US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO706

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000706 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, DRL 
 
PLEASE PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:    DECL:  04-28-14 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PHUM, KOCI, CE, Human Rights, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  UNICEF cites recent positive actions by the 
Tigers regarding child soldiers but remains cautious 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 653 
 
-      (B) 03 Colombo 2094 
 
(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  In an April 27 meeting with the DCM, 
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Country Representative for Sri 
Lanka, discussed the LTTE's recent releases of child 
soldiers.  Chaiban cited significant tranches of child 
combatants released by the LTTE in March and April, 
driven in part by the factional split in the east.  The 
group's recent actions came in the wake of UNICEF 
warnings that it would shut down child soldier-related 
programs in Sri Lanka if there was no improvement in the 
situation.  UNICEF hopes for continued progress in the 
matter, but the LTTE has much work ahead of it, Chaiban 
said.  In a related development, Human Rights Watch has 
called on the Tigers to end their child recruitment 
practices.  Through its recent steps, the LTTE appears 
to have bought some time with UNICEF.  UNICEF, however, 
is clearly monitoring the situation closely.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
2.  (C) MEETING WITH UNICEF CHIEF:  On April 27, Ted 
Chaiban, UNICEF Country Representative for Sri Lanka, 
briefed the DCM and poloff on the recent releases of 
child soldiers by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
(LTTE).  These latest good news stories (see more below) 
are in contrast to the group's stance late in 2003. 
Chaiban noted that, in December 2003, he had warned the 
Tiger leadership (see Ref B) about the possible 
suspension of UNICEF's rehabilitation programs due to 
reports of continued LTTE recruitment of children. 
(UNICEF leads a group of NGOs that operate transition 
centers to rehabilitate child combatants released by the 
LTTE.)  The organization had decided, however, to delay 
its final decision on suspending its programs until 
after the April 2 parliamentary election to avoid making 
the issue of child soldiers into political fodder.  In 
the days prior to the election, Chaiban said he reissued 
his warning to LTTE Peace Secretariat chief S. 
Pulithevan.  Despite Pulithevan's claim that the LTTE 
had "good intentions" on the matter, Chaiban said he 
told the LTTE official that UNICEF would suspend the 
program within 45 days if there was no "dramatic action" 
on the part of the Tigers. 
 
3.  (C) RELEASES OF CHILDREN BY LTTE:  Before UNICEF 
made any final decision to cease operations, however, 
the Tigers made some encouraging moves, including an 
early March release of 40 children.  Chaiban said there 
was also a release of child soldiers who had been with 
the LTTE for some time -- something which had previously 
not occurred.  (The LTTE is said to believe that the 
military value of long-time child soldiers is too great 
to allow their release, and thus, the group generally 
only releases the more recent "recruits.")  Subsequent 
releases, clustered around the week of April 11, 2004, 
specifically stemmed from the Tigers' successful efforts 
to regain control in the east, following the group's 
defeat of rebel Tiger commander Karuna's forces (see Ref 
A).  In addition to the deliberate release of 200 or so 
child combatants in the east, the LTTE also offered to 
facilitate the release of several hundred child soldiers 
-- reportedly from Karuna's faction -- who had 
spontaneously returned to their homes following Karuna's 
April 9-10 defeat.  Chaiban stressed that this offer was 
something the LTTE "had never done before."  Moreover, 
the LTTE has agreed to give the former child soldiers 
formal "release letters."  Chaiban estimated that total 
releases of child soldiers stood at approximately 2,500 
cases island-wide. 
 
4.  (C) Reflecting on the situation, Chaiban was 
generally upbeat, but noted that the Tigers had a "lot 
of work to do."  (UNICEF has made it clear to the LTTE 
that if it pursues any "re-recruitment," then it should 
only focus on individuals over the age of 18.)  He noted 
a recent UNICEF statement critical of the Tigers' 
continued recruitment of children.  In reply, LTTE 
political head S.P. Thamilchelvam had issued a sharply 
worded rebuttal -- but had not broken off contact with 
UNICEF as the Tigers had done in the past.  Chaiban 
further said he would travel in the near-term to the 
east to assess the situation, and that he also planned 
to meet with Thamilchelvam "quite soon."  Chaiban stated 
that if the positive trend continued, UNICEF would 
consider opening two more "transit centers" in the east. 
(The opening of these centers was planned previously, 
but put on hold when the LTTE continued its recruitment 
of children.) 
 
5.  (U) HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH STATEMENT:  In a related 
development, the U.S.-based NGO, Human Rights Watch 
issued a sharply worded statement on April 27 calling on 
the LTTE to cease efforts to "recruit recently released 
child soldiers."  Citing numbers slightly different from 
UNICEF's figures, Human Rights Watch counted 209 
children that had been recently released to their 
families, along with an additional 800 child soldiers 
who voluntarily returned home with the fall of Karuna's 
faction.  The statement further called on UNICEF, UN 
agencies, and the GSL and others to take all necessary 
steps to provide resources for these former child 
soldiers and to protect them from re-recruitment. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT:  Through its recent steps, the LTTE 
appears to have bought some time with UNICEF.  Chaiban 
made clear, however, that UNICEF is monitoring the 
situation closely and wants to see more progress. 
Although the Tigers have made the right moves of late, 
their long-term pattern of behavior is not encouraging. 
The group, for example, has made plenty of promises 
before and then reverted to all-out child recruitment 
drives when it decided it needed to do so.  One concern 
about many of the recent releases is the notion that the 
LTTE allowed them to go free as a tactic, i.e., the LTTE 
saw the releases as a way of undercutting Karuna's 
military force and as a way to curry favor with Tamils 
in the east.  If that is the case, progress in this area 
could be short-lived now that Karuna's splinter group 
appears largely vanquished and the LTTE "central 
command" is close to re-establishing firm control over 
Tamil areas in the east.  Our view is that UNICEF is 
navigating these tricky shoals quite adeptly.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
7.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD