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| Sunday, 26 October 2003 |
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Missing Army IDs bar to issue of discharge certificates by Ramani Kangaraarachchi The pilot project to issue discharge certificates to army deserters encountered its first major hurdle in the form of missing Army Identity Cards. The ID is a pre-requisite for deserters to be given their discharge certificates, but a majority of those who turned up at the Gampaha Kachcheri, where the pilot project was being implemented, didn't have the vital document, and hence had to be turned away. Discharge certificates were to be issued to 5000 deserters at the pilot project but only 375 were issued last week. Major General Ivan Dassanayake, Adjutant General of the Army, said that nearly 1,000 deserters had reported for their discharge certificates but most had been turned away because they failed to produce their Army ID cards. "Releasing them without surrendering the ID card could lead to serious security problems in the country. Therefore, we will be very strict about this," General Dassanayake said. However he pointed out that the Army was also exploring the option of changing the format of identity cards in the entire Army with the approval of the government and issue discharge certificates to these soldiers." But we have decided not to issue discharge certificates to those who have lost their ID cards," he said, adding that those who were issued with discharge certificates were now free to live normal lives in society. The grace period given to deserters in Gamapaha district ended on Saturday, but the date will be extended if the need arises," he said. |
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