Saturday, 02 August 2008 12:26

`Ravaya` reports that 9,500 soldiers have deserted their ranks in the Army since the launch of military offensives in the north and the east.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara has told the newspaper that the total number of desertions had stood at around 15,000 by January this year.

Around 4,000 of them had reported for duty during a period of amnesty, he has said.

After the offer of yet another reprieve, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made an open appeal recently to the deserters to rejoin the army, to which around 1,500 personal had responded.

Thereafter, the army launched an operation island wide to arrest its deserters.

Since the resumption of hostilities, an estimated 25,000 soldiers had deserted their ranks, all of whom had later been allowed to resign officially.

The latest desertions are by those who had joined the army recently, the newspaper added.