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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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