[QODLink]
Asia
Sri Lanka frees former Tamil Tiger fighters
Sri Lanka's president calls for former enemies to move forward and work together with the government.
Last Modified: 04 Oct 2011 13:52

Almost 2,000 former rebel fighters in Sri Lanka have been released.

They were among thousands of Tamil Tigers who surrendered or were arrested near the end of the country's bloody civil war, which spanned more than a quarter of a century.

At a ceremony to announce their release, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, called on the 1,800 former fighters to move forward and work together with the government in the future.

Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez reports from the capital, Colombo.

Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
People
Country
Organisation
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Once a bustling haven, Elasha Biyaha has almost become a ghost town as residents flee.
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
join our mailing list