Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has emphasised the need for creating jobs for ex-LTTE members to ensure a permanent source of income for them.

Following a meeting chaired by him on the rehabilitation of LTTE cadre, the Prime Minister set up a committee with senior government officials to prepare a comprehensive livelihood programme for the ex LTTE cadres, a statement from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s office said.

“Current position of the rehabilitation of Ex LTTE Combatants was reviewed at the meeting. It was mentioned that only 49 ex LTTE cadres are remaining at the Rehabilitation Centre in Poonthottam, Vavuniya”, the statement said.

Accordingly, it was decided to setup a committee comprised of the officials of Ministry of Resettlement, State Ministry of Youth Affairs, State Ministry of Child Affairs and the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation to prepare a comprehensive livelihood program for the ex-LTTE cadres.

The government rehabilitated nearly 12,000 ex-LTTE cadres after the end of the war. “Since the end of the war in May 2009, the Government has spent Rs. 2.5 billion on the rehabilitation of former LTTE cadres” President Media Unit said in June 2014.