COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Tamil Tiger rebels have forcibly enlisted more than 1,000 child soldiers since agreeing in 2003 to release and rehabilitate child fighters already among their ranks, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said Friday.
The report came a day after the U.N. Children’s Fund said the rebels forcibly recruited three tsunami-affected girls living in camps after the Dec. 26 disaster, although two of the three were later reunited with their parents. Nearly 31,000 Sri Lankans were killed in the catastrophe and 800,000 made homeless.
While the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam released more than 1,000 child soldiers since a 2003 agreement, “forcible recruitment of children has intensified, and new recruits outnumber those released,” Human Rights Watch said.
The separatist rebel group agreed with UNICEF and the Sri Lankan government in 2003 to release all child combatants for rehabilitation, and later reunite them with their families. The U.N. agency also has accused the Tigers of reneging on their promises.
Human Rights Watch said many children released by a dissident Tiger commander who broke away from the main faction in March were among the recruits. The rebels’ former eastern commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna, split from the group along with some 6,000 trained fighters, including many children.
“The LTT specifically targeted for re-recruitment the 1,800 or more child soldiers released by the Karuna faction after its April defeat,” the rights group said. The mainstream rebel group crushed the renegades in April.
Many political rivals, mainly those perceived as Muralitharan loyalists, have been killed by the Tigers during the year, the group said.
Tamil Tigers fought a 19-year civil war against the government to carve out a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, accusing the majority Sinhalese of discrimination. The conflict killed more than 65,000 people.
However, the situation improved with a 2002 cease-fire, which continues to hold despite infractions. Peace talks broke down in 2003 when the rebels withdrew after demanding more autonomy in Tamil-majority areas.
AP-ES-01-14-05 1601EST
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