13.6.2008
Foreign
Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona on Wednesday (June 11) called
upon the European Union to list the Tamil Rehabilitation
Organization (TRO) and other LTTE front organizations,
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 European Union. He made this appeal
at the Sri Lanka – EU discussion on “The Fight
Against Terrorism”, in Colombo following the Sri
Lanka – EC Joint Commission meeting.
The
Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka, Michel Lummaux, representing
the current European Union (EU) Presidency held by Slovenia,
who led the EU delegation categorically expressed the
opposition of the 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 stand
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, emphasized 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 organizations, 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 European Union
for the listing of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization
(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.
piru