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By Ramani Kangaraarachchi

Defence Minister Tilak Marapana said that the government will consider the possibilities of amending the laws pertaining to widows and orphans (W&OP) in order to allow war widows to re-marry while retaining certain financial benefits that they enjoy at present. Addressing a group of war widows at Royal College yesterday, the minister said that the laws of the W&OP were equally applicable to all the widows in government service, but acknowledge that there was a difference here as they were widows of soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the country.

"Therefore the government has to identify this problem as a special case and change the laws accordingly," he said.

According to statistics provided by the Ranaviru Family Counselling Service, there are 850 young widows without children who are willing to re-marry.

Air Vice Marshal Harry Gunatilake ,Chairman RFCS pointed out to the minister that the government requires Rs 40 million per month to pay the 4000 widows and proposed this burden could be eased if the laws are amended as proposed.

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