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DateLine Sunday, 27 April 2008

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Real child soldiers are still with the LTTE - Pillaiyan

“The release of 41 children over these two weeks has brought the issue of child soldiers in the East come to an end, says Pillaiyan”. These were the children who were with this group for various reasons, but commonly known as the child soldiers. However the real child soldiers are still with the LTTE in the north fighting against the government forces.

They are the ones whom we need to focus now and get out of the mess they are in. Replying to the question of the UNICEF release on releasing child soldiers and their expectations on “release of third major release shortly’ Pillaiyan said that “the numbers and the list may be provided by international and national groups, but we do not have any more underaged children with us, even those whom we released were with us happily as we looked after them and never sent them out to fight against the government forces’.

Further, he added that “there are thousands of children who have been neglected by the governments in the past on education, growth and well-being in the eastern province hence requested to those who carry those list to see the possibilities to provide better future through education and vocational training.”

He urges the international and national groups who are talking and working on children’s rights to come up with good proposals, where he promised to gather thousands of marginalized and underprivileged children to benefit from.

“I myself was a victim hence will not get back to any such acts but will do my utmost best to serve for the children”, he said with a great passion and conviction.

On the question of young adults aged between 18-30 who have lost their lives as child soldiers by serving the LTTE, he again requested the UNICEFF and other organisations together with the government to come up with plans to provide them basic vocational and educational training to become better citizens thus prohibit them joining any groups in the future or being rerecruited as sleeping cardres to the LTTE.

He raised the concern of those children who went away with their parents as they were poor and were also stigmatized.

Responding to the question of further releases he assured, “these are the only underaged that we have and as I said before I am concern of the thousands of children out there without any means of better life”.

“We are in the democratic process which as President Mahinda Rajapaksa said is much more difficult than what we were; we have to listen to all the allegations, criticisms, but no one is there to appreciate what we do”.

He further said that ‘these people are not satisfied with our answers they want us to tell them that they are right in their figures and numbers” I would like to invite UNICEFF and other officials to come with the lists that they have so that we can walk to those houses and look for these children as some of these children, we were told has already back with their parents.

The TMVP formed after the Karuna faction, broke away from the LTTE group in 2004 which had about 3000 cardres.

Most of the cardres went back to their homes and are now waiting for the government to start rehabilitation programmes. Some of them are married and have families and are living under basic living conditions but they find it difficult to find better jobs for the reason for not having basic qualifications.

“I would like to go through such programmes specially on languages and management, I am thankful to some of the people who belong to all three communities believing in helping me to develop these basic skills”, says Pillaiyan.

On conclusion he reassured that the children gets the highest priority in his quest for democracy and development and that no one will be left behind.

He also extended his sympathies and apologies to all those who lost their children during the LTTE atrocities in the East and also in the other parts of the country and his conviction for non-violence.

He respects the government policy on zero tolerance to violence but urges to eradicate LTTE terrorism for them to breathe freely and move about freely.

He also requested the media and other organisations to help in achieving these goals by helping him and his people by constructive criticisms.

He also warns the people not believe in all what are reported in the papers and said, “They, for each and everything in the East, they will say that it was done by the TMVP.”

(Asian Tribune)

 

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