LTTE trying to cripple children's education - Defence spokesman

[Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - 12.00 GMT]

"The LTTE is trying to cripple the education provided to children by the government and create an uneducated generation of children, among the Tamil people," said Defence Media spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle today.

He was commenting on the LTTE's abduction of 23 children from a exam-aid class at Vinayagapuram in the Ampara District, yesterday. The Minister said 15 of these children had been released, after the LTTE was exposed in its contemptible act, but seven were still held by the LTTE and there was no information about one female child.

The Defence Media spokesman said that despite international pressure the LTTE was exerting undue pressure on education which is was fundamental right and it was necessary to ascertain the reason for Prabhakaran to hate innocent children in this manner. As a result of these incidents another 114 children of the area had been unable to sit the G. C. E (O/L) Examination, he said.

The Minister further said that the LTTE had abducted 23 children who were sitting the GCE Examination, in order to give them military training to engage in terrorist activities. In view of state and private media exposure of this and criticisms, the LTTE had said it has happened inadvertently.

However, the Minister quoting from media reports by three LTTE members on this incident said the facts adduced by them were contradictory. He recalled how they issued similar contradictory statements after the aerial bombing of an LTTE military training camp at Sencholai.

The Minister who said the LTTE attempted to exonerate itself on every occasion it engaged in terrorist activities, and the government would be compelled to adopt stern measures if such things happen in the future.

Minister Rambukwelle also said that Allen Rock, special envoy of United Nation's Human's Rights Commissioner, who visited Sri Lanka recently and leveled allegations about Sri Lankan forces supporting paramilitary groups to recruit child soldiers, had so far failed to provide the evidence about these allegations requested by the Government. However, the government now had fresh evidence to prove the LTTE has recruited child soldiers.
 
He said the Government will release all particulars of these abducted children to the media later today.

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Last Updated Date: December 20, 2006 -10.30 GMT