Tamil Tigers run 21 Dutch schools [October 04 2011]

A recent report by the Dutch national police shows that front organizations for the Sri Lankan separatist movement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are running at least 21 private Saturday schools in the Netherlands.

During the weekend classes Tamil children are taught the Tamil language as well as dance and acting. The LTTE is on the EU list of terrorist movements. The schools in question are located in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Breda, Eindhoven, Arnhem and Leeuwarden.

The national police write that these schools use teaching materials which glorify the heroism of the Tamil people and the LTTEs struggle for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka. The Tamil organization is reportedly running similar schools in other European countries. The report notes that not all private Tamil schools in the Netherlands have ties with the banned Tamil organization.

Five men are currently on trial at the court in The Hague on charges of fund raising for the LTTE. The Public Prosecutors’ Office is seeking 16-year jail terms against the accused for being members of and leading a terrorist organization. Lawyer Victor Koppe who represents the five men argues that the Tamil Tigers are freedom fighters rather than terrorists. -Radio Netherlands