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Danish TV exposes Tiger fund raising
Sunday, 19 March 2006 - 3:14 AM SL Time
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Two Tamil youth living in Denmark appearing on the Danish national television channel DR TV last Sunday, spoke out against the LTTE`s fund raising activities there, claiming the group would often obtain funds forcibly by means of intimidation, coercion, and outright threats.
At the interview last week a Sri Lankan Tamil Vathaanan Kumarathurai, working as a software engineer in Aalborg said ?They call us traitors and claim that we are working against our own people?.
In addition to the two Kumarathurai brothers, yet another Tamil citizen of Denmark, who preferred to remain anonymous citing security concerns said, ?I and my family received threats back in Sri Lanka, so I can`t speak openly. I think the LTTE is using this situation to extort money from Tamils, especially because there is no room for opposition. The LTTE is trying to be a part of all occasions where Tamils congregate in Denmark?. Currently more that 11,000 Tamil families reside in Denmark and although many Tamils willingly contribute money to the LTTE, many others do so because they feel they have little choice, states Human Rights Watch (HRW), an independent NGO that defends human rights throughout the world. Tamils here claim that every Tamil family in Denmark is forced to contribute up to Rs. 335,518 (20,000 Danish kroner) annually, towards the LTTE fund. One of the LTTE`s leading fund raisers in Denmark, Robin Nichilapillai has said he collects Rs. 167,767 (8-10,000 kroner) on average, per day.
HRW states that the LTTE collects funds from more than 800,000 Tamils across the world. The LTTE`s fund raising activity in Denmark is carried out by an organisation by the name of the Tamil Cooperation Committee (TCC) which has its headquarters in Herning, in the north of Denmark. The TCC operates 28 Tamil language schools around the country which receive funding from the respective City Councils. The TCC works under the guise of organizing peaceful activities/events exclusively for Tamil people. Last year it organized an event for the Tamil youth in the area but footage now shows that the LTTE flag was displayed over the entrance of the hall.
Herning City Councillor and former TCC chairman Arulanantharajah Thillainadarasa, who up until this week, was also a member of the Social Democrat Party, was removed from the party on the basis of his association with an armed militant group. Social Democrats Secretary General Jens Christensen said the party was compelled to remove Mr. Thillainadarasa as it was against party policy for its members to have affiliations with any armed groups.
Mr. Thillainadarasa, however, denied all claims of both his and the TCC`s connection to the LTTE. On being shown more video footage of him addressing a gathering at a school function in Aarhus, where he had apparently introduced the TCC as being a sub-division of the LTTE, he had been exposed.
On Monday, Justice Minister Lene Espersen had made an appeal to the Tamil community residing in Denmark to complain to the Danish police if ever they were harassed or forced to contribute funds to the LTTE. Furthermore, the Danish People`s Party (the right-wing ally of the present Government) has asked for the banning of the TCC and its fundraising activities.
Meanwhile, an online forum (www.denunge.dk) has been created in Danish by Vathaanan Kumarathurai and a colleague, for people to voice their opinions or raise questions regarding this situation.
TV station explains
?We first heard about the LTTE extorting money from Tamils here, from some Tamil contacts in Denmark,? said the News Editor of DR TV, Soren Klovborg.
Furthermore, we also got access to a thesis done by two Danish Masters students from the School of Journalism in Denmark, who had done a two month research on the LTTE`s fund raising activities. After reading the thesis the news station had decided to do its own independent research into it to verify its authenticity, he said.
Once adequate evidence, comprising footage taken by the students and interviews conducted with Tamil residents in Denmark, a Tamil fund raiser for the LTTE and Mr. Kumarathurai and his brother were completed, it was decided to air the story last Sunday night, he said. The story was further validated by the independent NGO, Human Rights Watch on Wednesday, he added.
?We also received many letters from Tamils residing in Denmark saying that although the LTTE does raise funds here, many of them were contributing voluntarily. Some even alleged that the Kumarathurai brothers may be members of the Karuna faction and therefore having their own hidden agendas behind speaking openly about the LTTE`s activities,? said Mr. Klovborg. ?If somebody can provide adequate documentation or evidence to prove this allegation, our station would gladly follow it up as well, he said. However, the station had also received letters from Tamil residents here, confirming their story, he added.
