DHAKA: Myanmar’s military freed more than 400 child soldiers last year, the United Nations has confirmed, a record number since the ‘tatmadaw’ army signed a 2012 pact with the UN on the issue.

There are no verifiable figures on how many children are currently serving in Myanmar’s huge military, which has faced a slew of accusations over rights abuses, including the forced recruitment of children to work as porters or even human mine detectors.

Since the pact was signed, a total of 595 children have been freed, with 70 percent of the releases - 418 - taking place in the last twelve months, including 42 on Friday, the UN said, The Straits Times publishes this report on Saturday.

‘Within a one year period of time, this is a record number of children coming out of the Armed Forces, reflecting the accelerated efforts of the Government of Myanmar and the Tatmadaw to put an end to the harmful practice of recruiting and using children,’ Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN resident coordinator in Myanmar, said in a statement.

BDST: 1129 HRS, JAN 24, 2015