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| Terror Networks |
| Civilians flee to avoid LTTE recruitment |
| 2002-06-13 |
| Civilian families are fleeing their villages in Sri Lanka's east to avoid recruitment of teenagers by the LTTE, with 32 people seeking refuge in Army-controlled areas two days ago, the military said. The charge comes alongside amnesty international's announcement that it will send a team to the island on June 16 to hold talks with the rebel group for the first time over allegations of child conscription in defiance of international law and its pledge to the United Nations. A defence ministry statement said the group of civilians included 19 boys and girls, most of them below 17 years of age. They were put up at a church and would be interviewed by Scandinavian monitors overseeing the government-LTTE truce. Amnesty's two-week visit will mark the first time that the human rights body meets the LTTE leadership to raise the oft-repeated charge of using children in armed combat. The three-member team would also meet the government to discuss human rights issues in general. Ummm... Lemme guess what's gonna happen: Amnesty will meet with them and the LLTE will give them a pious denial. Amnesty will then suggest they break for lunch and they'll talk about something else when they come back. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |