Two LTTE child recruits surrender to Navy

Rajmi Manatunga

COLOMBO: Two children abducted and trained by the LTTE for its military activities after the Geneva talks surrendered to the Navy in Muttur yesterday.

The two children Puvanesan Vinogaran (15) and Chandrakumar (17), residents of Mawadichennai and Pichchampattu in the Trincomalee district, told the media in Colombo that the LTTE abducted them from their homes to the Sampur 32 LTTE base where they were trained for various military activities.

"On March 2, LTTE members forcibly took me away from home to the Sampur camp. There we were trained for six days.

They ordered us to build bunkers and fix the fence of the camp. On Tuesday night when everybody was asleep we managed to escape in a boat and reach the Muttur Navy jetty by morning," said Vinogaran, an Year Eight student of Mawadichennai school.

According to Chandrakumar who was abducted by the LTTE on March 1, around 100 children between 16-17 years and around 50 children between 10-12 years are being held and trained by the LTTE at the Sampure 32 base.

"In the first two days we were given physical training. We had to work most of the day except breakfast and lunch breaks at 10 am and 3 pm.

The children were beaten up even for the slightest mistake," he said adding that he was also given training in using firearms.