LTTE must not use civilians as human shield- Rock

COLOMBO: Special Advisor to the United Nations and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict on Sri Lanka Allan Rock said yesterday that the LTTE had not complied with its commitment under the Action Plan to stop Child recruitment and release all children within their ranks.

The Action Plan was endorsed by both the Government and the LTTE following commitments made at peace talks in 2002 and 2003 to work with UNICEF and the Government to end the recruitment of children and to release of under-aged combatants.

Rock who concluded a 10 day mission in Sri Lanka to ascertain first-hand the ground situation mainly in the North and East met President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday where he revealed the details of his discussions with the LTTE representatives in Kilinochchi.

At the meeting with the President the Special Advisor expressed his appreciation for the extensive efforts made by the Government of Sri Lanka to facilitate his visit and access to all areas.

According to a United Nations Media release the envoy also visited Vaharai and with respect to attacks on civilian areas, the mission called on all parties to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law.

In the case of the LTTE the mission reminded it of its obligation to ensure that military assets are not placed in areas where civilians especially children can be at risk.

It also called on the LTTE not to engage in the use of civilians as human shields. The LTTE gave him an assurance that they would work with UNICEF, commencing immediately to accelerate the release from their ranks of all children, with the objective of completing that process by January 1, 2007.

He stressed the importance of having an independent monitoring capacity to ensure that the children affected by the conflict are protected. Rock who is a special Advisor to Dr. Radhika Cooomaraswamy UN Special Rapporteur for Children and Armed Conflict also met Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and heads of agencies involved in Child welfare. His mission also took him to Batticaloa, Jaffna and Ampara.

Figuring prominently in his discussions with the LTTE were the organisation's recruitment of children under 18 years of age as combatants. The Envoy also drew the attention of the LTTE to the efforts made by former UN Special Rapporteur on Children Olara Otunu and the failure of the LTTE to release child soldiers in their custody, as agreed.

The envoy also informed President Rajapaksa of his(Rock's) request to Thamilselvan to release children under 18 years of age in the LTTE's custody and of his experience of listening to a child soldier who had decamped from the LTTE, with the aid of a translator.

The President informed Rock on the responsibility assumed by the Government to rehabilitate the Child soldiers who had fled the LTTE and the steps already taken to entrust the task to a Director General of Rehabilitation.

The President noted that the number of child soldiers who voluntarily surrender had increased and also stressed on the need for the LTTE to release Child soldiers within the time frame as pledged by it to the international community.