US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1316

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001316 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA/INS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, SOCI, PTER, CE, LTTE - Peace Process, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: UNICEF REPORTS SPIKE IN LTTE CHILD RECRUITMENT IN 
BATTICALOA 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (U)  United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a 
press statement saying there has been a significant increase 
in the number of reports concerning child recruitment by the 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the month of 
July.  Since the tsunami, UNICEF had seen a considerable 
decline in reports of LTTE child enlistment until July, when 
reports to UNICEF of the LTTE's recruitment of minors rose 
substantially.  The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has 
also received increased reports of child recruitment by the 
LTTE in July, while Save the Children noted an increase in 
pressure on children to re-enlist in Jaffna.  Meanwhile, 
press reports indicated that parents of students at a school 
in Batticaloa protested after hearing from an unknown source 
that the children were in danger of being abducted by the 
LTTE.  Newspapers also reported that a number of signs have 
been posted in Jaffna urging the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to 
protect minors from LTTE recruitment.  However, the UNICEF 
statement did say that the LTTE released nine underage 
cadres to parents in Killinochchi on July 17.  The SLA also 
told the press that three minors escaped the LTTE after 
being abducted at a temple festival on July 21.  The UN 
Security Council has resolved to start monitoring child 
recruitment in Sri Lanka starting in 2006, a directive 
supported by the Government of Sri Lanka.  End summary. 
 
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NGOs SEE MORE RECRUTIMENT INCREASED 
PRESSURE TO RE-ENLIST IN JAFFNA AND 
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2.  (U)  UNICEF received 14 reports of underage recruitment 
in May in the Batticaloa district.  According to their press 
statement, there were 18 cases reported in June and 28 in 
the first three weeks of July.  This is a sizeable increase, 
especially considering there were only 24 cases reported to 
UNICEF island-wide for the month of May. 
 
3.   (SBU)  Hagrup Haukland, head of the SLMM, told poloff 
that there has been an increase in reports concerning 
underage enlistees for the month of July.  Haukland added 
that the SLMM will issue its July report in the beginning of 
August. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Julian Chellappah, a Save the Children 
representative, told poloff on July 26 that his organization 
has not received any increase in reports from eastern 
districts regarding LTTE underage enlistment.  However, 
Chellappah did receive reports of significant pressure being 
placed on children who were released by the LTTE in the past 
to rejoin in Jaffna.  Chellappah told poloff that Save the 
Children and UNICEF are coordinating at the district level 
in the north to find out more.  The two organizations will 
meet on August 3 to discuss the next steps in preventing and 
monitoring underage recruitment in accordance with the 
Action Plan for Children Affected By War, devised in 2003 by 
UNICEF and the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) and agreed to 
by the LTTE. 
 
 
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PARENTS PROTEST IN BATTICALOA 
AND CAMPAIGN IN JAFFNA 
----------------------------- 
 
5.  (U)  According to a July 28 SLA statement to the press, 
parents removed their children from the Sandiweli Maha 
Vidylaya school in Batticaloa upon hearing that grade 11 
students were being targeted for abduction by the LTTE.  The 
SLA said that after taking their children home, about 50 
parents returned to the school to protest the ongoing child 
recruitment by the LTTE.  The military noted that the 
protest lasted for 3 hours and caused authorities to close 
the school.  The SLA said that the remaining students also 
went home due to fears of abduction and recruitment by the 
LTTE. 
 
6.  (SBU)  The SLA reports to the media also said that on 
July 25, parents began a poster campaign in the Jaffna 
district urging the SLA to protect their children from 
becoming Tamil Tiger enlistees.  The paper carrying the SLA 
statement said that parents in Jaffna have been complaining 
that their children are being abducted by the LTTE and given 
weapons training. 
 
 
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RECRUITMENT NUMBERS UP, 
BUT REASONS REMAIN UNCLEAR 
--------------------------- 
 
7.  (SBU)  The rise in recruitment comes during a popular 
season for temple festivals, the most common place for the 
LTTE to seek underage enlistees.  However, many non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs) and UNICEF have installed 
a presence at temple festivals, and until this point, have 
been successful in eliminating LTTE underage recruitment at 
these events.  (Note:  Recruitment periods also tend to be 
cyclical, with an increase in enlistments every three to 
four months, corresponding with the beginning of a new 
training session.  However, recruitment did not follow this 
trend for several months after the tsunami.)  The reports of 
increased child recruitment come in after LTTE political 
wing leader S.P. Thamilselvam renewed his promise June 18 to 
the Executive Director of UNICEF, Ann Veneman, to halt the 
practice. 
 
8.  (U)  According to a military press statement, on July 21 
the LTTE abducted three minors at a temple festival who 
later escaped and went to SLA authorities. The report noted 
that these children from Batticaloa, kidnapped while 
performing religious rites, were taken to Sampoor for 
weapons training.  (Note: We could not confirm whether 
UNICEF or other NGOs were present at this festival.) 
 
9.  (SBU)  On July 26, Geoffrey Keele, UNICEF Spokesperson, 
told poloff that UNICEF is unsure if there has been an 
increase in the number of abductions for recruitment 
purposes. 
 
10.  (SBU)  In a July 28 meeting, Senior State Counsel 
Yasantha Kodagoda told poloff that it is quite clear from 
the increased reports to UNICEF that LTTE child recruitment 
is on the rise.  Kodagoda speculated that the increase in 
recruitment signals either a desperation of the LTTE to 
strengthen its military forces, preparation for leaving the 
Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) signed in 2002, or a political 
strategy to present the group as a greater threat.  No 
matter what the LTTE's reasons, Kodagoda said, current 
UNICEF policy is not working to deter child recruitment. 
 
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INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE: PRESIDENT'S 
REQUEST AND UN INVOLVEMENT 
----------------------------------- 
 
11.  (U) At a July 25 meeting with the Tokyo Donor 
Conference Co-Chairs, President Chandrika Bandaranaike 
Kamaratunga noted that the LTTE continues to recruit child 
soldiers in violation of the CFA.  She asked the 
international community to keep exerting pressure on the 
terrorist organization to stop accepting underage cadres. 
 
12.  (U)  On July 26, the UN Security Council unanimously 
adopted a resolution to monitor nations or rebel groups that 
kill, maim, or sexually abuse children in war zones, or 
recruit them as soldiers.  The UN is disappointed with the 
continued recruitment and use of children in armed conflict 
by the LTTE, and will begin monitoring Sri Lanka in 2006. 
 
13.  (U)  The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry issued a media 
release on July 28 supporting the UN Security Council 
resolution and the effort of the UN to protect children from 
armed conflict.  The GSL said that the resolution is an 
opportunity for the LTTE to show its commitment to follow 
humanitarian norms that will allow them to gain more 
credibility in the political realm. 
 
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COMMENT 
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14.  (SBU)  As the protests in Batticaloa and Jaffna 
demonstrate, parents are becoming more vocal about their 
anger about the recruitment of minors, and they may serve as 
a significant force in pressuring the LTTE to stop using 
child soldiers.  Whereas before the CFA, parents feared the 
LTTE and did not speak out about child recruitment, this 
fear has slowly been channeled into protest.  After the CFA, 
parents complained primarily to the SLMM about child 
recruitments.  In the last six months, parents have become 
more active, protesting the abduction and recruitment of 
children directly to the LTTE as well as to international 
organizations. 
 
15. (SBU) In addition to enraged parents bringing pressure 
to bear on the LTTE, the UN Security Council's directive may 
also prove useful in exerting international pressure on the 
LTTE to limit child recruitment.  Septel update to follow 
next week. 
LUNSTEAD