Ex-LTTEers re-integrated:

Bright 'brush strokes' emerge!

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

"Two and a half years ago, we were fighting. We didn't know why we were fighting but they ordered us to shoot soldiers. In the end they abandoned us in the cold battlefields. Thanks to the amnesty offered by the Government, we are still alive today", said Selvarasa Selvadeepan in faltering Sinhala, when he addressed the large gathering at Temple Trees, last week.

He voiced the views of nearly 12,000 youth, whom were brain washed and misled for over two decades. While most of them were enjoying life at home. Another batch of 1,800 youth gave up violence underwent well-designed rehabilitation program and were set free to become productive citizens.

Selvadeepan explained how the Government helped them to re-integrate into society. "Janadipathithumani ada ape jivitha deepthimath vuna dawasak (Sir, today is a memorable day for us) we have completed the rehabilitation process and learnt many things while brushing up our skills. We learnt about society and the officers looked after us like their own children. They didn't leave room for us to feel any difference", he said thanking President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who opened Temple Trees to ex-LTTE cadres when he invited them in.

Selvarasa Selvadeepan

The Ravidasan family

The youth, who joined the LTTE in 2006 to save his younger siblings, was engaged in farming while following an engineering course. His knowledge in motor mechanism helped him to stave of death in fierce battle fields.

The 23-year-old from Akkarayankulam recalled the novel experience of travelling to the South in a train and worshipping God Skanda in Kataragama. "We have seen the development. We have seen skyrise buildings for the first time and flyovers. Most important we felt the pulse beat of the Sinhalese. They warmly welcomed, he said.

It was the ceremony held to reintegrate ex-LTTE cadres after a two-year training in state-run rehabilitation centres. Talk to Selvadeepan, K. Rupan, S. Kopu, K. Baskaran or any ex-cadres, they have the same experience to share. They have a story to tell how the former 'killing machines' of the LTTE turned innocent youth into killers.

Transformed and trained to become 'messengers of peace' they want society to welcome and accept them. "We want to promote peace in our villages. We know we can lead very successful lives with the training that we got during our stay at the rehabilitation centres. We are confident that the President who instructed to save our lives will also look into our future by providing us more opportunities to stand up on our own", Selvadeepan said vowing join the Government to develop the new country.

By May 17, 2009, with the battle coming to an end, thousands of youth, including underaged children who were left to fight, were kept into a small patch of land in Vattuval in Vellimullivaikkal. Most of them well ill-trained and abandoned by the LTTE. They had decided to surrender. All of them had no hopes as they were brain washed by the LTTE, that they would be tortured and killed like animals.

Selvadeepan, who was attached to the LTTE transport division, revealed how the LTTE dragged small children, trained them for a few days and left them alone to man or fight with trained soldiers. He said all of them cried calling for their parents and pleaded with the LTTE not to send them to fight as they were feared that they will be killed.

"We were asked to commit suicide if the soldiers caught us. The LTTE said the soldiers were barbarians and it was better to die rather than surrender to them", Selvadeepan said.

Now no one could instigate them to divide the country and enter into a debacle. He brushed up his hidden talent in public speaking at the counselling program conducted by the Authority of the Commissioner of Rehabilitation. He topped the course conducted for six-months to select 100 ex-cardres to be counsellors.

Selvadeepan said he never thought he would ever deliver a speech in the presence of President Rajapaksa. For him its a dream come true". I have seen his pictures but never thought I would see him at such a close range and be able to talk to him one day", Selvadeepan said.

Selected to deliver the vote of thanks because of his command of the language and self-confidence, he does not want to become a politician. But who knows what destiny holds for him.

Vallipuram Ravidasan and Kanthimadee Suresh's parents, who came all the way from Jaffna to take their son, were surprised when President Rajapaksa handed their son over to them. "I have only one word to say. I am very happy today", his voice quivered as he recalled how when he heard that the LTTE had taken his son away.

Ravidasan, worked in Lebanon for years and his dreams were shattered as his eldest son was conscripted by the LTTE. He never thought he would find his 'mootha mahan' (eldest son) so soon. "I thought he died in the battle and we gave up hopes. But God helped us take my son back home", he said.

They are taking their son home after six years and have plans to celebrate his wedding with no plans to go abroad, Ravidasan wants a future in Sri Lanka with the Sinhalese and Tamils living peacefully.

Selvarasa Selvadeepan, Suresh and many thousands of youth are fortunate to undergo rehabilitation under the able guidance of soldiers of the likes of Nilantha Gunawardena, who hold no animosity towards these ex-LTTE cadres.

Corporal Nilantha, joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1995 and was disabled due to severe injuries he sustained at the battle at Mankulum in 1998. The 35-year-old soldier, who has two young children and is now attached to the Rehabilitation Centre in Maradamadu, Mannar said he has no animosity towards these boys though he lost his left arm from the elbow. He is limping as his bullet ridden left leg hurts him all time. The bullet in the knee can't be removed as he will then be paralysed.

"Earlier I had a different opinion about them, but after following a course before being recruiting to the Ministry of Rehabilitation it was impressed upon us, that these youth were innocent and fought not because they wanted a separate State or that they hate the Sinhalese but because they were brain washed. We began to sympathise with them and wanted to show them the correct path", he said.

Nilantha said though these youth missed their right to education, they are very talented and could contribute immensely to rebuild the country.

"When we treated them like our own. They said if they knew soldiers will treat them well, they would have surrendered much earlier", Corporal Nilantha, who worked at the Poonthottam and Nelukkulam Rehabilitation Centres said.

With the end-battle the Government was confronted with a huge task of resettling nearly 300,000 displaced people and 12,000 ex-LTTE cadres including 594 child soldiers. The Government set up on the task by Resettlement and Rehabilitation. The Government completed both tasks by nearly 80 percent in these two years.

Over 9,500 youth who took arms have been reunited with their families after following rehabilitation in 24 State-run centres.

Pouring huge sums of money to reform the misled youth, the Government offered them a well-designed vocational training package and helped them to catch up with the education they had missed and also brush up their inborn talent.

Though the past was painful their story today is painted with many bright brush strokes paving a brighter future.

It was an amazing story where future doctors, teachers and many talented artistes, who were faced with death have emerged to make the country a better place for them to live.