From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 20 Jul 92 07:23 PDT
Subject: SRI LANKA: WALKING OUT OF A DETENTI
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700233:000:4380
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Jul 20 07:23:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: SRI LANKA: WALKING OUT OF A DETENTI

/* Written 12:19 am  Jul 20, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: SRI LANKA: WALKING OUT OF A DETENTION CAMP TO A NEW LIFE

an inter press service feature

by rita sebastian

colombo, jul 17 (ips) -- three years after a seemingly invincible
radical youth movement was crushed, hundreds of young sri lankans
detained by the military are now slowly returning home.

twenty two-year-old jagath walked out of a detention camp this
week. incarcerated since 1989 for his suspected involvement in a
violent movement to topple the ranasinghe premadasa government,
the young sri lankan qta qta qta

sri lanka: walking out of a detention camp to a new life

an inter press service feature

by rita sebastian

colombo, jul 17 (ips) -- three years after a seemingly invincible
radical youth movement was crushed, hundreds of young sri lankans
detained by the military are now slowly returning home.

twenty two-year-old jagath walked out of a detention camp this
week. incarcerated since 1989 for his suspected involvement in a
violent movement to topple the ranasinghe premadasa government,
the young sri lankan says he hopes to start a new life.

his dream will come true. trained in the camp to be an
electrician, jagath has already been promised a job.

young jinadasa is only 18. he says he learnt carpentry in the
detention camp. the son of landless peasants, jinadasa who has
grown into manhood in captivity, is confident that he will be able
to start his own furniture-making business.

a unique rehabilitation programme based on buddhist principles has
given sri lankans like jagath and jinadasa, among a 100 detainees
set free this week, a chance to start afresh.

g.w.u. de silva, assistant commissi

shsojemabilitation, says the xl,--8:/9)0494-..3 8' 59 53-:; 5;3
35-8,33' 59 ?3 financially independent and remodel their outlook
and character.

this is achieved in three stages. the first is vocational
training, the second phase is spent in a buddhist temple where
their character is remodelled with religious teaching, and the
third stage is a two or three week long meditation course.

the authorities say 7,910 detainees have been released so far.  as
many are still in detention camps.

nineteen eight nine was a cruel year for sri lanka.

a savage civil war paralysed the south turning it into a
battleground. hundreds of people were killed and thousands
disappeared as the security forces ruthlessly eliminated the jvp
who had lost all sympathy by their brutality.

an estimated 19,000 young sri lankans, both male and female, were
rounded up as jvp sympathisers. some 5,000 were subsequently
released as they were found innocent.

''initially these jvp suspects who came from destitute rural homes
were detained in camps set up under the ministry of defence,''
says de silva.   (more/ips)

pdm

sri lanka: walking (2)

later they were sorted out into three groups depending on the
gravity of th sheolothey had committed, and disp ted to
rehabilitation centres.

de silva explains that the rehabilitation scheme is rooted in
buddhist teachings because almost all the detainees are sinhala.
sri lanka's majority community is predominantly buddhist.

several local and international non-governmental organisations
(ngo's) have been involved in providing much-needed financial
assistance to keep the programme afloat.

according to most official and unofficial accounts the
rehabilitation programme has been successful. but there have been
reports that some of those released have disappeared or have been
killed.

the authorities claim a large number of the killings have been in
revenge for the death of a son, brother or father who was
eliminated because of his suspected involvement with the jvp.

many of those released were from the top cadres of the jvp,
officials say. they had surrendered to the security forces, and
had been put through the rehabilitation programme, they point
out.

according to them, rehabilitation officers will in future visit
villages and ascertain the safety of the detainees before they are
released. if there is any danger, they will be resettled
elsewhere, they add. (end/ips/np/rs/an/92)