Rebels accused of abducting 455 underage fighters

The Sri Lankan government today accused the Tamil Tiger rebels of abducting 455 underage combatants from government-controlled areas this year and asked the insurgents to stop the practice.

“This figure is based on actual police reports that were lodged after parents complained,” military spokesman, Brig Prasad Samarasinghe told a news conference.

“The figure will be much higher as many parents do not come forward fearing retribution,” Samarasinghe said.

The accusation came after the latest incident of alleged abductions by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The military said rebels kidnapped 16 girls, seven boys and two teachers from a tutorial class.

But the rebels said the teenagers wanted to join their movement and went voluntarily to insurgent-held areas.

They were asked to return home after guerrillas learned they were underage, rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said from the group’s headquarters in Kilinochchi.

Ilanthirayan today flatly denied the charges of 455 abductions of underage combatants this year.

“This is a false propaganda being carried out by the Sri Lankan government and the Sri Lankan military to defame our freedom movement,” Ilanthirayan said.