Sri Lankans Ask UNICEF to make LTTE
answerable to the ICC for war crimes against children
Over three hundred Sri Lankan
expatriates in the New York area gathered outside the United Nations headquarters
in Manhattan, New York, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.on August 13, 2006, to
demand that UNICEF take action to bring the
leaders of the LTTE before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to
face charges for war crimes against children. The protest rally
was organized by two Sri Lankan expatriate groups, the New York Society for
United Sri Lankans and Sri Lankan Patriots of the East Coast. These
groups have already launched a worldwide petition calling on UNICEF Director
Ms. Ann M. Veneman to follow the United Nations’ own resolutions and to invoke international laws such as
the Rome Statute to bring LTTE leaders before the
ICC for conscripting children as combatants. Printed copies of
the petition were passed around during the rally for the benefit
of those who had not signed it online. As President of the New York
Society, Mr. Sumith de Silva pointed out, there
is overwhelming evidence that the LTTE conscripts children, some as young
as ten, including tsunami victims. The LTTE is believed to have about
5,000 children in combat camps. In 2005 alone, the LTTE is said to have
recruited 1,000 children. Furthermore, UNICEF has
documented 3516 cases of child recruitment by the LTTE during the ceasefire
period since February, 2002.
The organizers
view the ICC arrest in March 2006, of Congolese
rebel leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for war crimes, including the
conscription and enlisting of children under 15, as a trail
blazer, for it has opened the door for the arrest and prosecution
of leaders of all militant groups who use children to fight wars.
This is the second such rally held
recently in the
The Sri
Lankan Patriots indicated that the petition drive and protests will
continue in the
