Warning on new pro-Tiger groups in US
Sri
Lanka's Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya warns of
the possible formation of new pro-LTTE groups by individuals and
relatives of banned LTTE front organizations to tarnish the image of Sri
Lanka to accuse Sri Lanka for war crimes and also to raise funds for the
LTTE.
He said LTTE supporters outside of Sri Lanka continue to accuse the
government of human rights violations.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya said those groups, which continue to raise
funds for terrorist activities, are levelling false allegations on Sri
Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa of committing war crimes as
Commander-in-Chief of Sri Lanka's Armed Forces.
" A number of LTTE support groups have put the word "Tamil" in their
names, hoping to attract attention and avert suspicion, Ambassador
Wickramasuriya said adding that the Swiss federal police recently
arrested 10 alleged LTTE supporters who were coercing Sri Lankan Tamils
to provide money to the LTTE.
He said it was now evident what these groups were doing, and they
have already drawn attention from law enforcement in countries where the
LTTE is banned.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya said the majority of Sri Lankans living in
the U.S.- Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese alike - were grateful to President
Rajapaksa for liberating 300,000 citizens from terrorist tyranny and
uniting the country but a very small group of the Tamil diaspora, who
support LTTE were trying to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka.
"For the past 10 or 15 years this small minority has been very vocal
in spreading propaganda against the government of Sri Lanka.
Over the past several years Sri Lanka worked very closely with the
U.S. Department of Justice to identify the sources of this terrorist
funding. A few years ago the U.S. Department of Justice found several
so-called charity organizations which were the LTTE's front
organizations and the US has proscribed such organizations like Tamil
Rehabilitation Organization (T.R.O)", he said.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya noted that the Government of Sri Lanka
continues to work closely with the U.S. Department of Justice and other
agencies in identifying LTTE front organizations.
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