Breaking news, in the Age on 5/4/2005 carried the headline; "Tamil rebels recruit children - UNICEF." This is not something new as they have been recruiting child soldiers from the inception. We must thank the press for highlighting off and on, the horrendous crimes of this terrorist outfit. The recruitment of 106 tsunami affected children as soldiers is unpardonable. For these innocent Tamil kids, it is like falling from the frying pan into the fire. According to a  recent Media Release by UNICEF, 3,516 children have been recruited by Tamil Tigers as child soldiers since the signing of Cease Fire Agreement (CFA).

Very recently, the LTTE abducted fifteen young schoolgirls on their way to school and their whereabouts are still unknown. Australia is also partly to be blamed for this though the LTTE is a banned terrorist organisation in Australia. Even though the LTTE is banned here, its front organisation, Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), is a registered charity and has been very actively raising funds under the pretext of helping the tsunami victims. In December, in Parliament, our FM Alexander Downer replying to MP John Murphy's question on why the government was not funding TRO, said, "As the TRO is affiliated to banned LTTE, the government cannot fund TRO". However, they have got an open license in Australia and in all the EU countries to raise funds, which are diverted among other things, for child recruitment and procurement of arms.

By allowing the TRO to raise funds openly, Australia and some other countries have automatically become partners in crime of the LTTE.

 In February 2005, the UN Security Council passed a resolution based on a report submitted by UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CACC) Olara Otunu. Among the contents of the report: "Ending the recruitment or use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law and other violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict situations, and promoting their reintegration and rehabilitation". Among the outfits recruiting child soldiers, the LTTE was named, among others.

All countries have unanimously endorsed this resolution. One of the measures proposed was to ask the countries to impose travel restrictions on members of the terrorist outfits in the world. The European Union hailed this resolution as a step towards effectively combating the recruitment of child soldiers by terrorist outfits. However, whilst haling this resolution, within a month from the resolution, the EU countries entertained a LTTE delegation. The irony of this is, while the EU was entertaining them on European soil, the LTTE assassinated political opponents and abducted 15 schoolgirls in Sri Lanka. The latest crime is the assassination of Mr. Kailanadhan, the Vocational Training Director functioning under a Government Minister, Douglas Devananda, while he was on official duty in Eastern Sri Lanka. A few months back, the LTTE tried to assassinate Mr. Devananda by using a suicide bomber, who was arrested. She later blew herself up at the Kollupitiya police station, killing several others as well.

However, we are still grateful to the Australian Liberal Government and to Mr. Alexander Downer for not entertaining the representatives of the LTTE. Mr. Alexander Downer made a categorical statement in Parliament a few years back that he "will not entertain any one from the LTTE until they renounce violence." We respect him for not changing his stand on the LTTE, to date.

However, it is time the Foreign Ministry, The Attorney General’s Department and other relevant authorities investigated into the activities and operations of the TRO. Else, Australia will automatically become a partner for the LTTE's horrendous crimes against innocent Tamil children and the Tamil politicians, who do not toe their macabre line.