Click to play videoKilinochi: Even as the Sri Lankan army claims that the LTTE is counting its days, thousands of children in the island who were recruited by the terror outfit have surrendered. Forcefully recruited by the rebels, the children and survivors recount horrific tales of the LTTE's brutalities.
One of the child soldiers who surrendered, Sasi Kanakariga Pillai says, "We used to go to school, but were always in hiding. If the LTTE found out that we were at home they would catch us. They would give some training and deploy us as LTTE fighters."
LTTE forcefully recruited thousands of children like Sasi to bolster its strength.
"They caught me. I trained with them for two months. I managed to escape," he adds.
There are many such shocking revelations which have come to fore in the refugee camps where LTTE's forced recruits and their parents are taking shelter. They are happy to have escaped the clutches of the rebels.
Principal Bhartiya Vidyalaya Kilinochi, Rajendra says, "I am a principal in a school where we lost 100 students in the war. They were recruited by the LTTE and used in the war. I also ran away on March 18 at midnight to save my 18-year-old daughter. If I was there, they would have taken her away. I saw most of the children being taken away by the LTTE."
Visuals of the LTTE stealing and hoarding UN supplies is now telling the world how ruthless this terrorist group was to its own people as the Tamil civilians who escaped the fury of the war tell tales of the atrocities meted out to them by the rebels.
Assistant Director of Eduction in Mullaitivu, K Selvarasan says, "I think they are in a small area. I think they will be toothless soon. They have to run away to escape. But people are not with that side. For the past few months, sugar was Rs 1000 per kg and rice was Rs 500 per kg. People died of poverty and hunger because they could not purchase anything."
It was known for three decades that LTTE recruited child soldiers and stories of survivors will make it difficult for the LTTE to re-establish itself as a guerilla force.
The Sri lankan army claims the LTTE has hacked its website www.army.lk this morning. Army Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara says the hackers got into the website and defaced pictures. They are suspected to be LTTE hackers or sympathisers based outside Sri Lanka.
The army has called it a desperate attempt by the LTTE to hold back information about its civilian abuse. The website has been constantly posting information on the abuses by the LTTE on civilians fleeing the no-fire zone.
The "desperate attempt" by the LTTE comes even as the army claims LTTE resistance will collapse in the next 48 hours. The rebels are now restricted to a five sq/km area on the Mullaithivu coastline.
Army Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara says, "The hackers managed to hack into our army website and deface a few pictures. The hackers are likely to be LTTE sympathisers outside the country."
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan refugees continue to move towards India. A boat carrying refugees was rescued on the Andhra coast. Ten refugees including two children were found unconscious in the boat by local fishermen, who then informed the police.
"To escape the attacks of Sri Lankan army, 20 of us started for India in two boats from Sri Lanka. Out of those 20 members, 10 members died due to intense hunger. We were drinking only sea water for the past ten days. We had no food to eat. In Sri Lanka, there are no chances of peace due to the attacks of the LTTE and Sri Lankan army. They (people) are living with fear. Already so many people have died in those attacks," said one of the refugees.
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