Women militants forced to join LTTE in Sri Lanka

Women are being forced into joining the LTTE, and are homesick, according to letters purportedly recovered from slain woman militants in Sri Lanka.

"Every LTTE cadre is anxious to see his or her parents and I will come home for pongal (festival) though I do not know what my fate will be," said one letter recovered by security forces from a slain woman militant.

"Amma, what can I do? When all those at home in the area were taken away, I too had to go with them (LTTE)," said the letter, which was released by the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) to the media.

The letter, written in Tamil, with small portions in English, said "every fighter cries 'Amma' and 'Appa' at the time of their heroic death. They are all anxious to see their mothers."

The militant said the cadres had to crawl to bring food and water in the front lines amidst the firing of mortars in the restive northern plains.

"Amma, please reply (to) every letter which I send. I hope for a reply on the same day itself -- your loving daughter Daya Nagai Nila."

Another militant said she was forced to join the LTTE by her parents in spite of her objections.

"Vijee now I am in Manalaru (Welioya in Jaffna) where clashes erupt very often. Many of my good friends perished in the attacks. Attacks take place everyday, I am not sure of my life. Death may come to us today or tomorrow," she wrote.

The woman said her parents had to "hand me over to the organisation (LTTE) in spite of my objections. What else can I do here other than dying?"

Source: Times Of India