Allegations of injecting ex-LTTE combatants with carcinogenic substance baseless: Rehab Chief

The ex-LTTE combatants who underwent rehabilitation and have now reintegrated back into society will be further traumatised and cornered with the spreading of the rumour that they have developed cancer cells after being injected with a lethal cancer-causing substance while undergoing rehabilitation, cautioned Commissioner General Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Janake Ratnayake.

In an interview with the Daily FT he spoke about the progress of rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-LTTE combatants, their future challenges, the need to create more employment opportunities and the damage caused due to the spreading of rumours against the rehabilitation process.

These are baseless allegations. Because somebody says that people are dying of cancer due to injections with a lethal substance given to them when they were in rehabilitation, such claims should have scientific proof. There is no scientific proof in this statement,” 

he said.

Following are excerpts of the interview: 

By Shanika Sriyananda 

Q: Can you tell about the present situation with regard to rehabilitating ex-LTTE combatants? 

A: We have completed rehabilitating over 12,100 ex-combatants and have almost reached the end of rehabilitating those who had voluntarily joined the rehabilitation program. Those who surrendered voluntarily did not undergo Court proceedings, but those who have been accused of having strong links with the LTTE are directed to rehabilitation by the Terrorist Investigation Division and also from the prisons after finalising their cases. They undergo a one-year rehabilitation process, which include a six-month-long vocational training. At the moment there are only 20 ex-combatants who are undergoing rehabilitation at the Poontottam Rehabilitation Centre in Vavuniya. Every month we have reintegration programs to send them back to their own families.

Q: What are your views about the reintegration of ex-combatants?

A: It is a very successful program as we have a system to provide aftercare for the ex-combatants who have been reintegrated back into society. We handle the aftercare system through our Social-Economic Welfare Coordinating offices for Rehabilitated Beneficiaries. They look after the welfare of ex-combatants who have been reintegrated in Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Trincomalee and Ampara.

Q: What are the main challenges they face after reintegration?

A: Today the main challenge is finding employment due to lack of job opportunities in the north. Whether the reintegrated ex-combatants are married or not, all of them are facing economic problems. The majority of them are from poor socio-economic backgrounds. They were fighting in battlefields for over 30 years and lack the educational qualifications and skills to find decent jobs. At the same time, when they return their homes, they have nothing as everything was destroyed due to the war. The majority of them still do not have houses. 

Q: How effective is raising awareness among society to accept the ex-combatants who are reintegrated?

A: We carry out awareness programs and try to make society understand the plight that these ex-combatants have undergone during the war. We tell them that the entire country and the people in the north had immensely suffered due to the war while the ex-combatants suffered more than them as they were fighting in those battlefields. Raising awareness among their own people in the respective villages is effective to welcome those rehabilitated ex-combatants back to their villages. As the rehabilitation authority, the Bureau is doing its best but the institutions and organisations which are directly dealing with the people can play a bigger role in raising awareness to make society ready to welcome the rehabilitated ex-combatants and support them to build their lives

Q: Since they were fighters who were trained to kill, how psychologically-sound are they now?

A: They fought against the armed forces. In the final stages of the war they were restricted to a small area and they lost everything but survived with only the terrified past in their memories. Still people have anger towards ex-combatants, claiming that they lost everything because of them. This impression has resulted in combatants being cornered in their own society. Another aspect is that these ex-combatants were treated as war heroes, with titles such as ‘Maha Veera’ given by Velupillai Prabhakaran. Now they are not recognised as war heroes any more by their own people. Instead, they are getting step-motherly treatment from their own people in their villages. 

For example, if an ex-combatant goes seeking a job, he is given the least priority. Due to this situation, they suffer a lot psychologically. The mental agony that they are going through is a serious issue and it is high time that the authorities in those areas look into this matter. When the political parties come to power, they should look into these issues irrespective of what these ex-combatants have done in the past. The Government has carried out a lot of development to provide infrastructure facilities like new roads, restoring electricity and waterlines and resettling the displaced people in the north. But there are certain issues like providing psychological support which need to be looked into by the regional authorities. The political parties also have a bigger role to play by supporting people in the north, including these ex-combatants, without using them politically. 

Q: What is the bond between the rehabilitation officers and the ex-combatants?

A: It is very beautiful. We have a better bond than they had it with the other people like their relatives and friends. We have a better understanding, an affiliation and better links. Even after they are released, including those who were released a few years ago, they still have contact with us. They approach us first when they want help.

I want to highlight this factor here. Yes we fought them and they fought us but ultimately we rehabilitated them. They treat us like we are more to them than their own brothers. That is how we developed our bond. There is a unity among us. But if there is no unity in this country in future, where will this country go? 

Lee Kuan Yew when he visited Sri Lanka said one day he would transform Singapore like Sri Lanka. Today, we want to be like Singapore. Why? The JVP and the LTTE should take the responsibility because all the atrocities that took place in this country happened because of them. Sri Lankans have to understand that if there is unity, we have strength; if there is unity, we can move forward; if there is unity, we can create a better environment for the future generation. 

