LTTE fundraisers in guise of 'HR' parleys

LTTE front organisations scattered around the world are knitting themselves together in a 'human rights' shield, a senior Sri Lankan diplomat working in the West cautioned.

He made these observations following a so called 'human rights' conference held in Brampton, Ontario on February 18 and 19 by the 'Centre for War Victims and Human Rights of Canada' in collaboration with several organisations working together to further the LTTE ideology.

This international conference was attended by Canadian MPs, international Human Rights speakers and leader of the Global Tamil Forum Fr. S.J. Emmanuel.

Conservative Party Parliamentarians Kitchner Mathi, Stephen Woolworth, Misusaga Sirwealth and Brad Butt, New Democratic Party parliamentarian Rathika Sitsabesan and Liberal Party parliamentarians John Maclo and Gim Karigiyanis had been invited guests at the conference.

Diplomatic sources from Canada said the conference was mainly a fund-raising exercise for the LTTE.

Following the event, which was also meant to be an exercise to drum up support for anti-Sri Lanka effort, at the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, $25,000 was handed over to Fr. Emmanuel and $ 5,000 was allegedly set aside to pursue the case against Maj. Gen Shavendra Silva in the US.

- MF