SRI LANKA: More than 100 former Tamil Tiger rebels are married in a mass wedding organized by the Sri Lankan government

Record ID: 841479

  • Title: SRI LANKA: More than 100 former Tamil Tiger rebels are married in a mass wedding organized by the Sri Lankan government
  • Date: 14th June 2010
  • Summary: VAVUNIYA, SRI LANKA (JUNE 13, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FORMER TAMIL TIGER REBELS ABOUT TO GET MARRIED (2 SHOTS) WOMAN IN TRADITIONAL WEDDING GARMENTS ABOUT TO GET MARRIED MAN IN TRADITIONAL WEDDING GARMENTS ABOUT TO GET MARRIED VARIOUS OF COUPLE SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Sinhala) COMMISSIONER GENERAL OF REHABILITATION, SUDANTHA RANASINGHE, SAYING: "Fifty-three couples
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sri Lanka
  • City:
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA35LK1BIBL9IKSE6MIS1847JOQ
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  • Story Text: More than a hundred ex Tamil Tiger rebels tied the knot in a mass wedding held in northern Sri Lanka on Sunday (June 13).
    They were some of the thousands of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters who surrendered to the army in May last year after the Sri Lankan military crushed the separatist organization, wiping out its entire leadership.
    The former fighters are now living under military custody in the north of the country, where they slowly had been adjusting to life outside of the battlefield and are then released in batches into Sri Lankan society.
    The couples were issued marriage certificates in the northern district of Vavuniya, following the mass wedding ceremony attended by Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and the President's son and member of parliament Namal Rajapaksa.
    "Fifty-three couples got married today. From this evening they will be living at the peace village in Vavuniya. The army will be providing them with food, medical care and other necessities until they are ready to start life. Our aim is to make certain that they are not misled again," said Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Sudantha Ranasinghe.
    The army organized the nuptials after conducting a survey among the detainees and determined who was in a relationship with whom. Many ex-combatants were living together without formalising their partnerships.
    Those who said they wanted to get married and had the consent of their parents were married on Sunday.
    "I am from Kilinochchi and I joined the LTTE police there. At the end of the war I surrendered to the army and while I was in a rehabilitation camp, the army came and asked me about Victor," said 28-year-old Chandrakumar Swendranee who was member of the rebel police force.
    "My village is Kilinochchi and I joined the LTTE three years ago. I surrendered to the army at end of the war last year. When I was with the LTTE, myself and Swendranee who is a relative of mine, had a relationship. She was in the LTTE police. Once we were in the rehabilitation camp we told our parents about our relationship," said 32-year-old Victor Simpson who fought with the rebels for three years before surrendering to the army at the end of the war.
    A formal marriage clarifies inheritance rights and makes it easier to seek social welfare assistance from the state.
    Nearly 100,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured in the three decade old conflict. Around 280,000 people were held as a human shield by the rebels and spent nearly a year in camps before being resettled in their villages.
    Nearly 100,000 people are still waiting for their villagers to be cleared of mines so that they can return home. The government says 11,000 rebel fighters have been rehabilitated so far.
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