Free child soldiers, Tigers told

By Anna Horsbrugh-Porter
BBC correspondent in Colombo

Earlier this week, Tamil Tigers released 259 child soldiers

The United Nations children's agency, Unicef, has called for an end to all child recruitment among Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.

At least two child soldiers were killed during the recent fighting between rival Tamil Tiger factions in the east.

The girls were aged 17 and 18, and the 18-year-old had joined the Tamil Tigers two years ago, Unicef confirmed.

The agency is calling on the rebel organisation to free the remaining children in its ranks.

Both girls belonged to the defeated Colonel Karuna's breakaway wing of the rebel organisation.

Demobilised

Ted Chaiban, head of Unicef in Sri Lanka, said that children should never be recruited or accepted voluntarily into military organisations.

Even now, in a time of relative peace in Sri Lanka, children have been sent to the front lines and died there, he added.

Earlier this week, the mainstream Tamil Tigers released the largest number of child soldiers ever, since they agreed to demobilise under-18s from their ranks last year.

Unicef witnessed the event and say that so far they have confirmation of 259 children returning to their families in the east.

They say this number could climb over the next few weeks as they try to trace all those who disbanded from Colonel Karuna's forces.

Unicef registers each child and helps them to readjust to civilian life.

They also monitor the children to make sure that they are kept safe and are not re-recruited by the Tamil Tigers or harassed in any way.

On Friday, Unicef also called for a large-scale release of child soldiers in the north as well, so that this sort of tragedy will never happen again.