Talks on conscription meaningless while children die in military attack-LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 09:13 GMT]
Trincomalee District Political Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in a statement released Tuesday from Sampoor that LTTE is not prepared to hold talks on the child recruitment issue with the so-called child welfare organizations that are not showing any interest in providing security for children from the attack by the Sri Lankan government troops, sources said.

"Five children were killed and 24 others were seriously wounded when the Sinhala government military launched attacks on Muttur villages in Trincomalee recently. About three thousand students have lost their education and several others are studying under tree-shades. Two schools were completely destroyed due to artillery fire of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Displaced children are not ensured of their next meal and the government has failed to provide any relief to those affected by the military onslaught. These organizations, which are legally bound to take interest in the welfare and security of the children, are not showing any care at all about the future of the affected children. These organizations are not even taking alternate steps to prevent children being affected in the military operations of the Sri Lankan Army.

"These so-called child-welfare organizations keeping mum for about sixteen hours when three- pronged air, sea and ground attack launched by the State armed forces on the Muttur east villages last month, and failed to obtain permission from the state armed forces to transport injured children to hospitals in the army controlled areas when the military refused permission for such transport are now showing interest in talking with us only on child conscription issue. But we do not want to have any more talks with these organizations on child conscription issue," said the LTTE statement.