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Kilinochchi Woman Soldiers Pass Out in Grand Ceremony

Sri Lanka Army on Thursday (21) marked a new turning point in its life span of more than 63 years, by taking the salute of 95 recently-enlisted Tamil woman soldiers who passed out during a colourful Passing out Parade (PoP) at Security Force Headquarters- Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN) premises.

This was the first time the Army saw such a large group of Tamil women joining the organization en bloc, although the Army has had a fair number of Tamil woman officers serving it ever since its founding.

Thursday’s military formalities and the ceremonial PoP parade, assumed the form of a cultural pageant, coloured by physical training displays, acrobatics of Commandos, band displays, and cultural features, amidst parents, relatives, friends and well-wishers of those woman soldiers who had gathered at the venue to experience this novel spectacle, perhaps for the first time in their life-time.

The ceremony, headed by Brigadier R. Rathnasingham, Director Sports at Army Headquarters, got underway after those new recruits presented a Guard of Honour to the Chief Guest on the occasion, in accordance with military traditions. Major General Udaya Perera, Security Force Commander-Kilinochchi was also present at the PoP ceremony.

Recruited to the 6 (v) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps, these new woman soldiers from Mullaittivu, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mannar areas during their four-month long initial military training, in addition to physical training sessions, underwent IT training, Sinhala and English learning, training for Civil-Military relations, reconciliation and several other spheres of learning, connected to co-existence and harmony before their PoP on Thursday (21). Those woman soldiers are to serve as civil affairs coordinators and clerks in the north shortly.

Trophies for the Best Platoon, Best Section Commander, Best Sports Woman, Best in Drills and the Best Recruit were also awarded to these new woman soldiers on the same occasion. In addition, with a view to providing them with an easy mode of transport, 44 of those woman soldiers received scooters as gifts during the PoP ceremony.

Direct recruitment of Tamil women en bloc as woman soldiers to the Sri Lanka Army amply confirms the fact that the Army, contrary to allegations, made by some quarters, does not discriminate on ethnicity as such when it matters to recruitment of soldiers to the organization.

A luncheon shared by these new recruits with their parents and well-wishers culminated the day’s proceedings.

Courtesy : Army Media