AI slams Tigers
COLOMBO: Amnesty International (AI) slammed the LTTE for not living
up to its pledge to stop recruiting children and releasing existing
child cadres accusing that over 1,500 such recruits still remained
within the terrorist outfit.
In a release issued on Tuesday, the international human rights body
said the LTTE has a long history of recruiting minors as soldiers. Prior
to the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, the LTTE routinely used children in
combat, including high profile battles in which children often suffered
high rates of casualties.
It insists that the LTTE must immediately return all remaining child
soldiers to their families and engage in transparent procedures with
UNICEF.
The AI also urged the LTTE leader to ensure UNICEF representatives
with unimpeded access to LTTE military camps to put an end to violations
and abuses perpetrated against children.
The release said: “Over the last two and a half decades of conflict,
families living in the conflict areas of the North and East of Sri Lanka
have been targeted for recruitment by the LTTE.
“In the past the LTTE have enforced a ‘one family, one child’ policy
in areas under its control instructing Tamil households that each family
was obliged to provide a son or a daughter for ‘the cause.’ There is no
excuse or acceptable argument for using children as combatants.”
“On June 18, 2007 the LTTE released 135 child soldiers and pledged to
rid its ranks of all children under 18 by the end of the year. Amnesty
International welcomes the release of these soldiers as well as the
commitment by the LTTE to stop child recruitment.
“It observed that UNICEF recorded a significant drop in LTTE
recruitment of children, nonetheless many child soldiers remain in their
ranks.
“UNICEF, which has had direct talks with the LTTE on the release of
underage soldiers, said at least 1,591 still remained at the end of May
2007.
“The figure included 506 who are under the age of 18, and 1,085 who
were recruited when they were under 18 but who have now passed that age.
“As hostilities between the Government and the LTTE intensified in
2006, Amnesty International received reports of intensified recruitment
in the Vanni. In April 2007 Amnesty received reports that the LTTE were
active in recruiting children in Madhu in Mannar District in preparation
for future military battles in the North.’
“The UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict
permitted ‘undertaking of targeted measures against Tiger political and
military leadership noting in a report released in December 2006,
‘although limited progress has been made in the release of some children
over the last three years, it has refused to completely cease
recruitment and use of children.’
“In May 2007, the Working Group issued a statement saying that if the
LTTE fails to stop recruiting children ‘further steps may be taken.’
“Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children and
Armed Conflict added that ‘these recommendations send a strong message
to the LTTE, a repeat offender who has been on the Secretary General’s
list of violators for four years.’ AI also says that it has received
reliable reports
of increased recruitment by other groups such as the Karuna faction.
“The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mechanism (SLMM) report for June 11-17,
2007 notes that 34 abductions in the space of a week were reported in
the East in areas where the Karuna faction is active and this number
included 16 youth.”
“Children have no role to play in war. The recruitment of children is
a war crime. The LTTE and all other armed groups must pledge not to use
child soldiers, cease recruitment immediately and return the children to
their families.”
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