Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinath Ariyasinha has highlighted the Tamil diaspora as a potent danger to the country and accused western countries of turning a blind eye to their activities.
“While we have defeated the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the organization, its ideology and its operations are very much alive in a number of western countries. Immediately, this remains a challenge to speeding up the pace of reconciliation in Sri Lanka, and eventually, a potent danger to Sri Lanka as a rising nation,” Aryasinha said while speaking at the Sri Lankan Army’s Defence Seminar 2014.
“Even as most countries have acted with understanding and have respectfully shared concerns and been able to contribute to the processes of reconciliation in a tangible manner, unfortunately particularly a few Western countries fuelled by political motivations and electoral compulsions have continued to relentlessly pursue Sri Lanka," he added.
“It is noteworthy that even while the political establishments in key western countries where the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora provide an important vote base in marginal constituencies, have in recent years turned somewhat of a blind eye to activities of diaspora organizations, drawing superficial lines between known LTTE terrorists and Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora LTTE front organizations and activists engaging in similar activity, it is clear that the law and order and criminal justice systems in these countries however have not been fooled.”
Aryasinha called on all countries to proscribe all “LTTE front organisations” and monitor the activities of known operatives.
“Sri Lanka’s long standing plea is that all countries not provide any political or symbolic support to the abuse of their liberal systems using various pretences by those pursuing separatism in Sri Lanka, that they proscribe all LTTE front organizations and maintain strict vigil over the activities of their operatives, and continue to bring to justice those violating the law,” he said.
See his full address here.