Ceylon Daily News Editorial - Monday, 23 April 2007
Tigers stalking British citizenry
The LTTE’s satanic cunning spares no one - not even British motorists. This much is clear from the major racket currently operated by the LTTE in the UK, wherein thousands of British motorists’ bank cards, used for the purchase of petrol, are being doctored and cloned by the Tigers, resulting in these British petrol consumers being swindled of millions of Pounds.
Already some 200 British petrol stations have reportedly been hit by the scam, while the LTTE amasses more and more ill-gotten gains, thus giving it an increased capacity to perpetrate terror in Sri Lanka and abroad.
As disclosed in some sections of the media, the mode of operation of the LTTE in this scam is to obtain the ‘pin’ and other details of the petrol card holders and then use them to penetrate and milk dry the bank accounts of the respective customers.
Thus is the British public called upon to pay an exacting price for the measure of liberal tolerance extended in some quarters to LTTE covert operatives and Tiger front organisations masquerading as victims of some kind.
Right along the Lankan State has been very unambiguous and firm on this question. That is, the LTTE cannot be flirted with because it would do just anything to achieve its ends, callously disregarding the benevolent tolerance showered on it by any person or entity.
Accordingly, the toughest law and order measures should be clamped on the LTTE, if the world is to make any progress in its struggle against terror.
This is in view of the fact that besides being the world’s most ruthless terror outfit, the LTTE has put out worldwide tentacles.
Today the Tigers are hand-in-glove with terror groups in most regions of the world, including some in India. Thus Britain would be acting in its interests as well as those of the civilised world by cracking down hard on the LTTE.
Britain and other law-abiding states should have no qualms in cooperating with the Lankan State in this task because they have seen for themselves how the LTTE has repeatedly rejected the hand of peace extended to it by the Lankan State.
The latter knows only too well that the final answer to our conflict is a political one. Towards this end, it has proceeded more than half way to accommodate the LTTE but the Tigers have shown in no uncertain terms that they believe in the efficacy of only violence and bloodshed. The botched peace endeavours of last year only bear out this truth.
The liberal democratic West, thus, has no choice but to use the big stick on the LTTE. No double standards could be engaged in while handling this problem. No democracy of the West would benignly tolerate terror groups which pose a threat to their geographical integrity and unity.
This is as it should be, but the same rule needs to be applied when addressing the Lankan conflict.
It is starkly clear that the LTTE and its front organisations are grossly abusing the hospitality extended by some quarters to them abroad. So abusive are the Tigers that, today, not even British citizens are safe from Tiger viles.
In fact no one could be seen as safe from Tiger terror. The world needs to act against the Tigers before it is too late.
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LTTE responds to the credit card
accusation
Press release by LTTE Peace Secretariat
The local BBC Television in London ran as its headline news on Sunday, 22 April 2007, the widespread abuse of credit cards belonging to customers of service stations selling petrol. BBC report said that the credit card details of the customers were stolen by the service station employees and then millions is being stolen using these details.
Such abuse of credit cards is widespread world wide. A small number of members of Tamil Diaspora have been implicated in some countries for this illegal activity. So have members of the Sinhala Diaspora or for that matter, so have members of any community. The BBC report linked the credit card fraud by a few members of the Tamil Diaspora to the LTTE. The main source quoted again and again in the BBC report is the Sri Lankan Government.
Sri Lankan Government stands accused of serious human rights violations. Many international human rights bodies and world leaders have repeatedly highlighted the seriousness of the human rights record of the Government. These human rights violations by the Government are always directed against the Tamil people. Therefore, the Sri Lankan Government’s desperate act of linking this illegal activity among a handful of members of the Tamil Diaspora to the LTTE in order to divert attention from its own human rights record is not surprising.
What is indeed surprising is that BBC has chosen to report on the credit card fraud cquoting Sri Lankan Government as its main source. The report did not provide any other substantive evidence for linking LTTE to the credit card fraud, clearly showing that this report is the result of spin doctoring of the Sri Lankan Government.
Neither the majority of the Tamil Diaspora nor the LTTE involve itself in activities in other countries that are against laws of that country. We very much regret that BBC did not see it fit to contact us for our comments on this issue before issuing a one sided report based on Sri Lankan Government allegations.
23 April 2007