COLOMBO – The Sri Lankan government has decided to allocate a quota of foreign employment opportunities for retired military personnel after reports of over 15 deaths of former servicemen who had gone to Ukraine and Russia as mercenary soldiers.
More than 600 former soldiers are likely to have joined as combatants mainly on the Russian side, and at least 16 are reported to have been killed, official sources said. However, one of the soldiers who had managed to escape has said over 200 Sri Lankans had died on the frontline mainly from drone attacks.
The Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment has expressed willingness to provide a quota from foreign employment opportunities received by the government to retired military personnel and their family members, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement after a discussion on the matter on Tuesday (4).
It said the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment had already said that “a certain amount of construction sector job opportunities will be provided in Israel”.
“Arrangements are being made to provide loan facilities at concessional interest rates through state banks and 67 personnel from the army have been identified to be sent for these jobs,” the defence ministry said.
It also said that instructions have been given to Navy and Air Force authorities to call for applications from prospective personnel, adding that retired tri forces members under the age of 44 will be selected to undergo a brief training before being sent abroad.
The new job opportunities come as a Sri Lankan delegation is expected to leave to Moscow for discussions about the hundreds of ex-soldiers who have joined the Russia-Ukraine war as mercenaries.
Returnees from Russia have said hundreds of ex-soldiers and others are serving on the Ukraine-Russia frontlines with most had been duped into fighting in the war.
The former soldiers have been recruited by several teams as camp helpers on the promise of high salaries. Sri Lanka has already arrested two military officers involved in one recruitment team.
The defence ministry has already made it mandatory for ex-servicemen get clearance from the ministry when applying for Russian visit visas.
Tens of thousands of retired Sri Lankan soldiers have been facing difficulties in managing their monthly pensions after an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022.
-economynext.com
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