Tens of thousands of Tamil children were displaced along with their families due to the intense fighting between Sri Lankan troops and the guerrilla group Tamil Tigers that saw the bloody defeat of the latter. These children are among the thousands now packed in refugee camps that have been observed as virtual prison camps.

International human rights groups now claim that many of these Tamil children have been abducted, with reports of disappearances in the Vavuniya area in the north verified by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, an umbrella group of global organizations that include Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. These human rights organizations have asked the United Nations to investigate the matter.

The reason for the abductions is said to be the paramilitary’s move to pick out for questioning the suspected former Tamil Tiger child soldiers. The LTTE was a notorious recruiter of child soldiers.

Paramilitary groups affiliated with the government such as the EPDP, PLOTE and the TMVP-Karuna faction are also said to have abducted some children for ransom in the form of their mothers’ jewelry. These paramilitary groups have free access into the refugee camps because of their obvious links to government troops.

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Via BBC