Wednesday, October 19, 2011

http://www.infolanka.com/news/IL/dm32.htm


Sri Lanka requires an investigation of Norwegian Tamils By Christopher Rønneberg Oct 18, 2011

The Norwegian government must ban the Tamil Tigers and investigate their leader in Norway, says Sri Lankan minister on visit to Oslo.
I know what terrorism is all about. I still have a bullet in the head after the Tamil Tigers tried to kill me, says Nimal Siripala de Silva.
Sri Lanka's hydropower Minister did recently, together with Environment Minister Anura Yapa P., on a visit to Norway. In the luggage, they had several proposals for economic cooperation with Norway.
And a clear admonition to the Norwegian authorities.
There are between 100 and 200 people in Norway who still sympathize with the Tamil Tigers. We know that they collect money, and fear that this money will be applied to new acts of terrorism in Sri Lanka. We must prevent, says de Silva told Aftenposten.
In a meeting with Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Friday they did Silva and Yapa clear that Sri Lanka wants Norway banishes Tamil Tigers, also known as the LTTE as a terrorist organization. In addition, they ask Norway to investigate what he describes as the LTTE leadership in Norway.
Questioned Norwegian Tamil In particular, highlights the Silva one man, a 35-year-old Tamil with a Norwegian citizen who is resident on the west coast. Aftenposten has previously referred to him because he is lifted up by several sources as a key leader in a group of Tamils who want to resume the armed struggle against Sri Lanka - accusations he has denied.
It has not succeeded Aftenposten to make contact with the man.
The entire LTTE leadership was killed during the last days fighting in the civil war in May 2009. The Norwegian Tamils, who have lived in Norway since 2005, should have been the organization's international coordinator in this final phase. In the spring he was questioned by Dutch investigators because of its alleged role in the LTTE, a terrorist organization that is stamped by the EU and the USA.
The trial in the Netherlands - that the interrogation was part of - is still ongoing. Prosecutors laid last week presented evidence that the LTTE is still an active organization in Europe.
Norway was even hit by terror in the summer. We hope the attacks in July helps that their government is taking the threat from the LTTE-environment seriously, says de Silva.
Rejects allegations Aftenposten know that such an investigation does not have a particularly high priority in the PST. Nor iikke Foreign Minister shows signs that the Norwegian man considered a terrorist threat.
The Foreign Minister stressed that under no circumstances would allow violation of Norwegian law, and that this was a matter for police and prosecutors to follow up. He stressed further that the Tamil community in Norway was very well integrated into Norwegian society and Norwegian democracy protection of legitimate political activity and freedom of expression, says communications Frode Overland Andersen in the MFA on the meeting between the Minister and the two Sri Lankan ministers.
Allegations about a Norwegian terror cell dismissed in the strongest of Panchakulasingam Kandiah, chief physician at Haukeland Hospital and head of the foremost Norwegian Tamil organization, NCET .
Tamils outside of Sri Lanka has continued the fight for a separate homeland, but with legitimate and non-violent means. The government in Colombo trying to get attention away from the war crimes they stood for in the Civil War. I am not aware of any LTTE network has been active after May 2009. We can not take these claims seriously. Colombo government's attempt to terrorize temple a legitimate liberation struggle will not work in the future, he says.
Break forth rapport Norway and several other countries now expect that the Sri Lankan government to submit its own report about what happened in the civil war's final phase. The report is expected by 15 November. Earlier analysis, including a UN report that was given to the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in spring, accuses both sides in the civil war for war crimes.
If the authorities do not take these allegations seriously in his report, we have to get back to what measures we take. Here we work with a number of countries, including USA, UK and France, said International Development Minister Erik Solheim, Norway's former special envoy to Sri Lanka since Norway facilitated peace process on the island.
Source: Aftenposten - Norway

No comments:

Post a Comment