Interviews conducted with over 11,000 detainees on a Justice and Law Reforms Ministry directive have indicated that children were deployed on the Vanni front without proper training.

Among them were some of the LTTE’s best fighters, including men and women of frontline formations, such as the Charles Anthony Brigade.

Among 4,580 cadres aged between 19-24 and 4,220 cadres aged between 25-34 in custody are some of the LTTE’s best fighters, referring to the survey, The Island reported.

Former Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Maj. Gen. Daya Ratnayake said that the LTTE had deployed children at gun point on the Vanni front even in May last year, weeks before operations in the Nanthikadal lagoon.

Among the LTTE cadres now held in detention facilities, are 4,953 who were recruited during the last two years of the battle, particularly in the Vanni region.

Ratnayake, who had commanded a section of the troops involved in the liberation of the East (mid 2006-June 2007), said that the LTTE had lost over 20,000 men and women during Eelam War IV. The majority of them were children, he said. Quoting the detainees, the former Military spokesman said that the LTTE had executed some of the wounded due to its inability to treat them, though some of the wounded reached government-held areas, The Island reported.

According to the survey, among the detainees are 1,422 disabled personnel. Of them, four are completely deaf, one partially deaf, three totally blind, 144 partially blind, amputees (five of them without both legs, 686 without one leg each, 17 without both hands, 387 without one hand each) and 175 with other disabilities.

As at March 1 this year, 10,781 ex LTTE cadres altogether were being rehabilitated at 17 centers, including 212 children at Hindu College, Ratmalana and 185 children at the Cooperative Training Centre, Poonthottam. Among the 10,781 detainees are 8,791 males and 1,990 females.

Justice and Law Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda said that since last August 900 ex-LTTE combatants had been released after rehabilitation. According to him, the majority (752) had been released from detention facilities in Vavuniya, the report added.

According to the survey, the detainees could be trained in carpentry, masonry, electrical work, tailoring, welding, aluminium fabrication, informational technology, nursing, beauty culture, driving, teaching etc.