Top LTTE ranks are reported to have expressed their 'displeasure' over a recent advertisement appearing in the State owned print media calling for Muslim youth to join the Sri Lanka Army.
It is reliably learnt that the Tiger hierarchy during several internal meetings highlighted that the decision to recruit Muslims youths who would be posted in several villages in the Eastern province, could be an impediment to the LTTE organization's activities.
However Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe noted that the primary objective to recruit Muslim youth to the force was to protect Muslim villagers in the Ampara district. The military will initially recruit 350 Muslim youth to the battalion.
"We also hope to recruit more Muslim youth to protect villagers in other Easter province districts such as Ampara and Batticaloa on a later date," the Military spokesman said.
He emphasized that the cultural gap reduces when the military recruit youth who understands the traditions and norms of their beliefs of villagers who reside in these areas. And thus it was solely taking such matters into consideration that the Army had decided to launch a drive recruiting Muslim youth to the forces. "They can easily relate to the masses living in these villagers, so confrontation will also minimize as the people will understand what they tell," Brigadier Samarasinghe noted.
However despite expressing their displeasure on the issue, the Tiger organization is yet to make a formal compliant to Sri Lankan authorities on this issue.
During the previous regime, when the then Government took a decision to recruit Muslim youth and post them as home guards in villagers in the Eastern province, the LTTE opposed the initiative and thus the move was shelved.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=17469)
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