The Tamil community in the Netherlands (between 9,000 and 13,000 people) has been “largely annexed” by the Tamil Tigers to the violent conflict in Sri Lanka. Through extortion and sedition, a “climate of fear” has been shaped among Dutch Tamils.
By Marcel Haenen, NRC Handelsblad
This was the argument of Public Prosecutors (OM) Ward Ferdinandusse and Maartje Nieuwenhuis yesterday to The Hague court in a trial against five Tamils living in the Netherlands who were arrested in 2010.
According to the prosecutors, the suspects have been operating a base in the Netherlands for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE). The prosecution showed the defendants have overseen an international criminal and terrorist organisation involved in arson, bombings, murder, manslaughter and aggravated assault.
The chief suspect, 52-year-old Schagen resident Ramaschandran S. was the international accountant for the LTTE, said the prosecutors. He is suspected of sending couriers around the world with cash to buy weapons for the Tigers. The OM is seeking a 16 year prison sentence for his crimes. Ten year sentences were demanded for three other Dutch Tamil Tigers, as well as a 12 year term for the alleged leader of the Dutch branch, 46-year-old Srirangam R. from The Hague.
Since 1983, the Tamil Tigers have been fighting against the Sri Lankan army for control of an independent homeland in the north of the island. Because of the LTTE’s frequent attacks on civilian targets and their use of suicide bombers and child soldiers, the European Union has listed the group as a terrorist organisation. Two years ago, the Tigers were defeated by the Sri Lankan army. “But here in Europe, the LTTE is alive and well,” said Ferdinandusse.
He called it “shocking” that Tamil children in the Netherlands “from their youngest years are brainwashed with the violent ideology of the LTTE.” In the Netherlands, the Tigers have 20 classrooms where children are bombarded during the weekend with propaganda. They make pictures of bombs and grenades. “They are told from childhood that their future lies not in the Netherlands, but in an independent Tamil state and that suicide bombers are heroes.”
According to the Dutch prosecutors, the Tamil Tigers are busy raising funds for the conflict 8,500 kilometres away. In the Netherlands, they run organisations like the Tamil Youth Organisation and the Dutch Tamil Arts and Culture Organisation, which seek municipal subsidies. It is money that, according to the prosecutors, is used to lubricate the war machine. For example, the OM found that the municipality of Zeist financed a sporting day for the Tamils with 2,000 euros. The money ended up going to the LTTE.
The suspects also demanded war taxes for the Tamils in the Netherlands. But if they could not pay, their family in Sri Lanka was forbidden to visit and they could not travel to the island.
The suspects stoically listened to the indictment, which took all day yesterday. Ramachandran, who has lived in the Netherlands since 1985, sat motionless at the hearing, muscular arms folded across his chest. He allowed only a glance at images prosecutors showed on a screen in the courtroom. Among other things, they depicted recordings of marching Tamil child soldiers in Sri Lanka, an “inflammatory speech” commemorating a fallen comrade from defendant Srirangam in 2007 and a photograph of Ramachandran posing with LTTE founder, Velupillai Prabhakaran in Sri Lanka.
Prosecutors said the defendant’s attitude in court matches the descriptions of the charges against him.
According to Ferdinandusse, “the defendants lack regret, guilt or any opinion of the punishable character of their acts.” As he put it, they were “happy to point the finger at the alleged crimes of the Sri Lankan government, but lack self-reflection over their own crimes.”
The OM is seeking long prison sentences over suspicions the suspects will commit crimes again. “Given the conscious, ideological and stubborn character of the criminal acts of the suspects, we should fear they will be repeated.”
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“Some 6000 Tamils have been killed altogether in the last few years… These events are not accidental. It can be seen that they are the result of a deliberate policy on the part of the Sri Lankan government… Democracy in Sri Lanka does not exist in any real sense"
- Senator A.L.Missen, Chairman, Australian Parliamentary Group of Amnesty International, expressed his growing concern in March 1986:
"I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people... now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion... the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here... Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy."
- President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
"Mobs of Sinhala youth rampaged through the streets, ransacking homes, shops and offices, looting them and setting them ablaze, as they sought out members of the Tamil ethnic minority."
