COLOMBO, 16 December 2008 (IRIN): A breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers is to stop underage recruitments completely, the group’s leader told IRIN.
Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), which broke away from the Tamil Tigers in 2004, said it signed the action plan with the government and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 1 December, with a three-month deadline for ensuring that all underage recruits in the TMVP are demobilised.
– I do not want children to carry arms and get into the armed culture. We, the TMVP, signed an agreement with UNICEF to show our commitment to protecting the rights of children, Muralitharan, better known as Karuna, told IRIN. – My wish is to provide children with the basic facilities for their education and also for their development in life.
Muralitharan, who joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1983 as a 17-year-old, broke away in April 2004 and formed the TMVP. He was appointed a member of parliament with the ruling People’s Freedom Alliance on 7 October 2008.
UNICEF said the three-month plan set out a clear timeframe: by 1 January 2009, the TMVP must release all children from its ranks; by 1 February, the TMVP is to spell out its stance on underage recruitment and issue directives to members; and by 1 March it should have trained key TMVP personnel on recruitment and child protection.
UNICEF’s spokesman James Elder told IRIN the TMVP would also give UNICEF and the Sri Lankan government access to its camps and offices to verify the status of children associated with the party. UNICEF had complained that efforts to gain access to TMVP camps had been unsuccessful, despite pledges from high-ranked officials.
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