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Tamil Rebels Free Child Soldiers Recruited After Tsunami
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B62370:2AB91D3

UN welcomes release of children but says there are still hundreds of
underage recruits in rebel ranks





Young L.T.T.E. soldiersIn Sri Lanka, Tamil Tiger rebels have freed 23
child soldiers recruited in the aftermath of December's tsunami
disaster. Human rights groups accuse the rebels of using thousands of
underage combatants during the two-decade civil conflict in the
country.

The Tamil Tigers say they have handed over 23 young recruits to a
human rights group, Northeast Secretariat on Human Rights, in the
northeast of Sri Lanka. In a statement issued Friday, the rebels said
all have been reunited with their parents.

The release of the young people comes a week after the United Nations'
children's fund accused the rebels of recruiting dozens of young boys
and girls since the tsunami ravaged the country in December.

U.N. spokesman Geoffrey Keele in Colombo has welcomed the release of
these children, but says there are still hundreds of underage recruits
in the rebel ranks, known as the L.T.T.E.

"Since the tsunami struck on 26th of December we have confirmed 52
cases of recruitment of children," he said. "So we are very pleased
that 23 children have been released this weekend. But there are still
1400 children with the L.T.T.E. and this is a practice, which needs to
stop and needs to stop now."

The rebels say efforts are being made to track down parents of other
young boys and girls who had been taken from tsunami relief centers or
recruited from areas held by the guerrillas.

The rebels used thousands of child soldiers during their bloody
two-decade war for autonomy.

The fighting stopped under a cease-fire signed three years ago. But
the rebels have been accused of continuing to enlist children. The
Tamil Tigers deny the accusations, saying the youngsters volunteer to
join their ranks.

In terms of the political situation, the rebels have recently stated
they are putting their struggle for autonomy in the north and east on
the backburner to concentrate on rehabilitating communities devastated
by the tsunami.

On Friday, President Chandrika Kumaratunga also urged Sri Lankans to
come together to rebuild the tsunami battered nation.

Her appeal came in a speech to mark Sri Lanka's 57th anniversary of
independence from British rule. For the first time in years, she did
not specifically mention the country's ethnic conflict involving the
Tamil rebels, but asked people to "unite with those who we consider
our enemies."

The ethnic conflict for autonomy erupted in the north and east in 1983
amid complaints of discrimination by the Sinhalese against the
minority Tamil community. Some 30,000 people have been killed in the
struggle.