Yes, we fought the ex-combatants but we are not angry and vengeful. The armed forces entered into a disastrous situation to control the situation. The LTTE had created a disastrous situation, which was prolonged for 30 years and we were forced to enter to end terrorism in this country. But we are not enemies of the Tamils as it was a terrorism issue, not an ethnic conflict. We destroyed terrorism to bring peace and harmony. This is the true picture and it is inculcated in the minds of the ex-combatants who underwent rehabilitation. This also needs to be inculcated in the minds of all the Sri Lankans.

We need to realise that there was no problem of living together with Tamils in the country. There are enough facts in history to prove this relationship and bond between the two ethnic groups. During the Kotte Kingdom, Jaffna was under that kingdom. All issues between the Sinhalese and Tamils were created after the British invasion. We have to understand this was artificially created by those British people who came in search of resources of this country. 

This situation created a prolonged war from 1979 to 2009 and we have gone back over 50 years. We as the present generation, what have we done to the future generation? We have to question ourselves now.

Q: What is the support that you get from the Tamil diaspora to help ex-combatants back in society?

A: I do not have any links with the Tamil diaspora because I think it is something beyond my mandate. It is the higher authorities who need to create a connection with them to assist the northern people including the ex-combatants. As the rehabilitation chief, my Bureau is helping them to start some small ventures to earn a living. With the assistance of the Ministry of Rehabilitation we distributed sewing machines, water pumps and cattle and have also looked into poultry requirements to support income generation. But all this is very minor assistance for them. 

I think the Government with the help of the other institutions needs to implement long-term plans to have projects to help these ex-combatants. There are lots of opportunities for agricultural development projects as the north is blessed with large irrigational tanks in Iranamadu and Vavunikulam, fertile soil and enough labour. This region also has high potential for tourism projects. These two sectors will create a large number of employment opportunities in the north.

We need to implement long-term plans. The Andres Company, which was destroyed by the LTTE, was the main supplier of prawns to Colombo as well as to some other countries. We can start such companies as there is a lagoon and beaches. Anybody, including the diaspora, can come and invest in these projects to generate employment opportunities as well as uplift the living standards of these people who are trying to start their lives from scratch.

I think without talking much and creating issues to destabilise the hard-earned peace, they can truly invest in some of these projects to help people. We need some innovative investment projects to generate income. I request the authorities to think on these lines.

Q: Recently there was an allegation by an ex-combatant that the ex-combatants were given lethal injections that would cause cancer while they were undergoing rehabilitation. What do you have to say about this allegation?

A: First you have to think who is making this accusation. The ex-LTTE combatant, who claimed that he could carry a heavy weight earlier, says that now he can’t carry a 10 kg bag. Again a Tamil politician in the Provincial Council claimed that they were given such injections when they were under rehabilitation. These are baseless allegations. Because somebody says that people are dying of cancer due to injections with a lethal substance given to them when they were in rehabilitation, such claims should have scientific proof. There is no scientific proof in this statement.

Q: The LTTE’s Political Wing Leader S. Thamilini had died of cancer. Your comments?

A: Yes, but she has not mentioned this in her book, which was published recently. Just imagine the damage caused to the ex-combatants by this baseless statement. This will damage the mental and social stability of over 12,100 ex-combatants reintegrated into the society. For example, what will be the psychological status of an ex-LTTE combatant who got married after reintegration, and having two young children, if he hears this? Then, what about the feelings of his wife and the relatives? What about those who are to get married? They all will have to live in fear. It is a traumatic situation for them, those who are trying to forget the traumatic past.

I must say, if the motive of these rumour mongers is to tarnish the internationally-acclaimed rehabilitation process, they are not damaging what we have achieved through rehabilitation but the courage of their own colleagues who are trying to rebuild from zero. These rumours will create more problems for them. They will be further isolated due to this baseless rumour as society will further reject them. I ask those who are spreading such false rumours whether they are trying to upset the minds of ex-combatants and to exploit them again to achieve someone’s political motives.

These ex-combatants need to be careful. To me it seems like someone is trying to grab them again for a struggle for their own political survival. These ex-combatants were fighting and have the ability to operate weapons well, experience they have had for years. But after they have undergone a well-planned rehabilitation process, it is very difficult to get them back to an arms struggle. That is the motive behind such rumours. When they panic, are hopeless and not accepted by the society again and when they feel like they will die due to cancer, they tend to think that since they will die soon, why not use their life for a mission. 

Q: Since this is a serious allegation, why don’t you carry out an investigation to find out whether this allegation was made by the ex-combatant alone or if it was due to a collective effort?

A: Yes, one needs to find out whether it is done by him. But who says this is a serious allegation? I will not have an inquiry into what he has said. Just because someone is saying something, do you think we should investigate? This is just a false statement without any scientific proof. 

Q: Then are you going to take legal action against the person who made this claim?

A: Yes, instead of investigating the matter, the authorities should be taken legal action against him. He must be punished. Since no one had informed or complained about this, I do not want to investigate it. However, we need to be alert about the motive of such statements.

Q: What are your views on the rehabilitation process?

A: I think Sri Lanka’s efforts have been recognised by the world. Since May 2009, not a single rehabilitated ex-combatant has engaged in illegal activities. They are peace-loving citizens of Sri Lanka. This is our success story.