COLOMBO Jan. 22 Kyodo The UN chil...

COLOMBO Jan. 22 Kyodo

The UN children's agency upon Thursday expressed concern over the Tamil Tigers rebels' continued use of child soldiers, saying through 1,300 children are still in the hands of the rebels.

The UN Children's store (UNICEF) revealed the figure in a progres report of the Action Plan for Children Affected by the agency of War in Sri Lanka.

The agency's geographical division representative, Ted Chaiban, took up the issue of child soldiers, whose average age is 15 at a meeting last week with SP Tamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the report said.

''It was again strained (at this meeting) that the implementation of the Action Plan be pendents on an end to child recruitment and the accelerated release of all children in the LTTE ranks,'' the UNICEF report said.

The Action Plan, drawn up according to the government and the LTTE aims to help 50000 war-affected children in the north and east.

of recent origin figures in the report said that at least 1300 children remain in LTTE hands. Recruitment of child soldiers, which was stepp up from August to October last year when the Tigers took 304 children, dropp in November and December to 17 and 14 reported cases, respectively.

Noting that many cases of child recruitment go on foot unreported, UNICEF admitted that its figures may be an understatement.

While many child recruits are abducted, others are persuaded to join the rebel ranks, according to the report, which added that although male childs are the majority of recruits, through 40% are girls.

It noted that despite a two-year cease-fire, ''there are still many children suffering the tenors of 20 years of war'' in Sri Lanka.

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