CANADA’S OPPOSITION QUESTIONS THE GOVERNMENT WHY WORLD TAMIL MOVEMENT WAS NOT BANNED SINCE IT’S A TERRORIST FRONT
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
October 04.05.20 AM:A secret list of terrorist fronts, that included one working for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) operating in Canada was tabled in the Canadian Parliament by the country’s Opposition and demanded to know why the front was not banned under Canada’s terrorist law.
Toronto’s National Post newspaper in a story written by Stewart Bell revealed that in an unusual disclosure of security information Canada’s leading Opposition, the Canadian Alliance released a declassified memo to the Prime Minister
The memo together with the organization working for Sri Lanka’s terrorist group , the LTTE, also listed the fronts working for terrorist groups, Hamas, PKK and Sikh terrorist groups, the National Post said.
The secret list, that was marked , “ Secret- Canadian Eyes Only”, named the World Tamil Movement (WTM) as a front working for the terrorists of the LTTE.
The report quoted by the newspaper said, “In a limited number of cases fund raising in support of violent foreign struggles takes place in Canada through the cover of ethnic religious and community based associations and groups , lobbying or even criminal activity .”
The National Post reported that during question period in the Canadian Parliament the Opposition’s Foreign Affairs critic Stockwell Day asked why the government had failed to outlaw the remainig groups under the provisions of C36 , the Anti-Terrorist law.
He asked why Prime Minister Jean Chretien ignored his security advisors and allow terrorist groups to operate with impunity. .The newspaper quoted Day as asking, “If he is not protecting Canadians , who is he protecting.”
The newspaper said, “Marlene Jennings , the parliamentary secretary to Wayne Easter, the Solicitor General said the government had outlawed 31 terror organizations and continue to assess whether more should be added to the list.
Opposition MP Stockwell Day said The Privy Council report was released following a request under the Access to Information Act.
The newspaper said the same report was issued to the newspaper three years ago but the list of front organizations was censored from the version issued to the newspaper.
The newspaper said the report was prepared after Paul Martin, the then Finance Minister attended a dinner hosted by an alleged LTTE front organization.
The National Post said, its title, “Contacts of ministers with groups of individuals who may have undesirable connections …” hints at the government’s concern that senior ruling Liberal Party politicians had been linked to terrorism over the dinner.
“The Prime Minister has had 40 months since his office received this briefing and he has done nothing; this revealation shows that the government is not serious about winning the war on terrorism,” Stockwell Day charged.