- London Daily Telegraph 26 July 1983
Why do European countries waste time and money prosecuting Tamil criminals (tamil, criminal - one and the same thing, actually)? Just put them on a plan back to Sri Lanka and let the government know. The Sri Lankan government and intelligence agencies will take good care of these scum.
The comments made by Tamil people on hearing the news of the prosecution of LTTE extortionists in court, stands witness to the suffering they must have undergone at the hands of these Criminals.
Poomi …... There is a huge different from Anti-Tamils and Sinhalese people. Unfortunately Anti-Tamils's native language is Tamil too.
Arun ….. Tamil war criminals must be brought to justice.
Chandran …... It is better to send this article to British and Canadian polititians who are seeking LTTE connected tamil voters. These polititians should be educated about LTTE activities and how they terrorised western countries.
T. Sivakumar …... Hat off to Dutch Legal authorities for rounding up the key bloob sucking LTTE terrorist supporters. Please make sure you send them for life sentence not for 16 years. These parasites should not be freed as they sperad the seedlings of terrorism not only your country but also all over the world.
Simon Gurunathan ….... Well done Radio Netherlands for giving publicity to this story. LTTE terrorists - "one of world's most ruthless terrorist organizations - FBI" - have certainly done to Netherlands what they did to Northern Sri Lanka, but it is not too late. Cut the cancer out. Throw these LTTE heinous terrorist thevdiya-paiyas in jail for VERY long times - if not you will regret later.
Varun Selvanathan ….... LTTE have terrorized whole Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Still they are trying to start their barbaric acts again and working for that from outside Sri Lanka.
These comments Mirror the scathing letter that an ethnic Tamil, Dr. Noel Nadesan, wrote to ABC network of Australia for rebroadcasting the CH4.
Quote
As a Tamil domiciled in Australia I served the Tamil community by editing the only Tamil community newspaper, UTHAYAM. I ran it for 14 years My experiences in dealing with the Tamil community, both in Australia and in Sri Lanka, make me feel sad about the callous way in which the media is exploiting the suffering of our Tamil people for self-serving ends. I think I could speak as an independent voice with no allegiances to the politics of either community or political parties. My main concern has been to help our Tamils in Sri Lanka who had to face the brunt of all attacks from the Indians soldiers, Sri Lankan forces and, above all, the so-called Tamil liberators, the LTTE. I have just completed building a small hospital in the island of Eluvaitivu, in which I grew up and, sooner or later, I plan to go back to serve our Tamil people who are desperately in need of help.
It is against this background that I thought of forwarding my comments to you after viewing the re-broadcast of Channel 4 programme, The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka. I must confess I felt depressed and I could not sleep that night. I have recovered since then and I feel I must send you my comments for your consideration because I feel that you aired it to exploit the suffering of our people whose need of the hour is not to rake up the bloody past but to find a way out of the past.
I fail to see how your programme could help the victims of the war – if that was your intention – when their immediate and long-term needs are to regain a future free from these. The sensationalism certainly may help the ratings of Channel 4 and ABC but how will it help our people?
Our people who lived through the horrors of the futile war know that this is only one side of the story. Our Tamil leaders have informed the world that the LTTE has killed more Tamils than all the other forces – Indian, Sri Lankan and rival Tamil parties – put together. The moralizings of the media lacks credibility because our people who lived through the horrors of the war know who killed whom in what manner. Leaving aside the die-hard partisans, our people know that the LTTE was a cruel and beastly outfit they had never encountered in living memory – and do not want to encounter in all their lives to come.
Undoubtedly, there are Tamils who are jubilant about this broadcast because they are aligned politically to the side (i.e., the LTTE) that perpetrated the worst crimes against the Tamils. If Channel 4 produced a film of the atrocities committed by the LTTE against their own people and the other communities throughout the 33-year-old war – the longest running in Asia – it would shock the world beyond belief.
