15.1.2008

Sri Lanka has alleged that millions of dollars are still being raised in the UK and mainland Europe by thinly-disguised front organisations for the LTTE, even as it argues for the British Government to ban an active UK-based charity it claims to be supported by several southern Indian film stars.

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission said on Monday that the charity called 'White Pigeon' held a show in London over the weekend. This was followed by two shows in Paris. All were billed as mega-star events and were advertised as fronted by South Indian stars.

The Paris shows were expected to raise at least two million pounds. White Pigeon is the successor to the US and UK-banned Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), which has allegedly raised millions of dollars across Western capitals to funnel arms to the LTTE.

Sri Lankan sources claim the LTTE is using 'White Pigeon' "openly to fund raise, for the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Paris, banned in many countries for pumping money to the coffers of the Tamil Tigers". It is understood that the Sri Lankan authorities asked the British and French governments a few weeks ago to crack down on 'White Pigeon' and are still waiting for action.

The weekend Tamil shows come just weeks after the Sri Lankan government complained about the attendance of three high-profile MPs of Britain's governing Labour Party at a several-thousand-strong expatriate Tamil event in London. On Monday, the Sri Lankan government reiterated that the expat Tamil event "openly violated anti-terrorism laws. The police have sent evidence about the violators to the crown prosecutor's unit for the culprits to be charged."

The Sri Lankan authorities claim that even though 'White Pigeon' had agreed with the London Metropolitan Police not to violate Britain's strict Anti-Terrorism laws and only fund-raise for charity, rather than the LTTE, "in the past all such assurances by the fronts of the LTTE were futile that finally resulted in the banning of the TRO."

Courtesy - The Hindustan Times/ Sri Lanka Defence