Pro-LTTE groups in West extort money from Tamil expatriates

New York, Mar 15 (UNI) A New York-based Human Rights body today released a report stating that the LTTE is subjecting Sri Lankan Tamils living in Canada, Britain and other Western nations to intimidation, extortion and even violence to ensure funds for their operations in the island nation.

People were told if they did not pay the demanded sum, they could not return to Sri Lanka to visit family and friends. Others were warned they would be ''dealt with'' or ''taught a lesson'', the report titled 'Funding the Final War': LTTE Intimidation and Extortion in the Tamil Diaspora' stated.

''The Tamil Tigers are exporting the terrors of war to Tamils living in the West,'' Jo Becker, author of the 45-page report which explaines in detail how representatives of LTTE and pro-LTTE groups use unlawful means among Tamil communities in the West to secure financial pledges, said.

''Many members of the diaspora actively support the Tamil Tigers.

But the culture of fear is so strong that even Tamils who don't feel (like supporting Tigers) have no choice but to give money, Mr Becker said.

A Toronto businessman said once when he refused to pay more than 20,000, Canadian dollars, the Tamil Tiger representatives made threats against his wife and children.

Almost one-quarter of Sri Lanka's Tamil population fled the country during the nearly 20 years of active war between the Tamil Tigers and the government, creating a Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora of up to a million people.

Nearly half of these people reside in Canada and Britain; other Western countries with a significant Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora include Germany, Switzerland, France and Australia. Many of these people or their relatives have suffered human rights abuses at the hands of the Sinhala-dominated Sri Lankan government and hence openly support the LTTE.

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