An increasing number of soldiers who have deserted the Sri Lankan Army are going on to commit crimes according to the latest reported statistics, with tens of thousands of soldiers classed as deserters.
In a feature on Al Jazeera, Sri Lankan police statistics were reported as showing that the first four months of 2014 alone saw that 18 percent of reported crimes were committed by members of the armed forces. In 2013 that figure was 5 percent.
In 2013, a total of 71,458 Sri Lankan Army personnel were reported as deserters.
Dr Prabath Gunatillaka, a psychology lecturer was quoted as saying,
"Soldiers have been witness to scenes on battlefields that many of us cannot imagine; they have killed people and been praised for doing so… They now believe that they are above the law, and this is reflected in their decision to desert and pursue criminal activities."
Yet army officials denied that the number of deserters was as high as figures had suggested, with Brig Wanigasuriya instead saying,
"Many of our soldiers are from the rural areas, they are often absent during the harvest period as they are helping their families… More often than not they return once the harvest is complete."
See more from Al Jazeera here.