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LTTE forcibly recruits UN staff member, 3 dependents

by Hiranya Malwatta | March 16, 2009 at 06:55 am

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Well, this is not the first time this has happened. LTTE has done it yet again ! Forcing UN staff and their family members to work for them? Are they out of their minds?

COLOMBO: United Nations on Monday said one of its staff members and three of their dependents have been forcibly recruited by the LTTE, which

has been facing acute shortage of fighters.

"UN holds grave fears for the safety of one of its national staff member, and three dependent family members who were forcibly recruited over the weekend by the LTTE, inside the government declared 'No Fire Zone'," a release by the UN office of the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator said.

The forced recruitments included the 16-year-old daughter of staff member, it said.

The UN in Sri Lanka has protested to the LTTE that its national staff, as well as children in general, are protected under national and international law from recruitment by armed groups and has called for their immediate release, it said.

Another UN national staff member was recruited two weeks ago and has yet to be released despite repeated requests from the UN, the release said.

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sathyajith

at 10:46 on March 16th, 2009

Tamil Tigers are well known for kidnaping and for Forced recruiment, alsso using Children as child soldiers. there for they are fobidden in many countries arround the World. Now they are forcing civilians to carry weapons and fight aginst SLDF which is much superior to them and getting killed in vain. The IC must do everything to rescue these civilians.

In another incident, UN spokesman Gordon Weiss said on Monday that "the wife of a UN staff member was injured by an anti-personnel mine while escaping with the staff member and their two children".