A one month long General Amnesty has been granted to tri forces deserters to receive legal discharge. The General Amnesty period was announced on yesterday during a press conference presided by Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi at the MOD media center.

The General Manesty period will be in force from 01st of December (2016) to 31st December (2016). Deserter who report to their respective service headquarters or regiments during this period will not be subjected to any punishments or detention. They can obtain their legal discharge after clearing all administrative requirements.

General Amnesty periods have been announced during several previous occasions which had drawn good response and those remaining can use this opportunity and obtain their legal clearance. So far there are 174 officers and 42,506 soldiers in the army, 26 officers and 6133 sailors in the navy and 37 officers and 2806 airmen in the air force considered as deserters or Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL). Army deserters can report to their respective regimental headquarters while navy deserters can report their nearest navy camp or preferably the Welisara navy camp while air force deserters can report to their headquarters during working hours on all week days to get their formalities done.

Tri forces deserters are categorized into four groups. Those with disciplinary or legal issues against them can get their legal discharge after clearing administrative requirements while others with no such past records will be able to collect their legal discharge within a day. Dues less than Rs. 10,000.00 to be paid to the services by any deserter will be waived off while amounts more than that have to be settled. Authorities will take measures to arrest those who fail to obtain their legal discharge during this amnesty period.

Army Adjutant General, Major General Senaka Wickramarathne, Military Secretary, Major General Janaka Walgama, Director General Personnel of the Navy Rear Admiral Sisira Jayakody, Director Administration of the Air Force Air Vice Marshal Chandana Welikala and Director of the Media Centre Brigadier Rohan Senevirathna were also present at the press conference.