Justice and law Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda yesterday told Parliament that a solution would be found for the problem of increasing number of army deserters in prisons. He expected to solve the problem within the next ten (10) days.

These inmates were ex-servicemen who had served the country and later deserted the service, he said.

He was answering a question raised by UNP Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekera.

MP Jayasekera said that these ex-servicemen had been sentenced to one year or six month prison terms and there are around 40,000 of them at large. At the moment around 6,000 deserters serve sentences in prisons. As the security authorities have accelerated the process of arresting the deserters in the name of curbing organised crime, the prisons which are already confronted with overcrowding have been forced to find room to detain the new comers. Since these deserters were once served the country, a special pardon for them must be granted, MP Jayasekera said.

"The action to be taken with regard to these inmates could not be revealed to the House at the moment, but a permanent solution would be announced within the next 10 days," Moragoda said.