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Colombo urges U.K. to ban LTTE “front” organisations

LONDON: Sri Lankan authorities here have urged the British government to ban fund-raising activities of what they described as “LTTE’s front organisations” alleging that the money collected by these groups “ostensibly” for charitable purposes went into the “coffers” of Tamil Tigers.

They said that although LTTE was banned in Britain a number of organisations claiming to be “charities” were working for it.

“These funds directly go to the coffers of the insurgent group to wage war with the Sri Lankan government and spread violence among civilian populations,” a spokesman of Sri Lankan High Commission said.

The call came ahead of a cultural show by the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) here on Saturday to raise funds for an educational project in Visvamadu in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan officials called the project an extension of the LTTE.

“We have complained to the British police that Visvamadu is in the Wanni territory, where the power of the LTTE is wielded and these funds are meant for its campaign,” the spokesman said.

The TYO however denies any links with LTTE and says that it is a “charity with the interests of Tamil youth at heart”.

“Our primary objective is to unite Tamil Youths nationwide by acting as the central communication link and providing an opportunity for action to serve the Tamil community, both domestically and abroad.

“Such endeavours will include coordinating development projects to improve the Tamil Youth in our homeland devastated by the civil war,” it says on its website.

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