LTTE Urges U.N to Update their Database on Child Soldiers

"The remaining five cases were underage children coming to the LTTE political office determined to join and refusing to go home. Before these five children could be taken back to their homes by the LTTE members, the parents have complained to UNICEF. All the seven cases except the police case are back at their homes. Investigation is continuing with the police case"
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(March 31, Killinochchi , Sri Lanka Guardian) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) urges U.N to update their database on the released child soldiers as the U.N database reminded static due to the difficulties in verifying and clearing cases of released.

"The UNICEF database of under-18 persons in the LTTE has remained static for several months now and continues to hold around 178 names," The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) peace secretariat statement said.

"The database has remained static because of the inability of UNICEF to verify and clear the cases released last year due to the prevailing security situation and staff shortage at UNICEF," statement added.

"UNICEF also handed to CPA seven complaints of alleged underage recruitment this year. One of these seven cases was an arrest by the Tamil Eelam police for a crime committed. Another was a case of confused identity between two siblings aged 17 and 18."

"The remaining five cases were underage children coming to the LTTE political office determined to join and refusing to go home. Before these five children could be taken back to their homes by the LTTE members, the parents have complained to UNICEF. All the seven cases except the police case are back at their homes. Investigation is continuing with the police case," statement noted

“CPA will continue to publish this table once a month with whatever updates that takes place in that month.”

Meanwhile, The U.N has documented more than 235 cases of child recruitment by the Sri Lankan government aligned Karuna group in Sri Lanka’s eastern districts although the real numbers of child recruitment by Karuna group is certainly much higher due to underreporting. International rights groups have alleged the Sri Lankan government colludes with the Karuna group to recruit children to fight the Tamil Tigers
- Sri Lanka Guardian