Then there is the documented story of Velupillai Prabhakaran herding nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians to serve as his human shield when he was retreating. In the last stages he shot the Tamils who were running away from him into the arms of the Sri Lankan forces who were commended or their humanitarian services by the Ban Ki-moon’s expert panel and even by Gordon Weiss. Any Tamil who was in Prabhakaran’s human shield will tell you that the Sri Lankan force treated them humanely than the LTTE cadres.
The atrocities committed by the LTTE are numerous. Why didn’t Channel 4 balance their story with the other side? Yes, there were passing references to LTTE atrocities but you will agree that the blame was put entirely on the Sri Lankan government. Is this fair journalism?
It was a controversial document in which the best of experts disagreed on the authenticity and the accuracy of the contents. For instance, Channel 4 showed images of a young man who was tied to a tree, threatened with a knife and subsequently killed. I was told by sources in the Wanni that this was an LTTE operation and pictures were taken for propaganda purposes by LTTE. Have a close look and you will find among the so-called soldiers a man in slippers. Sri Lankan soldiers never go about in slippers when they go out on operations.
Those who know both sides of the story were appalled by your decision to air a partisan video. Despite occasional references to the LTTE the main thrust of the video was to blame the Sri Lankan government. You were aware of this gross distortion and you went ahead because it fitted into your biased political agenda. As stated by the London Sunday Times, it was shoddy journalism unworthy of a reputed media institution like the ABC.
Take the case of Suthanthirapuram which was declared as the first No-Fire Zone for the civilians. The LTTE moved their radio station and artillery unit to fire at Army points from NFZ. They were also firing at the advancing army from close proximity to the hospital or make-shift hospital. The AGA Parthipan and Dr Shanmugaraja can confirm this.
I will quote another incident. When former EROS leader Balakumar and his family , who worked with LTTE for many years, tried to flee in a boat in Mullaitivu in 29th April 2009, the LTTE, knowing very well who he was, fired at them. His young daughter was critically injured and the bullets tore her forearm. Her hand is yet to heal.
These are facts
How do I know all this? I travelled Sri Lanka seven times last two years widely in war zones in Wanni and talked to the victims who were trapped in the war zones. They knew that they were targeted both sides and they could not comprehend why the LTTE should expose to retaliatory fire in the NFZ. They could not understand why the LTTE turned the NFZ into a war zone.
The agents of LTTE in the Tamil diaspora also shed a lot of crocodile tears about the 300,000 IDPs. They described the IDP camps as concentration camps. Knowing the general conditions under which Sri Lankans live I can assure you that the conditions of the Tamils, particularly in the in the IDP camps, were far superior to the slums of Colombo or even the conditions of the Sinhala villagers and hill country Tamils in remote areas.
Even the Tamil MPs of Tamil Nadu and Indian journalists who visited the camps were convinced that the Sri Lankan authorities had done a very good job under trying conditions. Besides a comparison with the manner in which the government treated the Sinhala JVP rebels who took up arms in 1971 will reveal that the LTTErs received far better treatment than the JVPers. Most of them were incarcerated for more than four years.
However, I wish to emphasize that at this stage the government has to accept responsibility for their share of the civilian casualties and apologise for that and compensate the next of kin. In calling for justice it is fair and just to hold the leaders in the Tamil expatriate groups who financed, lobbied, and gave moral and material support to the LTTE to prolong their futile war. They too are liable for aiding and abetting a banned terrorist group. Justice demands that these leaders, posing as human rights activists in Western bases, too should be tried for the crimes committed by the LTTE against their own people.
On balance, it must be conceded that the elimination of the ruthless LTTE outfit was commendable. What Prabhakaran did to Sri Lanka was 100 time worse that Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden did to America. Like America any democratic country had the right to eliminate threats to its sovereignty, peace and stability, transgressing, if necessary, international humanitarian law and international law.
India did it in Punjab and continues to do so in Kashmir. Russians did it in Chechnya. NATO allies are doing the same thing in Libya. America has done it in their war against Al Quaeda since 9/11.
