11.9.2008
Sunil C. Perera in Colombo

Sinhala and Tamil Community in Europe countries have asked the President the European Union not to support the LTTE and its allied organisations to raise funds from EU countries.They also asked to freeze LTTE "s bank accounts in EU countries .

Senaka Rajapaksha, Convener of the Public petition which is to be handed over to the EU President said their plan is to obtain signatures of the Sri Lankans who live in Europe and other countries to sign the petition.

He said their campaign is to to collect 73 million signatures of people throughout the world for a petition in this regard says Sri Lankans overseas could extend support to a public petition through www.petitiononline.com.

Mr. Rajapakse said several organizations including the TRO are engaged in collecting funds for the LTTE under the guise of procuring aid for humanitarian operations. The convener has also pointed out that many countries including the United States and the United Kingdom have banned organizations engaged in collecting funds for the LTTE.

Full text of the petition

To: EU President
Mr.Hans-Gert Pöttering
President of the European Parliament
rue Wiertz
Wiertzstraat
B-1047 Bruxelles

Dear Sir,

US FREEZES TRO ASSETS AND DESIGNATES IT A FRONT ORGANIZATION OF THE LTTE

The U.S. Department of Treasury, froze the U.S.-held assets of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an organization registered as a charity in the U.S. and many other countries and "acts as a front to facilitate fundraising and procurement for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)." The freezing follows clear evidence that "the TRO has raised funds on behalf of the LTTE through a network of individual representatives."

This is the first time that a foreign government has taken action against a front organization of the LTTE by designating it and freezing its assets. In August 2005, the British Charity Commission (BCC) removed the TRO from the British Charities register, on the grounds that it "had not been able to account satisfactorily for the application of funds."

In February 2006, the BCC presented a final report highlighting irregular large cash withdrawals from the charity and its links with the LTTE. However, following the loss of charity status, the same persons connected with TRO registered a new charity called 'White Pigeon' and began raising funds.

The U.S. Department of State banned the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (TRO) in October 1997, and in November 2001, named the LTTE a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224. Despite such action, the front organizations continued their activities unhindered and reportedly collected large sums of money following the December 2004 tsunami that devastated a number of countries in the Indian Ocean region.

A press release issued today by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, says, "The TRO's efforts worldwide reportedly have allowed the LTTE to use humanitarian aid, which TRO collected for the international community after the December 2004 tsunami, to launch new campaigns to strengthen LTTE military capacity."

In recent times, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) has consistently made submissions to countries around the world where LTTE front organizations function, including the U.S., that these front organizations were channeling funds they raise, to procure weapons and other war-like material for the LTTE's murderous campaign in Sri Lanka.

Following these submissions and investigations into them, the U.S. has now taken decisive action to block transfer of funds to the LTTE from the TRO, which will have a direct impact on the LTTE's capacity to fund terrorist activity in Sri Lanka.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has added the following entities to the list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) : TAMILS REHABILITATION ORGANISATION (a.k.a. ORGANISATION DE REHABILITATION TAMOULE; a.k.a. ORGANISATION PRE LA REHABILITATION TAMIL; a.k.a. ORGANIZZAZIONE PER LA RIABILITAZIONE DEI TAMIL; a.k.a. ORT FRANCE; a.k.a. TAMIL REHABILITATION ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. TAMIL REHABILITERINGS ORGANISASJONEN; a.k.a. TAMILISCHE REHABILITATION ORGANISATION; a.k.a. TAMILS REHABILITATION ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. TAMILSK REHABILITERINGS ORGANISASJON; a.k.a. TRO; a.k.a. TRO DANMARK; a.k.a. TRO ITALIA; a.k.a. TRO NORGE; a.k.a. TRO SCHWEIZ; a.k.a. TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND -- COLOMBO, SRI LANKA; a.k.a. WHITE PIGEON; a.k.a. WHITEPIGEON).

In September 2006, the GOSL froze nearly Rs.78 million of TRO funds in Sri Lanka following investigations into its financial transactions by the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank under Sri Lanka's Financing of Terrorism Law.

On September 22, 2007, Mr. Arjun Ethirveerasingham of the TRO office in Colombo, speaking at a seminar held in Geneva, on 'Humanitarian action in the undeclared war in Sri Lanka,' said, "The freezing of the TRO bank accounts in Sri Lanka is part of GOSL's policy to restrict access, aid and relief to the affected populations.

The freeze has been effective in severely limiting the amount of humanitarian relief reaching the war and tsunami affected communities." Today's action by the United States shows with no uncertainty that the TRO was not focused solely on rehabilitation but also on financing LTTE's arms procurement. The U.S. Embassy press release says, "The TRO also has facilitated LTTE procurement operations in the United States. Those operations included the purchase of munitions, equipment, communication devices, and other technology for the LTTE."

The LTTE depends heavily on funds from overseas to finance its terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. Its intransigence on the issue of negotations also stems from the fact it is confident in being able to continue funding its terrorist activities in Sri Lanka, with money transferred from abroad.

With several other countries similarly investigating the activities of the TRO and other LTTE front organizations, there is fervent hope that those countries will, like the U.S., freeze the assets of the front organizations, so the LTTE will, at long last, understand that the only option is to return to the negotiating table.

We the undersigned peace loving people of this world requested to freeze all funds collected by the LTTE and TRO (Tamil Rehabilitation Organization) in EUROPE.