Sri Lanka Army begins arresting deserters following the end of amnesty period

The Sri Lanka Army said that 4,816 army deserters including 11 officers have surrendered during the nine-day amnesty period given for them to return.
The grace period to surrender in search of de-listing without punishment began February 04, the National Independence Day and ended yesterday (12). The Army granted the amnesty for its personnel, who have not reported for work and have been absent without leave, to legally resign from the force. Military Spokesperson Major General Ubhaya Medawela told the media that the army has arrested 4,630 army deserters including 12 officers. He said the army has commenced arresting the deserters. Official figures say that there are around 50,000 Army deserters. Some of them were proven to have linked to the spate of violence that prevailed in the island in the recent past.