Manpower and technical expertise of the Army and the patronage of a donor enabled the 55 Division troops of the Security Force HQ-Jaffna to build a house for a family of ex-combatants in Puloly, Jaffna.
The house was vested with the beneficiaries in the presence of Army Commander Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage who was in Jaffna to meet troops serving the peninsula.
The Army had built the house with funds released by the peninsula-based donor Vish Nataraja. The house was handed over to the beneficiaries on Friday (26) during a brief ceremony of Hindu rites and rituals. The Army Chief at the invitation of the Commander, SF-J, graced the occasion as the chief guest to hand over the keys to the recipients.
Troops of the 16 Sri Lanka Light Infantry of the 551 Brigade under the 55 Division volunteered, offered technical, engineering and manpower assistance for the construction of the house in a short span of time.
The beneficiaries, both husband and wife who had worked for the LTTE terrorist organization as combatants before 2009, sustained serious injuries, surrendered and were rehabilitated after recovery. Presently, the husband has been working as a labourer on a concrete manufacturing site. The SFHQ-J on being informed of their plight initiated the construction of this house and succeeded in receiving sponsorship to build it.
House recipients Tangarasa Dharmarani, her husband Kumarakulasingham Prashanthan and their son after greeting the chief guest symbolically received the keys during the house-warming ceremony. The Army Commander afterwards gave a cash donation to the family and wished them good luck in their future endeavours.
During he ceremony, the Army Chief on humanitarian grounds gave away a monthly scholarship of Rs. 5,000 to three deserving students who fared very well at the recent scholarship examination. The scholarship lasts until they reach the A/L examination and the sponsorship has been provided by Dr. Piyasena Gamage, an expatriate in Australia, through the Army.
In addition, school accessories for students and packs of dry rations for pregnant mothers were distributed with Army sponsorship. The Army Chief was joined by the Commander, SF-J for the distribution.
