Lanka govt may offer amnesty to LTTE cadres

COLOMBO: With the Tiger rebels on their last legs, the Sri Lankan government is mulling a general amnesty to the surrendering LTTE cadres as well as to those who are in detention in the country.

"Regulations are being worked out in consultation with the Attorney General and they would cover anyone who agrees to lay down weapons and surrender before the security forces," minister for human rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

However the amnesty will not be granted to those who have already been charged or convicted in courts.

"In these cases, the legal process will be applied," the minister told reporters.

He said an undisclosed number of LTTE members had come along with the displaced people to the camps in Wanni. "While some have confessed they are members of the LTTE, others are being investigated for their links with the group".

Samarasinghe said he was not aware of the exact number of the LTTE cadres among the displaced people but some estimates put it at 3000.

The LTTE members would be rehabilitated and later allowed to re-integrate with others once the investigators get convinced that they have shunned separatism, Samarasinghe was quoted as saying by the 'Sunday Times'.