Spectre of child soldier recruitments
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 26, 2012 -

Young women and children participating in a protest demontration against reported recruitment of child soldiers by UG groups - Pix :: Hueiyen Lanpao

After a deceptive lull of four years, the spectre of child soldier recruitment by some underground organizations has come to haunt the minds of the people following reported missing of many young boys over the last few weeks.

The whereabouts of three boys, all 15 years old and hailing from Sairem village of Imphal West district, remained traceless after they went to watch a football match at a neighbouring village on April 7 last.

Though the families of the three missing boys, Chanam Ajoynao alias Santikumar s/o Manglemjao, Sapam Naothoibi s/o Samungou and Sapam Suran s/o Naoba, reportedly received information that the boys have been recruited as cadres by an underground outfit, they have refused to divulge the name of the outfit taking into consideration of risk on their children.

Prior to this incident, two more boys, namely L Pangalkanba Singh (16) s/o Sushilkumar and Y Ningthem (18), both from Haorang Keirang village, a neighbouring village of Sairem, were allegedly recruited by an underground group.

Moreover, 12-year old Aribam Johnson, s/o of late Khogen of Takyelkhongbal under Imphal West district and studying in class VII in a government junior high school went missing since April 8.

The family members of the missing boy asserted their child is in the custody of an underground group.

In the latest incident, a 12-year old student of Don Bosco School, Chingmeirong identified Takhellambam Rahul Singh, who hails from Ngaikhong Khullen in Bishnupur district but staying at the boarding house of the school, went missing since April 21. Rahul disappeared on the way from the school to the boarding, which is about 200 metres away.

Recruitment of child soldiers by some underground organizations came to light for the first time in 2008 when a number of young boys went disappear one after another or in groups.

The police suspected that recruitment of child soldiers by underground groups is the reason behind such disappearances. As in the past, protest demonstrations are being witnessed at different parts of the state demanding release of the missing boys.

There is always a think atmosphere of hush-hush discontentment at such protest demonstrations although the protestors never have the courage to speak out their minds without mincing words.

On the other hand, police have intensified frisking and checking operations to prevent transportation of missing children and the public urged for support and co-operation in this endeavour.

But so far there is no report of cracking any of the cases so far. Even though the police suspected PREPAK outfit behind the recruitment of the first three missing boys, the outfit has denied recruitment of any under-aged child within its fold.

Police also claimed to have arrested two more child soldier recruiters after investigation into the case of missing Johnson. But the whereabouts of the missing child is still not known.

Interestingly, there have also been past incidents where attempted recruitment bids were foiled, the houses of alleged child soldier recruiters attacked by infuriated mob or boys who managed to escape from the clutches of alleged child soldier recruiters recounting their ordeals that left many loose knots that needed to be tightened.

All these create more confusion in the mind of the people. Even as police are expected to do their job in tracing the missing kids, underground organizations, which may nor may not be remotely related to such incident of disappearances, need to make their stand clear over the issue to dispel the cloud of discontentment and confusion from the mind of the people.