09 June 2009

LTTE child soldiers return home

 

The last batch of rehabilitated LTTE child soldiers, 108 boys and 90 girls were handed over to their parents during last month. The innocent children were forcibly conscripted by the LTTE to its terrorist movement in the past. They were minors between the ages of 12 years to 17 years and handed over to their parents legally through the court procedure. Government child probation officers, Social Services Department officers and relevant Divisional Secretaries were present at the Vavuniya Magistrate’s Courts when the children were handed back to their parents.

 

It was the wish of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that all ex-child soldiers of the terrorist group should be rehabilitated and given the opportunity to go back to their parents to resume normal lives. These helpless victims of the war were pardoned by the President and given facilities to train and bring back to the normal civil life. The children were rehabilitated at the Hindu College in Colombo and awarded with certificates for their trainings at the conclusion of the rehabilitation programme. There were 294 child soldiers started rehabilitation since May last year and 96 of them were released to their parents earlier.

 

Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/05/26/sec01.asp