Tiger terror at the Western doorstep

"My brother's children are in the Vanni. The LTTE is collecting money here and using the money to train children to fight and die with the Tiger Army. The people who collect money here are living a very good life and drive nice cars. They don't seem to care that it is children who are forced to fight and die." - a Toronto woman pressured to pay a monthly pledge to the LTTE.

The 45-page Human Rights Watch report released on Tuesday in New York titled 'Funding the Final War' provides the world with damning evidence of what the self-proclaimed liberators of the Tamil people are up to.

According to the report, the LTTE continues to intimidate, use violent methods and carry out extortions not only in Sri Lanka but in Canada, UK and the West. The report details how representatives of the LTTE and pro-LTTE groups use unlawful pressure among Tamil communities in the West to secure financial pledges.

The report says people were told that if they did not pay the requested sum, they would not be able to return to Sri Lanka to visit family members. Others were warned that they would be "dealt with" or "taught a lesson".

Can this organisation claim to be the sole representative of the Tamils in Sri Lanka ?

Democratically elected Governments of Sri Lanka have been saying this to the world for many years. Former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a Sri Lankan Tamil himself, was brutally assassinated by the LTTE because he spoke out loud to the world on what the LTTE was doing to innocent Tamils.

Other democratic Tamils and leaders in Sri Lanka are living in fear. While several countries listened to the cries many countries ignored the calls of the democratic Tamils and Tamil leaders.

They tried to point a finger at legitimate Governments instead of taking action against the LTTE. Though a friendly country, Switzerland looked the other way only last month when the LTTE held a fundraising meeting in the country after the truce talks in Celigny. We commend Human Rights Watch for coming out with this report even at a later stage.

It is time certain Western Governments and NGOs, which brag about human rights and democratic values wake up from their deep slumber and spare a thought and more for innocent Tamils living in their own countries. They must make it a point to read what Jo Becker, the author of the Human Rights Watch report says.

"The culture of fear is so strong that even Tamils who do not support the Tamil Tigers feel they have no choice but to give money, knowing they are funding political killings and the recruitment of children as soldiers in Sri Lanka"

We are not denying that Sri Lankan Tamils have grievances. The majority Sinhalese has realised it and successive Governments have been making serious attempts to bring about a solution.

But, we must question how any democratically elected Government could bring about a solution when the so-called Liberators of Tamils are having innocent Tamils as captives and harassing them ? How can a democratic Government talk to them to bring about a solution ? Does right thinking Sri Lankan Tamils prefer to live under a fascist who had killed and harassed many Tamils ?

What should these Western countries do now?

It is very simple. They can completely ignore the call of TULF leader Veerasingham Anandasangaree to go behind the iron curtain and see the plight of the innocent Tamils. They only have to take a walk in their own countries to see how the LTTE is controlling their own citizens who happen to be Sri Lankan Tamils.