Sri Lanka Church helps 'despairing' Tamil Tigers

(November 28, 2009) Church workers are trying to help former Tamil Tiger rebels, who are said to be living in the "blackest of despair," claiming many should be released. Press-ganged into fighting as children, many are now living with injury, disability and mental trauma, cut off from their loved ones. The rebels should not continue to be punished because many had no option when they were under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) separatist army, says Oblate Father Paul Jayanthan Pachchek. The former director of the Oblate Social Service (OSS), which is helping 2,000 inmates in five camps, says most rebel soldiers are little more than youths. They are depressed, cannot sleep and are plagued by discrimination and violence against ethnic Tamil minorities, he added. The OSS swung into action soon after fighting ended in May. The International Committee of the Red Cross and other international aid organizations are banned from the camps where these former LTTE rebels are held. In all, around 11,000 male and female former combatants are being held in 17 camps and are being interrogated by government forces. New York-based Human Rights Watch on Nov. 24, raised concerns over the situation. It called upon the government to either bring charges against the detainees or release them. Sri Lankan Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told media recently that the attorney general is considering an amnesty and rehabilitation plan for lower-ranking rebel soldiers.