Slain LTTE Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran's "hatred and dangerous concepts" that had brainwashed children have been removed and the government is now moving ahead with meeting developmental goals, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wicremanayake said.
"Prabhakaran gave guns to children instead of pens and gave cyanide capsules instead of Panchayuda (Lord Vishnu's five sacred weapons)," the Prime Minister said.
"He (the LTTE chief) brainwashed children and filled their minds with hatred and dangerous concepts. But today all those things have turned upside down," Wicremanayake said while addressing a ceremony to mark World Children's day in Colombo on Thursday.
"The Government has already changed all such ill feelings (spread by Prabhakaran)," he said adding the government was stressing on development.
"Freedom is not doing everything or whatever you want. It is living while protecting society, social ethics, culture and the country," the state owned Daily News quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
Child Development and Women's Empowerment Minister Sumedha G Jayasena said certain persons and organisations shed "crocodile tears" on behalf of IDP children and say that they face difficulties but none of them uttered a word when the LTTE was recruiting child soldiers.
"There are 90,300 children living in IDP camps without any fear because Prabhakaran is no more to recruit them as child soldiers," Jayasena said.
{{/usCountry}}"There are 90,300 children living in IDP camps without any fear because Prabhakaran is no more to recruit them as child soldiers," Jayasena said.
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