Sri Lanka: UN agency encouraged by rebel group's release of 85 child recruits

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today hailed the release over the past few weeks of 85 child recruits by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"UNICEF hopes to see a 'child-recruit free' Sri Lanka, and views this latest development as a positive step, and encourages the LTTE to take further steps to fulfil the rights of children as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child," the agency said in a statement released in Colombo.

Last Friday, a list of the children was given to the UNICEF representative in Sri Lanka, Ted Chaiban, by the head of the LTTE's political wing, S.P. Thamilchelvan, who told the agency that the youngsters had been returned directly into the care of their parents and guardians.

UNICEF staff has interviewed more than 20 of the children, confirming that they had indeed been with the LTTE and have now been returned to their families. The agency said it was developing an action plan for the social reintegration of the youngsters, including assistance in returning to school and vocational training.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a series of urgently needed projects in Sri Lanka in response to the mass return of internally displaced persons to former conflict areas.

Ninety projects are planned for this year to help to restore basic social infrastructure such as roads, irrigation works, schools and health clinics.

According to WFP, more than 100,000 of the 217,000 people affected by the war have returned to their homes.