Lanka calls on EU to list TRO and other LTTE front organisations
Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona on Wednesday called upon the
European Union (EU) to list the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)
and other LTTE front organisations, which have been clearly identified,
including by the US government, as raising funds for the LTTE.
He said a request to this effect has recently been made by the Sri
Lankan Government to the EU.
He made this appeal at the Sri Lanka-EU discussion on The Fight
Against Terrorism following the Sri Lanka-EC Joint Commission meeting in
Colombo.
The Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka, Michel Lummaux, representing
the current EU Presidency held by Slovenia, who led the EU delegation
categorically expressed the opposition of the European Union (EU) to a
separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
He further said that the EU does not consider the LTTE to be the sole
representative of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The French Ambassador elaborating further on the EU said on Sri
Lanka, stated that the EU supported Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity and that the grievances of minority communities
must be addressed within this contextual framework.
Whatever solution that is formulated should have “democratic
sanction”, in that the settlement should be acceptable to the people of
Sri Lanka.
Dr. Kohona who led the Sri Lankan delegation at the discussion said
that Sri Lanka is committed to a negotiated and sustainable settlement
to the conflict and gave a comprehensive briefing to the EU delegation
on the large scale fund raising by the LTTE and its front organizations
abroad, including through intimidation and extortion, which sustains the
operational capability of the LTTE to kill innocent civilians and cause
extensive economic damage in Sri Lanka.
He pointed out that the LTTE maintained a highly sophisticated and
elaborate network of fronts globally, often under the innocent guise
such as charities, sports, religious and cultural associations, which
did not attract much attention of host governments.
The Foreign Secretary said that there is a comprehensive body of
credible evidence linking the LTTE to trans-national crimes, including
money laundering, narcotics trafficking, arms smuggling and the
trafficking of persons.
He cited the organized racket to smuggle people to Australia and the
major credit card scam in the UK.
He also mentioned that the LTTE has continued to terrorize people in
Sri Lanka, particularly Tamils, as well as the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora,
especially living in North America, Europe and Australia to raise funds.
Dr. Kohona while appreciating the action already taken by the EU to
proscribe the LTTE, emphasised the need for further measures to give
practical effect to the ban on the LTTE, by initiating legal action and
other measures against identified front organisations, which constitute
the overseas support network of the LTTE terrorist infrastructure in Sri
Lanka.
In this context, he referred to the request made by the Sri Lankan
authorities to the EU for the listing of the Tamil Rehabilitation
Organisation (TRO), which has been clearly identified even by the US
Government as a front to facilitate fund raising and for the procurement
of weapons by the LTTE.
The Foreign Secretary greatly appreciated the action by some
countries in the EU such as France and the UK, which have launched
criminal prosecutions against known LTTE operatives.
The French Ambassador in response stated that the EU acknowledged
that the LTTE is a terrorist organization which exercises fascist
control over two districts in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and has
been responsible for the ethnic cleansing of the entire Muslim
population from the North in October 1990.
He assured Sri Lanka of the EU’s total support in its fight against
terrorism.
Both sides agreed on the need for a sustained dialogue, inter alia
which would entail the exchange of information and intelligence,
training of law enforcement personnel and capacity building of
institutions which are involved in combating terrorism. |