Muttur East students need educational facilities, LTTE tells UNICEF

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 June 2006, 18:09 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has appealed to the UNICEF to make arrangement for displaced students due to recent military attacks by the Sri Lankan State armed forces on Muttur east villages to attend classes in schools located near their temporary shelters. Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE, made this request to the UNICEF Trincomalee head when the latter met him at Sampoor LTTE political secretariat Friday evening, sources said.

Elilan further told the UNICEF official that the LTTE is strictly adhering to the policy of not recruiting under-aged children to the military wing, sources said.

He also requested the UNICEF and other agencies related child welfare and promotion of child rights to be vigilant and to take prompt action against child prostitution and other abuses affecting the welfare of the younger generation in the Sri Lankan government controlled areas, sources said.

Tamil families in large number were displaced when the State armed forces launched aerial and ground attack on Muttur east villages on April 25. About fifteen civilians including women and children were killed and several houses were damaged.

Two schools were destroyed in the attack. About eighteen schools have been closed and more than eight thousand students are not attending classes due to fear of new attacks by the Sri Lanka security forces, sources said.