Tigers recruited 40 child soldiers since tsunamis: UNICEF
Tamil Tiger rebels have recruited at least 40 child soldiers since tsunamis devastated Sri Lanka's coastline and killed nearly 31,000 people, the United Nations children's fund said Wednesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had taken three children from a relief centre for survivors while others had been recruited from areas of the northeast held by the guerrillas, UNICEF said.
"We have 40 cases of confirmed child recruitment since the tsunamis," UNICEF spokesman Geoffrey Keele said. "We had hoped that with such a disaster the LTTE would have ended this practice. But unfortunately no."
A child as young as 13 was among the 22 boys and 18 girls recruited by the Tigers despite repeated international condemnation of the practice. Most of them were aged between 15 and 17.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Keele said UNICEF was involved in extensive post-tsunami relief operations and had hoped the Tigers would stop taking children into their ranks.
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