Add LTTE to terror list: Danish Govt. ally
?We have asked the Danish Government to add the LTTE on to our country`s `Terror List` and we have also requested our Foreign Minister to work harder to get the LTTE on to the `Terror List` of the European Union (EU) as well,? said the Vice Chairman of the Danish People`s Party (DPP) cum Chairman of the Parliament`s Justice Committee Peter Skaarup.
?The LTTE has been banned both by the USA and UK, so why shouldn`t it be banned here as well,? he said. This has not been the first time this type of story has been highlighted in the Danish media, he said adding that there were similar stories regarding the LTTE forcing Tamil communities to contribute funds towards its cause, in the press a few years ago, the most recent of which was highlighted even last autumn. In response to whether Denmark`s reluctance to proscribe the LTTE had any connection with its interest in the ongoing peace process in Sri Lanka, he said that he`s not sure if there could be any connection as the Danish Government wasn`t directly involved with the peace process, even though it was in full support of Norway`s work in the peace process.
In addition to lobbying for the LTTE to be proscribed by the EU, there are two other issues the DPP is concerned about, he said. ?We`ve asked the Education Minister to investigate the authenticity of the 28 schools operated by the Tamil Cooperation Committee (TCC) as well, because the schools are funded by the City Councils in their respective regions,? Mr. Skaarup said.
If it`s found that the schools are in fact supporting the LTTE, they may even have to be closed down, as it`s the tax payers money that is helping to run these schools, he said.
The DPP has also raised the issue of the need for the Government to provide protection and support to the Tamil families residing here, who have been intimidated or threatened by the LTTE to extort money from them.
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stopterro
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18 Mar 2006 21:23:52 GMT Report for Abuse
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To LTTE members who continuously post terrorist propaganda on this page
Is this also another fabricated news article?
That means you are now insulting Danish groups and its press?
when is your terrorist group going to stop killing little children and molesting young boys and girls in the name of revolution? |
stopterro
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18 Mar 2006 22:12:01 GMT Report for Abuse
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Almost every other Tamil family visited by Tiger extortionists in Toronto
Siva Sunderam in Toronto
During the last twelve months virtually every other Tamil family in Toronto and its neighbouring municipalities have had visits from Tiger ?Final War? fund extortionists. When such visits did not have the desired results, these callers often became rude, even nasty and indicated that the consequences could be quite awful, even for their relatives in Sri Lanka.
One family was visited in Mississauga and $35,000 was demanded of them by re-mortgaging their property. The extortionists appeared to have all the information about the property, evidently obtained from the real estate people who handled it. Normally they went in pairs and would park their cars far away from the homes they had scheduled to call on for that series of visits.
These visits have been the quiet concerned talk of the community for many months. People have been stifled to such an extent, hardly anyone dared to say anything against the Tigers. The fact that they did not go to the police to lay complaints was purely due to the reason that no force on earth can help them if the Tigers take the law into their hands, and as the collectors indicated, they would be taught a damned good lesson. A list of their victims brutalized by the Tigers is far too long for any comfort.
Tigers have decimated too many people for anyone to have the courage to point the fingers at them or their workers, ?Final War? collectors in this case. People like Nehru Gunaratnam make capital out of it. They even take photographs of people who demonstrate against the LTTE and threaten to send these to Wanni for suitable action against them ignoring the fact they are Canadian citizens.
There was an incident on September 3, 1997. Nehru Gunaratnam, an employee of the Tamil Eelam Society attended by some goondas, roughly handled a lawful demonstration in front of the society office. He also had their photographs taken. During the recent elections, he advised the Tamils to get to the polls but destroy the ballot papers.
Much mileage is being done about people having not gone to the police. This is the most stupid contention one can make knowing fully well that Tigers have terrorised the community over the years beginning with indiscriminate lamp post killings in Jaffna during the early 1980s. The fact that families or individuals had not gone to the police is no argument to deny extortion and intimidation in the community. How can the police give protection to the victims of extortion?
In respect of this, the chief author of the report, Jo Becker commented that the absence of criminal prosecutions reflects reluctance by Tamils to step forward because of the fear of reprisals together with a lacklustre stand by authorities. When an effort was made to create a Police-Tamil Community liaison organization some years ago it was Nehru Gunaratnam and his group that destroyed it. They simply did not want the police to be in intimate relationship with them.