At the end of it all Sri Lankan Tamils now realise that their destiny is inextricably linked with Sri Lanka and Sinhala people. Violence is not the way out. It was the LTTE who sought the military solution and started the war- they have reaped the bloody harvest they sowed. Now we must genuinely commit themselves to the paths of peace, reconstruction and rehabilitation because violence will not lead anywhere except to the destruction of the remaining Tamils in the north and the east.
Dr. Noel Nadesan is Editor
of the UTHAYAM.
http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/49984.html
EuroBary,
What do you have to say about the Slipper that Dr. Nadesan has noticed in the CH4 film (bold text above)?
Can you also explain the absence of a SINGLE LTTE injured or dead within the Hospital that was the ONLY HOSPITAL ACCESSIBLE TO THE LTTE IN THE WAR ZONE?
Were they not Injured?
Did they not Die?
Or were they dressed in civilian clothes?
What now?
Is your evidence credible?
Here is real evidence from Tamils about the LTTE that they knew and worked for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5O1JAfRXew
Cheap Sakkili Demalu always think that they are superior over sinhalese and that's the reason why they are in the deep shit hole, searching in the dark. That's the reason why they are the only nation born with no land and moving everywhere in the world with no land of identity. Boasting of themselves always do be dominant over Sinhalese but dont know that they have no nails to even scratch their backs. Third class toilet clearaners were brought to LK by Pavement Sudda under thier British regime to clean thier dirt as slaves and now coming up with a seperate state really Hypothetical. These shit pigs will achieve nothing for thier ungratefulness. God will give these animals due punishment. Thanks.
From all the commentators:
I think we have to use our descrimination with this type of articles. No tamils hate Sinhalese people. There is a huge different from Anti-Tamils and Sinhalese people. Unfortunately Anti-Tamils's native language is Tamil too. It's a shame that this type of anti-Tamils are trying to form a negative impression towards tamils. Please note all the sinhalese brothers and sisters of Sri Lankan natives, we are one.
The Anti-tamils wouldnt long last with giving wrong impression about tamils to the whole world. Almighty God is watching you.
....... is that why God Almighty took our beloved Prabhakaran in a very cruel fashion? They say that God dropped him onto hell and now even the Devil has decided to quit his job and leave hell. Maybe that's where Prabha will finally find his separate state.
Anybody can dream to take away the rights of learning tamil language to the young generation, their cultural identification. But I would say, there is no ground to publish this type of artikles. Let the government of Netherland do proper research before they give such a statement. let them go to such tamil schools and find out in their own. Not to publish such sickening news. Sri Lankan government is trying to uproot the tamils from the country by various ways. The countries which provides asylum has to keep their promises according to International Law. As long tamils are not forming any danger to the country where they live, let them live in peace.
Thanks for sharing ,I learn more information form your website .Hope you can do better future.
I like jakia
Supporters of Sri Lankan genocidal regime are trying so hard to downplay their leaders war crime while exaggerating about ltte crimes.low lives.Remember 83 riots.Punks.
Why Sakkili Pimp only remember 83 riots (for killing 13 SL army personnel), let us talk of 30years of ravaging war killed thousands of Sri Lankans.
You LTTE terrorist genocidal barbarians massacred over 1,000,000 innocent Sinhalese and committed genocide of Sinhalese! Now trying to show that LTTE terrorists are angel saints when LTTE terrorists only committed all atrocities in Sri Lanka!
Tamil war criminals must be brought to justice.
It is better to send this article to British and Canadian polititians who are seeking LTTE connected tamil voters. These polititians should be educated about LTTE activities and how they terrorised western countries.
Please forward this article to Toronto, Canada where most of the LTTE sympathisers still buying the Canadian politicians.
Hat off to Dutch Legal authorities for rounding up the key bloob sucking LTTE terrorist supporters. Please make sure you send them for life sentence not for 16 years. These parasites should not be freed as they sperad the seedlings of terrorism not only your country but also all over the world.
Well done Radio Netherlands for giving publicity to this story. LTTE terrorists - "one of world's most ruthless terrorist organizations - FBI" - have certainly done to Netherlands what they did to Northern Sri Lanka, but it is not too late. Cut the cancer out. Throw these LTTE heinous terrorist thevdiya-paiyas in jail for VERY long times - if not you will regret later. Sri Lanka too went soft on these LTTE terrorists early in the game and saw over 100,000 civilians killed by them due to that mistake. I am a Tamil myself, but am ashamed today to go anywhere and tell so because of these disgraceful deadly parasites!
