Sri Lanka's ex-Tigers say no more child soldiers soon

Kelsey McGalliard
January 29. 2009
4:15 pm
Entry 1

A breakaway Tamil Tiger rebel group has now joined forces with the government and will release the last twenty child soldiers that it has in its rank within the next two weeks. A deal was struck with the U.N. children's agency UNICEF last year, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, TMVP for short led by ex-Tiger commander Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan agreed to let go all child soldiers. Muralitharan formed the TMVP from fighters loyal to him who defected from the mainstream Tamil Tigers. "There are about 20 left according to our records and we will release them within two weeks, then we will go and check whether there are any more," the man better known by his nom-de-guerre of Colonel Karuna Amman announced at a press conference. TMVP has freed fourteen child soldiers and pledged to remove the rest quickly. They also released thirty-eight in April last year. “UNICEF says thousands of children are caught in the fighting and estimates more than 1,500 children were still serving as soldiers as of mid-September, most of them with the Tigers.” The U.N. agency estimates more than 5,600 underage fighters have been recruited in Sri Lanka, the majority by the Tamil Tigers.

It was interesting to read that the child soldiers were being released. From reading Ishmael Beah’s accounts I have acquired a better understanding of what these children go through. I know that there will be many struggles to come for these children but It is good to hear that they are being released.

http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-37624520090123?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0