Colombo, Oct 07: The United Nations Childern's agency, Unicef, today flayed the Tamil Tigers over the latest conscription of child soldiers. The Unicef representative here, Ted Chaiban, said his officers were trying to establish how many children had been abducted by the Tigers in the latest wave of conscription in the island's eastern province since Saturday.

Local residents had said that up to 23 boys were abducted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Valachchenai and Kalkudha towns.

Chaiban said the latest conscription by the LTTE undermined international efforts to demobilise child soldiers and integrate them in society in line with a $14-million "action plan." The abductions came a day after Chaiban and LTTE officials opened a Unicef-led transit home for 49 boys and girls freed by the LTTE in the northern town of Kilinochchi.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka monitoring mission said it was trying to arrange a meeting between Tiger leaders and parents in the eastern towns of Valachchenai and Kalkudha who are demanding the release of the children.

"We are awaiting some information from the area," the monitors' spokeswoman Agnes Bragadottir said. "We don't have any numbers at the moment. We have informal reports from the parents."
Bureau Report