http://www.nation.lk/2011/08/21/news23.htm


Overseas LTTE got arms in 2010

By S. SelvakumarDespite the war against the LTTE won by the Sri Lanka armed forces in 2009, overseas members of the terrorist group continued to procure weapons in 2010 the US State Department said in a report on Thursday. The Tamil diaspora continued to support the organisation financially, it further asserted.The report ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2010’ revealed that the LTTE network continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe and Australia and locally based LTTE sympathizers reportedly coercing some contributions. Further the outfit has also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fundraising to procure weapons, communications, funding and other needed supplies. Some LTTE cadres who fled the country after defeat had also attempted to reorganise its activities in India, the report said.According to the report, a failed attempt to explode bombs in a train in Tamil Nadu has been suspected on LTTE activists. In March the German Police arrested six Tamil migrants living in Germany for using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the overseas LTTE group.Most counterterrorism activities undertaken by the Sri Lanka government after the defeat of the LTTE were targeted at countering terrorist financing in foreign countries, it said.The report also observed that since the defeat of LTTE terrorism in 2009 there were no terrorist incidents within the country in 2010. However, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning hence the concentration on countering terrorist financé.“In order to address lingering resentment in areas that were formerly held by LTTE combatants, the Sri Lankan government was working to restore civil administration, resettle internally displaced persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encouraging private sector participation and promote the development of industries,” the report said.“Domestically, there was a large budgetary allocation (about 4 per cent of the country’s GDP) for defence and monitoring of Tamil diaspora activity in coordination with foreign governments. The US provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants. The Sri Lankan government implemented the Container Security Initiative and Megaports programme at the Colombo Port’.
In October, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the FIU of Bangladesh to share financial information to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of persons suspected of money laundering and terrorist financing. Sri Lanka has already signed MOUs with the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, South Korea and Indonesia, the report further said.