Media Release : Saturday, 15 January 2005

Honorable Paul Martin

The Prime Minister of Canada

Lay the Foundation for Sustainable Peace in Sri Lanka by Marginalising Tamil Tiger Terrorists

The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights of Sri Lankan (SPUR) welcomes your decision to visit Sri Lanka to experience firsthand the destruction caused by the Boxing Day tsunami.

We encourage you to use your visit productively to:

(1) Strengthen democracy in Sri Lanka by supporting Sri Lanka’s unitary status; and

(2) Urging the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, the LTTE, to work in partnership with the Sri Lankan Government in the distribution of humanitarian aid to Tamil civilians affected by the tsunami living in areas controlled by the LTTE

However, we have serious concerns about your trip if you plan to visit LTTE rebel held areas in Sri Lanka. A number of valid reasons support our position. These include:

(1) The LTTE is a banned terrorist outfit in many democratic countries including Australia, India, USA, Malaysia and the UK.

(2) The LTTE is continuing to disrupt all effort made by the Government to provide humanitarian aid to Tamil people affected by the tsunami living in uncleared areas under LTTE control. LTTE actions include setting a refugee camp on fire in the Jaffna Peninsula and the forced return of thousands of refugees in camps serviced by the Sri Lankan Government working in hand with international NGOs to uncleared areas. The LTTE is continuing to prevent Sri Lankan Government access to areas under their control

(3) LTTE’s continuing mass kidnapping of displaced or orphaned Tamil children to bolster LTTE’s child soldier brigades

(4) Collecting and diverting funds to bolster the LTTE’s war chest thorough its so called rehabilitation and reconstruction front called the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation, TRO

We urge you not to visit areas held by the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, the LTTE, as it would tacitly assist LTTE’s attempt to legitimise its despotic undemocratic rule of uncleared areas in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

We appreciate your desire to look after the wellbeing of all tsunami affected citizens in Sri Lanka irrespective of their ethnicity or geographic location.  You government had also stated that all aid should be distributed equitably channelling and prioritising aid to where it is most needed.

SPUR supports this position and would like to bring to your kind attention that this is the collective position of the Sri Lankan Government, the opposition and all other parties elected to Sri Lanka’s parliament.

We encourage you to personally visit displaced Tamil people living in camps looked after by international NGO’s in partnership with the Sri Lankan Government in the North  (in towns such as Trincomalee) and in the East (such as Kalmunei).

Fund Raising for Terrorism?

As stated before, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is a banned terrorist organisation in many countries including Australia, USA, India and in Briton.  The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) is suspected as a front collecting money for the LTTE.  The TRO is currently in the forefront collecting money for the Tsunami victims.

TRO in Canada

A special Canadian Senate Committee recently issued a report on security and intelligence that identified charitable fund-raising in Canada by international terrorist groups as a problem and recommended changes to the Income Tax Act in Canada.

A consultant to this committee, Don Gracey who was interviewed in Ottawa had stated "The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) was one group identified by the committee that in fact, raised money for guns and material used by the Tamil Tigers".

TRO in England

On 4th October 2000 The Island newspaper in Sri Lanka exposed the TRO as a LTTE front in an article titled "British Charities Fund Terrorists". Subsequently the TRO was raided by the British Charity Commission, its bank accounts frozen and documents seized. The TRO in the United Kingdom is still under investigation by the British Charity Commission. The Commission has appointed a British solicitor to manage/supervise the TRO in the United Kingdom and no funds could be released without the approval of this officer who has been appointed by the British Charity Commission.

Human Rights Watch

In a landmark report on Child Soldiers “Living in Fear” by Human Rights Watch in Nov 2005, TRO is identified as a LTTE dominated agency and requests the international community to refuse funds to projects handled by the TRO.

There are concerns that many fronts of terrorist organiztions including the TRO  consistently raised funds for rehabilitation, but divert it to purchase weapons. The LTTE’s own past record is slurred by such activity.  It is a fact that the LTTE urgently needs funds to purchase the considerable military material and recruit children to replace carders lost to the Tsunami wave.

Misinformation

The LTTE terrorists are promoting the TRO as the sole supplier of relief measures to areas terrorised by them in the North and East of Sri Lanka to facilitate funnelling funds to purchase arms, and to strengthen depleted LTTE carders.

Actions adopted by the LTTE recently to keep away the Sri Lankan Government’s aid and assistance from international NGO’s have included:

(1) Setting fire to the Government camp providing refuge to 300 families affected by the Tsunami at Kudaththanai in Jaffna (Northern Sri Lanka) to prevent the people from accepting assistance from the Government;

(2) Disrupting the distribution of relief material by the Hon Prime Minister at the Puloly American Mission School in the Jaffna District; and

(3) Preventing a Russian medical team from entering the Vanni area to go to the badly affected areas needing medical support in Mullaitheevu. 

Eliminating Potential Misappropriation

Grave concerns have been raised about whether monies collected by the TRO for tsunami victims actually reach the intended beneficiaries.  Concerns have also been raised about monies collected being used for purchasing weapons for LTTE terrorists.

We urge your to direct all Canadian Government funds to the Sri Lankan Government which inturn would implement targeted and considered rehabilitation work through Government utilities as well as international and national NGOs.  You could also consider appealing to Canadian citizens to desist donating money to TRO and instead, channel contributions to well-known charities with reputation such as Ox Farm, World Vision, DART, Red Cross and Water Aid.

If further information is required please contact Ranjith Soysa, SPUR spokesperson on (03) 9548 0276.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

Dr D Jayasuriya 

President

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)

Reg No. A 003 07777 M

PO Box 4066

Mulgrave    VIC 3170

Australia