Sri Lankan Tamil Rebels Reject President's Child Soldier Charge

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 06, 2002

Sri Lankan Tamil Rebels Reject President's Child Soldier Charge

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Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels rejected on Wednesday President Chandrika Kumaratunga's charge that they were forcibly recruiting child soldiers, saying the accusation was undermining Norwegian-brokered peace process in the country.

Anton Balasingham, chief negotiator and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)told the Tamilnet website that Kumaratunga was attempting to create controversy and apprehensions with the intention of undermining the ongoing Norwegian peace initiative.

He said that the LTTE is now recruiting young men and women above 17 years of age to expand LTTE's political and administrative wings amid intense efforts by the Norwegian government to advance the peace process.

He said that the LTTE's recruiting of volunteers "to ensure theprevailing balance of forces is not altered disadvantageously."

"This recruitment by both sides at present does not in any way undermine the spirit of the unilateral cessation of hostilities being observed by the LTTE and the Sri Lanka armed forces," he said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Kumaratunga said she is deeply concerned regarding reports that the LTTE is continuing thelarge-scale forcible recruitment of children.

She said it was of paramount importance that the rights of all civilians in the north and east of the country, especially children, were protected.

It is reported that the LTTE rebels have been visiting houses in government controlled areas in the east to force children from Tamil families to join their ranks.

Both the government and LTTE rebels are observing their unilateral ceasefire which started on Christmas eve last year and an agreement on permanent ceasefire is hopefully to be signed later this month with Norwegian mediation.

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