The Human Rights Watch Committee is a much-respected international body. It will never do anything that will challenge its integrity, even more its commitment to human rights. Of course human rights concepts are far beyond the comprehension of people who have chosen to rubbish it. But it simply means that the report has touched the very nerve that has been the problem among the Tamils.
It was therefore pathetic to see a group of people who assembled at Delta Hotel in Toronto to denounce an excellent report prepared over a time after making detailed investigation into this issue. Of course it is no surprise that this medley of persons should take such an attitude because they are all known as virulent hard-core Tiger fanatics and have been riding high by themselves in the community as supporters of the LTTE overlooking at least four aspects of this outfit that disqualifies it totally as a freedom movement.
Firstly it is violently totalitarian and will not tolerate any other group, militant or democratic. Secondly, it enlists child soldiers in their hundreds into their fighting cadres. Thirdly it assassinates moderates, intellectuals and others indiscriminately. Finally, it collects funds through threats and intimidation. There are other factors too but these four are related to the current question of collecting funds through extortion.
Worse, these people have self-styled themselves as the representatives of the community and some are even using their official positions to advantage. How many of these people whether it is Shanthela Easwarakumar, Dushy Gnanapragasam, Nehru Gunaratnam, Neethan Shan, Sri Gugan Sriskandarajah, Satheesh Moorthy or others of this assortment are in touch with the Tamil community at the grassroots?
They are all elite high-flyers who feel they have a right to speak for the community without even having had any acceptance as leaders. A few bunkum associations here and there do not confer any leadership status on them. They have simply commandeered positions because the Tamil community is too tame.
They can blow their trumpet loud but that which comes out lacks melody and rhythm because they are indulging in barefaced lies. This is an example of the kind of Tamil elite that has been mainly responsible for the pitiful position of the Tamils today.
The community expects honesty and integrity. But this group of people who met at Delta Hotel have said in public something the community knows is a bundle of horrible lies. It has to be, for after all every other family in the Greater Toronto Area have been visited by Tiger extortionists. |
AnuD
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18 Mar 2006 22:21:28 GMT Report for Abuse
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| I think this should happen in every country. then Nitharsanam.com or Neruppu can keep on harassing people. |
Praetorian
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18 Mar 2006 22:39:22 GMT Report for Abuse
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Don't expect any replies from the LTTEers/Tamils on this site who beat their chests proclaiming Eelam every once in a while.
Edited By - Praetorian - 18 Mar 2006 22:40:03 GMT |
AnuD
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18 Mar 2006 23:26:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kai123 is right.
they come up with some excuse, if can not find, they start scolding Danish TV or govt. for some reason, At least their cheeses.
Edited By - AnuD - 18 Mar 2006 23:27:14 GMT |
Praetorian
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19 Mar 2006 00:17:57 GMT Report for Abuse
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I'm disappointed i was secrelty hoping for piranha or some other web-tiger to challenge this...
'Cmon piranha, you can't let VP and the tamil struggle down, now then can you? The 'final war' is looming!
Edited By - Praetorian - 19 Mar 2006 00:19:35 GMT |
DrAkai
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19 Mar 2006 00:58:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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LTTE will start their defensive mechanism sooner for the justifiaction of all this and that for another period of time.
It seems they are running out of fuel in Europe.
Let this be an eye opener for the other countries who harbour such activities. |
petijo1
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19 Mar 2006 07:23:03 GMT Report for Abuse
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DrA!
Kumarathurai is an anti-LTTE man,(karuna faction) a friend of TBC Ramraj who is in prison now.So their claim would be personal interest. you can't believe it totally. |
Maninder
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19 Mar 2006 08:46:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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LTTE cannot claim they are the sole representative of tamils and then say the allegations against it are coming from Karuna group or any other tamil groups.
They should admit that there are other tamil groups and views. Or they shouldn't complain about other groups, since they are the only group that exists as per their claim.
Time is running out... |
Abdulsalaam
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19 Mar 2006 11:34:57 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Seems the its harvest time for the LTTE. What started as a trickle is beginning to pour it looks. How long will it be before the deluge. Lets hope it doesn't take long and no one gives the the LTTE a life-line. |
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