400 'Sinha regiment' Sri Lanka soldiers leave for Haiti

by admin
Mar 30, 2013

400 soldiers from the Sri Lankan army's 'Sinha regiment' are set to leave for Haiti as part of a UN Peacekeeping mission later this week.

The deployment follows the expulsion of Sri Lankan troops for sexually abusing Haitian minors in 2007, with no prosecutions or punishments having taken place. 111 soldiers and 3 officers were repatriated back to Sri Lanka after being part of UN mission in Haiti and were accused of a string of sexual assaults, including rape of children as young as 7 years old.

350 soldiers already left for Haiti earlier this month.

Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya stated that this was the 18th batch of Sri Lankan soldiers, almost entirely Sinhalese, serving peacekeeping missions.

See our earlier posts:

Haitian sexual abuse troops remain unpunished (11 January 2012)

Rs 18 billion paid to Sri Lanka for UN peace keeping missions (09 July 2012)

Haitian lawyers condemn impunity for Sri Lankan soldiers (11 September 2011)

Child rape impunity no bar to UN peacekeeping deal with Sri Lanka (27 May 2011)

Sri Lanka forces fire into Haitian civilians (25 November 2009)

UN confirms sex charges against Sri Lankan troops in Haiti child abuse (09 April 2008)

Rape by Sri Lankan troops resurfaces – in Haiti (07 November 2007)

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