I certainly agree.
Well done Radio Netherlands for giving publicity to this story. LTTE terrorists - "one of world's most ruthless terrorist organizations - FBI" - have certainly done to Netherlands what they did to Northern Sri Lanka, but it is not too late. Cut the cancer out. Throw these LTTE heinous terrorist thevdiya-paiyas in jail for VERY long times - if not you will regret later. Sri Lanka too went soft on these LTTE terrorists early in the game and saw over 100,000 civilians killed by them due to that mistake. I am a Tamil myself, but am ashamed today to go anywhere and tell so because of these disgraceful deadly parasites!
Well done Radio Netherlands for giving publicity to this story. LTTE terrorists - "one of world's most ruthless terrorist organizations - FBI" - have certainly done to Netherlands what they did to Northern Sri Lanka, but it is not too late. Cut the cancer out. Throw these LTTE heinous terrorist thevdiya-paiyas in jail for VERY long times - if not you will regret later. Sri Lanka too went soft on these LTTE terrorists early in the game and saw over 100,000 civilians killed by them due to that mistake. I am a Tamil myself, but am ashamed today to go anywhere and tell so because of these disgraceful deadly parasites!
tamil terra's destroyed all of us & whole world, if we give them another chance.destroyed LTTE AS SOON AS POSIBLE.
ex colonist can not sentence our people. the real crimes was done by dutch
king familiy in the past. the should first sentence their genocide on sri lankan people while the occupied our home country to destroy our culture to make them christians.
Our respect for Ferdinandusse
Tamils should be ashamed of supporting terrorism and violence.
You are true also the world should know during the 30years of war in east and north not a single sinhalese were living in these areas but tamils lived with sinhalese all parts of the island.Who is talking about that.We are a great nation and peace loving people dont allow west to ruin our country let the people of all the races enjoy the freedom and live happily.If USA and EU need any help to combat terror please seek assistance from Srilanka.
see this link (Channel 4 terrorits) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5O1JAfRXew
Tamil diaspora funded only for arms for LTTE. those canibals killed even tamils who against them & after credited to sl troops. that means diaspora collected money for shoot their relatives.diaspora killed tamil nation. difference they hand over the gun for LTTE to kill own relatives, even father & mother. today innocent tamil people trying to build their lives.without a shelter without enough foods.HELP THEM TO BUILD UP DONATE A WATER BOTTE OR BISCUIT PACKET.THAT IS WORTH THAN A BLOODY BULLET. USE MONEY FOR THEI LIVING NOT KILLING. THIS WHAT NOT HAPPEN YET. "STUPID DIASPORA"
You'll see the same in US where we compiled massive amounts of intelligence related to LTTE operations:
Google 'Grand Terror Alliance Senators American lawyers former US Ambassador to SL'
US President Obama Campaign accepts funds from pro-LTTE donors
http://sinhale.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/obama-campaign-accepts-funds-fro...
The Dirty Busine$$ of Human Right$
http://kvisit.com/SzPqjAQ
A large number of British politicians were identified working for the Terrorists: Foreign Secretary, Mr. David Miliband, Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, Gareth Thomas, Robert Evans, Keith Vaz, Virendra Sharma, Simon Hughes, Joan Ryan, Kim Howell, Britain's envoy in Sri Lanka Dominic Chilcott, British Prime Ministers John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Their support is essential for these terrorists who use UK as a solid base for raising funds, nurturing racist ideologies and terrorizing democratic states.
Google 'Geopolitical Implications U.S. will struggle to combat terror even after Osama is long gone'
Is the moderator of the site aware that the word "HUTHTHA" is a very offensive sinhala word with sexual connotations and also that DEMALA means Tamil (in Sinhalese)?
Ennoda karachaal LTTE baadu kandaara oli? Ommala Okka LTTE terrorist pareh theyvidiya! dank u!
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