In its bid to rein in the dreaded suicide squads of LTTE, the Sri Lanka government is offering $93,000 and an overseas job to the rebel suicide bombers who surrender before the authorities.
Posters showing the offer were already pasted on walls around Colombo two weeks back, but confusion over it ended on Monday with the government admitting to making the offer of 10 million Sri Lankan rupees for suicide bombers giving themselves up.
Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said besides the money, the authorities would try to provide an overseas job to an LTTE suicide bomber giving up his mission and surrendering.
The posters exhort the suicide bombers not to die with pieces of their body scattered around.
"You also were born to live. Why should you carry bombs?" the posters said alongside a hazy black-and-white photograph of a suicide bomber's damaged head.
In reply to query, Rambukwella quipped: "you don't expect us to give the money immediately as soon as they agree to give up. There is a system which one follows."
"I feel these young people have a right to live in a peaceful manner. We have provided about 11 overseas jobs to LTTE fighters who have surrendered. We are providing 40-odd such people job-orientation programmes," Rambukwella told reporters.
The Tamil Tigers have been responsible for more than 240 suicide attacks in their quest for an independent state for minority Tamils.
Meanwhile, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakara said the death toll of LTTE militants in clashes during March this year stood at 678.
While 73 security personnel were killed in these clashes, five civilians also lost their lives in such incidents during the month of March.
He said in the first three months of 2008, the Sri Lankan government had recruited 12,175 army personnel against the target of 12,000 people.
As many as 37,000 personnel were recruited to the Sri Lankan army last year, Nanayakara added.
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