Update on the situation near Trinco
Below is an update on the situation in Sri-Lanka, very near Tricomalee where our Young Hope children are. This shows how desperate things are out there are how much they need our help. Priya
Abductions worry Sri-Lankan students
Taken from the BBC news Website (http://news.bbc.co.uk)
Four years ago the Tamil Tigers agreed a ceasefire with the Sri Lankan government, but talks aimed at ending the violence forever and solving the island's political problems have yet to make a breakthrough. In eastern Sri Lanka there is an uneasy peace.
In the town of Valaichchenai swarms of children in immaculate white uniforms are on their way to school. The students are afraid - the parents are also afraid to send their pupils to school.
Glimpses of Sri Lanka's uneasy peace are everywhere, from the neon tea shops next door to military checkpoints that bristle with guns, to the Buddhist shrines hemmed in by razor wire at the side of the road.
But here in the east of the country, tension is higher than usual. A number of abductions, some involving children, have been reported in recent weeks.
"Someone came in a white van and took them," one of the teachers at the Valaichchenai Hindu College tells me.
In this case, the two 15-year-old pupils were returned to their families the next day. But people are nervous.
"In this situation the students are afraid. The parents are also afraid to send their pupils to school," the teacher says.
'We are scared'
In the playground a group of boys admits to being worried.
"Yes, we are scared of being kidnapped," one tells me. "As long as we're in the school premises we're OK, but it's going out that frightens us."
The 2002 ceasefire was meant to have put a stop to all child abductions.
The Tamil Tiger rebels say they no longer abduct children to fight
The Tamil Tigers have used abducted child soldiers in their fight for an independent homeland, but say they have ended the practice. However, the UN children's agency, Unicef, estimates more than a thousand children are still in the rebels' ranks. The Tigers deny involvement and say the abductions are being carried out by a rival paramilitary group being sheltered by the Sri Lankan army. Christina de Bruin runs the Unicef mission in Batticaloa which aims to monitor the recruitment of child soldiers, and facilitate the return to their families.
"Unicef is very concerned, especially over the last two weeks when we can see an increase of reports of abductions taking place in government controlled areas," she says.
Welcoming the quick return of the two pupils from Valaichchenai she adds: "Recently two children were fortunately released, but the practice is definitely on the increase and I think we can see an increase of fear."
In the paddy fields on the outskirts of Batticaloa, six workers, including children aged 14 and 16, were recently reported to have been abducted. It is clear that those still working here are terrified they might be next. One man, busy preparing the soil on an area recently declared free of mines, has lost many relatives over the years. "When people go into the jungle to bring some wood or sticks to burn, they disappear," he says.
Abductions worry Sri-Lankan students
Taken from the BBC news Website (http://news.bbc.co.uk)
Four years ago the Tamil Tigers agreed a ceasefire with the Sri Lankan government, but talks aimed at ending the violence forever and solving the island's political problems have yet to make a breakthrough. In eastern Sri Lanka there is an uneasy peace.
In the town of Valaichchenai swarms of children in immaculate white uniforms are on their way to school. The students are afraid - the parents are also afraid to send their pupils to school.
Glimpses of Sri Lanka's uneasy peace are everywhere, from the neon tea shops next door to military checkpoints that bristle with guns, to the Buddhist shrines hemmed in by razor wire at the side of the road.
But here in the east of the country, tension is higher than usual. A number of abductions, some involving children, have been reported in recent weeks.
"Someone came in a white van and took them," one of the teachers at the Valaichchenai Hindu College tells me.
In this case, the two 15-year-old pupils were returned to their families the next day. But people are nervous.
"In this situation the students are afraid. The parents are also afraid to send their pupils to school," the teacher says.
'We are scared'
In the playground a group of boys admits to being worried.
"Yes, we are scared of being kidnapped," one tells me. "As long as we're in the school premises we're OK, but it's going out that frightens us."
The 2002 ceasefire was meant to have put a stop to all child abductions.
The Tamil Tiger rebels say they no longer abduct children to fight
The Tamil Tigers have used abducted child soldiers in their fight for an independent homeland, but say they have ended the practice. However, the UN children's agency, Unicef, estimates more than a thousand children are still in the rebels' ranks. The Tigers deny involvement and say the abductions are being carried out by a rival paramilitary group being sheltered by the Sri Lankan army. Christina de Bruin runs the Unicef mission in Batticaloa which aims to monitor the recruitment of child soldiers, and facilitate the return to their families.
"Unicef is very concerned, especially over the last two weeks when we can see an increase of reports of abductions taking place in government controlled areas," she says.
Welcoming the quick return of the two pupils from Valaichchenai she adds: "Recently two children were fortunately released, but the practice is definitely on the increase and I think we can see an increase of fear."
In the paddy fields on the outskirts of Batticaloa, six workers, including children aged 14 and 16, were recently reported to have been abducted. It is clear that those still working here are terrified they might be next. One man, busy preparing the soil on an area recently declared free of mines, has lost many relatives over the years. "When people go into the jungle to bring some wood or sticks to burn, they disappear," he says.
posted by Young Hope at 2:32 pm
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