilitation camps in the north. Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar on August 30 held talks with security forces commander, Major General Kamal Gunarate, who is in charge of the Vavuniya area. The bishop asked him to allow religious services for all faiths to be held on Sundays for those placed in rehabilitation camps here. Father Anthony Victor Sosai, the vicar general of Mannar who accompanied the bishop, said Bishop Joseph told the army chief that the ex-soldiers were unlikely to be fully rehabilitated without spiritual guidance. "They need to be helped to forget past traumas and begin a new life," Bishop Joseph reportedly said during the meeting. The prelate told Gunarate that some of the soldiers were youths who were taken by force from their parents by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Many have not seen their parents or families since. Gunarate replied that he would consider Bishop Joseph's request, said Father Sosai. The military officer also expressed hope that the former fighters would be able to integrate into society after their year-long rehabilitation program. "Yes, we can include religious services as a part of rehabilitation once it is approved by the military authorities," Gunarate told the bishop. Bishop Joseph has submitted the names of the centres as well as the names of priests assigned to say Masses there for the military's approval. He hopes to be able to hold Masses between 6.30 am and 9.30 am on Sundays. Some 300,000 people are being detained in camps across the north of the country. Most are civilians but the army says it has found 9,000 former rebel soldiers in the detention camps and has sent them for rehabilitation.