US troops treated poorly, want to be reborn in SL: Army Chief

Tuesday, 6 May 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Embassy says assertion is “inaccurate and insulting” to US troops

By Dharisha Bastians Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake yesterday strongly criticised US policy towards its armed forces personnel and veterans, saying it compared unfavourably with the way Sri Lanka treats its own war heroes and retired troops. “America spends heavily for war, but it is sad to see the condition that US soldiers who have been involved in battles and those who have retired from service are in,” the Army Chief said, at the opening of the new military hospital in Narahenpita yesterday. The remarks drew a sharp response from the US Embassy in Colombo, which said the US Armed Services receive the highest calibre care and honour that the country can bestow. “To assert otherwise is inaccurate and insulting to their service and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is the cabinet level agency charged with overseeing their wellbeing,” a US Embassy Spokesman told the Daily FT. The Army Chief claimed he had met US soldiers who had expressed a desire to be “reborn” in Sri Lanka after they learned how well the country takes care of its armed forces personnel.

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