Tamil defector claims Tigers killed 200 civilians

 A former spokesman for the Tamil Tigers who surrendered last week has accused the rebels of shooting dead at least 200 civilians, and forcibly recruiting children as young as 13.

Velayudam Dayanidi, better known as Daya Master, made the accusations in a video interview released today on the Defence Ministry's website ten days after surrendering with V.K. Pencharatnam, known as George, a former aide to the Tigers' late political chief.

Both appeared in the video and seemed to be relaxed and in good health, but it was not possible to speak to them directly or to verify whether the interview was conducted under duress.

The interview was released as David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, and his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, arrived in Sri Lanka to press for a ceasefire to allow aid agencies to reach tens of thousands of civilians trapped with the last of the Tigers in a 3.8-square-mile strip of land on the northeastern coast.

Daya Master said that he had left the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2006 after the collapse of a 2002 ceasefire brokered by Norway, but had been forced to rejoin.

“LTTE was keeping the Tamil people as hostages,” he said, according to the English subtitles on the video.

“LTTE attacked civilians who were trying to get out of Suthanthirapuram,” he added, referring to a village inside the conflict zone.

“People were shot. Many died. Nearly 200 civilians died due to LTTE fire. LTTE propaganda was that these people died because of military shelling.”

The Tigers have accused the army of shelling Suthanthirapuram in January, killing dozens of civilians, but civilians fleeing the same area in February also reported seeing the rebels shoot dead dozens of people trying to escape.

“When people moved into Puthumatalan, there too civilians were shot when trying to get out. Many died. People were beaten up, shot and many died,” Daya Master said.

Puthumatalan is next to the earthen fortification that the army breached on April 20, starting an exodus of more than 100,000 civilians from the conflict zone.

The army has broadcast footage taken from a surveillance plane that appears to show Tiger gunmen shooting into a crowd of civilians on a beach.

The Tigers are banned as a terrorist organisation by the US, the EU and India and have killed thousands of innocent people, many with suicide bombs, since launching their armed struggle in 1983.

Daya Master also backed up accusations from the army and civilians fleeing the area that the Tigers have been forcibly recruiting children.

“In all the refugee locations the LTTE forcibly took away children as young as those born in 1994, 1995 and 1996. The LTTE conscripted even one and only child in a family. Sick children like heart patients too have been forcibly conscripted,” he said.

“When children are removed forcibly, parents have attacked the recruiters. They retaliated and assaulted parents and forcibly removed the children.”

The UN has also accused the Tigers of forcibly recruiting children, including the 16-year-old daughter of one of its own staff.

Daya Master and George described how civilians had been moving around the conflict zone for weeks trying to find a way to escape without the Tigers noticing.

“Only the ablest of the lot were able to get out - the weaklings were unable to get out because there was firing from behind,” George said.

The two men said that they seized their chance to escape on April 20 when the army breached the earthen mound and thousands began rushing to government-controlled territory.

“I decided I am going to take it, even if I'm going to get shot,” said George Master said. “I was lucky - I was able to cross over.”