Return of 'missing' soldiers kindles hope

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, FEB. 18. The remarkable story of two Sri Lankan soldiers, who returned last week after being given up for dead following last year's battles at Elephant Pass, has rekindled hope among the family members of those servicemen who remain ``missing in action'' that there could be more survivors.

The soldiers, Devalage Weerasinghe and Mahinda Kumara, walked 11 km. over nine months and 11 days, ducking LTTE cadres and wild animals. They survived a minefield, drank their urine and ate roots before finally reaching the safety of military lines.

Both had been filed away by military authorities as ``missing in action (MIA)'', a polite way of saying killed, after the Tigers took control of Soranpattu, north of Elephant Pass, on April 30 last year where they were guarding the forward lines.

When they showed up at a camp near Muhamalai on February 11, they were in an extremely weak condition, but are reported to be making a quick recovery.

Their tale of survival, splashed in all local newspapers, has given new hope to the families of other servicemen who went ``missing'' after the fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, and others before, that there might be many more like them. ``This is good news. It has increased our hopes that our children are also alive,'' said Mr. E. P. Nanayakkara, president of the Association of Relations of Servicemen Missing in Action (ARSMIA).

The military spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, said that after the soldiers' return, callers had been making enquiries about their own relations who were missing. ``Unfortunately, we do not have any positive information to give them. These two soldiers have told us they did not see any other survivors,'' he said.

While around 800 soldiers were killed between April and June last year in the battles at Elephant Pass and the Jaffna peninsula, over 100 soldiers were described as MIA.

Mr. Nanayakkara said he was hoping for permission to speak to the two survivors to ascertain the facts for himself. The ARSMIA has over 1,000 members, relatives of all the servicemen declared missing in action over the last few years.

If those who are missing fail to show up within a year, the Army categorises them as ``Killed In Action''. But family members of most refuse to accept this and continue to nurse the hope that their loved ones might be somewhere out there, either as prisoners of the LTTE or wandering in the jungles.

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Section  : International
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