The United States last week moved to freeze the US-held assets of the largest Tamil charity, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), accusing it of acting as a front to facilitate fundraising and procurement for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The TRO, the largest local Non Governmental Organisation assisting the Tamil population in Sri Lanka’s Northeast, vigorously protested the action by the US Treasury, pointing out that no wrong doing, misappropriation or misuse of funds have been pointed out in its widespread engagement with other NGOs, local and international.
The TRO said the US action would increase the misery of the Tamil people living under Sri Lankan government embargo in the island’s Northeast.
“One wonders what the goal of the US Government is since no proof of any wrongdoing has been presented that casts doubts on the work of TRO,” the charity said.
“TRO is one of only a few organizations functioning in parts of the NorthEast and the actions of the US Government will lead to further suffering for the Tamil people.”
“The US Government currently does not provide any humanitarian relief to those in LTTE controlled areas and with the recent actions inevitably supports the GoSL's campaign to limit assistance to the Tamil people,” the TRO said.
Defending the action by the US Treasury, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, said the action was intended to send a message to the LTTE that now is the time to negotiate.
His government`s action was directed at the LTTE and not the Tamil people, Mr. Blake said.
The US designated the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 1997 making it a crime for US citizens to provide material support or resources to the Tigers’ struggle.
Sri Lanka’s Sinhala nationalist government, which is blamed for thousands of extrajudicial killings and disappearances since 2005 praised the US for taking action against Tamil charity and urged other countries to follow suit.
The US Embassy in Colombo issued a press release on Thursday, November 18 announcing the decision of the US Department of the Treasury to freeze US-held assets of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), which won a presidential award in 2005 for building 3,240 temporary shelters following the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004.
“The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization was designated today under Executive Order 13224, which is aimed at financially isolating terrorist groups and their support networks,” said the press release.
“E.O. 13224 freezes any assets held by designees under US jurisdiction and prohibits US persons from transacting with designees.”
The statement claimed that the TRO had raised funds on behalf of the LTTE through a network of individual representatives and according to sources within the organization, the TRO is the preferred conduit of funds from the United States to the LTTE in Sri Lanka.
It also charged TRO of facilitating LTTE procurement operations in the United States.
Speaking to the media last Friday at the American Centre in Colombo, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake said “These are serious charges. It is on this basis the Treasury designated the TRO. This not only blocks illicit assets but its other assets in the US as well. The freeze was following information based on some earlier arrests.”
He further added that the growing international efforts to cut off money flowing to the LTTE would make it increasingly difficult for them "to import arms and other things to carry on their armed struggle."
"The larger purpose of all our activities is to send a message to the LTTE that now is the time to negotiate,"
“Now is the time for the LTTE to renounce violence and to renounce terrorism," he added.
"The lesson for the LTTE is that they are never going to get a better deal and now is the time to try to negotiate".
However he did not elaborate on what deal was on offer for the Tamils, as Sri Lankan has failed to come up with any power sharing proposal since the signing of a ceasefire in February 2002.
Mr. Blake also repeated his customary request to the Sri Lankan government to share political power with Tamils.
Mr Blake also did not say what actions United States would take to pressure the Sri Lankan government to put forward a power sharing proposal, which earlier this month killed the chief negotiator of the LTTE, Brig. S.P Thamilselvan and has unveiled a war budget with the stated intention of escalating the conflict.
Reacting to the announcement of the asset freeze, Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama made a special statement to the parliament praising the US for cracking down on funding sources for the LTTE.
“I have emphasised the damage done by this organisation particularly in the US and we have provided evidence that lends credence to our concerns,” he said.
“It is in this context, that I wish to place on record the deep appreciation of the government of Sri Lanka and this entire House, to the US Administration especially the Treasury Department, for the speedy investigation carried out and for the action taken against the TRO.”
Mr. Bogollagama told parliament that Sri Lanka could now expect a significant decline in the collections of the LTTE which he insisted ranged from $20-30 million per month world wide.
The minister warned that eternal vigilance was necessary because the LTTE had become an expert in circumventing curbs and bans.
