Published on - 5/28/2004
\"The fourth training course on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (HR & IHL) for senior Non Commissioned Officers (NCO) of the Army that commences on 01 June 2004 at Panagoda Army Cantonment will go on for three weeks.
These continuous rounds of training sessions meant to train Army personnel on HL and IHL would in turn help cut down violations of Human Rights inside the organization.
Director General, General Staff, Major General P.S.B. Kulatunga as Chief Guest, will attend the inaugural ceremony.
This training programme, conducted by the Sri Lanka Army in collaboration with International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Institute of Human Rights (IHR) has hitherto imparted training to 176 Officers and 126 Senior NCOs who now serve at Military training establishments and in the field as HR and IHL instructors.Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Lt General L. P. Balagalle, as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 51 Division in 1991, pioneered to establish Human Rights Committees within the Army. These ethics, embodied in Army Orders were formally published afterwards. These orders empower all such Human Rights Committees to sit once in a fortnight to discuss and find remedial measures for matters pertaining to violation of Human Rights among soldiers and civil staff and all other HR violations committed inside the Army, if any. All Security Forces Headquarters, Divisions, Brigades, Regiments and Units were thus instructed to abide by those orders enabling each and every member of the Army to be aware of HR and IHL.\"
