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Sri Lanka
Centre opens for Tamil children
2003-10-04
EFL from BBC
The United Nations Children's Fund has opened a controversial rehabilitation centre for child soldiers in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tiger rebel group has sent 50 children to be demobilised in the centre in Kilinochchi, in the north.
Have they inccurred reserve time? Can they serve it in the Cub Scouts and Brownies?
Unicef's Ted Chaiban said: "This is a big day for the children who have been among the people at most risk during the conflict."
I don't know about that. A child soldier should make a smaller target.
But the centre has drawn criticism because the rebels' extortion charity wing is skimming from involved in the project. Mr Chaiban, head of the Unicef mission based in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, warned that there were still cases of child recruitment by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "If the rehabilitation of the child soldiers is to succeed then your recruitment of children has to stop," he told the rebels. The rebels deny recruiting underage soldiers in recent years and say the 50 children are part of a group of 700 who repeatedly tried to enlist with their organisation. They say every time they send these children home they return again, eager to join up to escape poverty and social problems at home.
The reenlistment bonus for the military is higher than the signing bonus at the moccasin manufacturing sweatshop.
Posted by:Superhose

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