Adding a new chapter to the recruitment drive of the Army, 400 male recruits and 100 woman recruits of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) upon completion of their three-month long training, passed out in a colourful ceremony on Saturday (20) at Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) grounds at Kankasanthurai, Jaffna.
Those 500 soldiers, recruited as trainee tradesmen in carpentry, masonry, welding, motor mechanism, farming, beauty culture, electric work, etc began their training in June and received enlistment to the 7 Battalion Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps (SLAWC) of the SLAVF.
Major General E.M.M Ambanpola, Deputy Chief of Staff as the Chief Guest of the parade took the salute of those recruits in the formal ceremony that awarded a special appreciative message of the President to the parents and guardians of the new recruits with his compliments.
Persistent threats of LTTE terrorists in the past against those wishing to join the Army and parents willing to send their young children to the Army, discouraged northerners to be with the Army before the year 2009. In the same vein, those Tamil officers serving the Army at that time in fear of LTTE reprisals, gave up their career and went away, fearing for their lives.
However, in line with the government’s national policy for new recruitment, the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake instructed both Northern and Eastern Security Force Headquarters to recruit youngsters as tradesmen of the SLAVF.
It was the first batch the Security Force Headquarters - Jaffna (SFHQ-J) recruited from Jaffna. The passing out ceremony saw Recruit D. Dubakaran of Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps, Recruit T. Thanish of Sri Lanka Engineers, Recruit K. Rakipan of Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Recruit A. Jeevrani of Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps who shone as best ones in overall performance received special awards from the Chief Guest at the occasion.
Major General Udaya Perera, Commander, SFHQ-J after recruitment of those tradesmen to the Army ensured that all those new recruits receive basic military training under the programme before they began their training in respective trades.
A mini searchlight tattoo, staged by troops from various regiments and a Karate show, presented by newly recruited woman soldiers entertained the attendees of the ceremony, including clergy of different religious denominations.
Commander Security Force Jaffna Major General Udaya Perera, District Secretary for Jaffna, Mr. S Arumainayagam, Commander Northern Naval Area Rear Admiral Sarath Dissanayake, parents and next of kin of passing out soldiers, representatives from government and private sector institutes, senior Jaffna citizens and senior officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force and a crowd of Jaffna citizens, witnessed the colourful event.
Those 500 soldiers, recruited as trainee tradesmen in carpentry, masonry, welding, motor mechanism, farming, beauty culture, electric work, etc began their training in June and received enlistment to the 7 Battalion Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps (SLAWC) of the SLAVF.
Major General E.M.M Ambanpola, Deputy Chief of Staff as the Chief Guest of the parade took the salute of those recruits in the formal ceremony that awarded a special appreciative message of the President to the parents and guardians of the new recruits with his compliments.
Persistent threats of LTTE terrorists in the past against those wishing to join the Army and parents willing to send their young children to the Army, discouraged northerners to be with the Army before the year 2009. In the same vein, those Tamil officers serving the Army at that time in fear of LTTE reprisals, gave up their career and went away, fearing for their lives.
However, in line with the government’s national policy for new recruitment, the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake instructed both Northern and Eastern Security Force Headquarters to recruit youngsters as tradesmen of the SLAVF.
It was the first batch the Security Force Headquarters - Jaffna (SFHQ-J) recruited from Jaffna. The passing out ceremony saw Recruit D. Dubakaran of Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps, Recruit T. Thanish of Sri Lanka Engineers, Recruit K. Rakipan of Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Recruit A. Jeevrani of Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps who shone as best ones in overall performance received special awards from the Chief Guest at the occasion.
Major General Udaya Perera, Commander, SFHQ-J after recruitment of those tradesmen to the Army ensured that all those new recruits receive basic military training under the programme before they began their training in respective trades.
A mini searchlight tattoo, staged by troops from various regiments and a Karate show, presented by newly recruited woman soldiers entertained the attendees of the ceremony, including clergy of different religious denominations.
Commander Security Force Jaffna Major General Udaya Perera, District Secretary for Jaffna, Mr. S Arumainayagam, Commander Northern Naval Area Rear Admiral Sarath Dissanayake, parents and next of kin of passing out soldiers, representatives from government and private sector institutes, senior Jaffna citizens and senior officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force and a crowd of Jaffna citizens, witnessed the colourful event.
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