A report produced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has stated that the LTTE were among groups of international terrorists using Canada's immigration system to sneak into the country and set up bases to raise funds for their activities abroad, the Daily Mirror said.

     The United News of India (UNI) quoting a report titled "Exploitation of Canada's Immigration System: An Overview of Security Intelligence Concerns" by CSIS said that the country was being used as a safe haven by terrorist groups to raise funds, plan or support overseas activities and also as a way to obtaining Canadian travel documents which makes it easier for the terrorist groups to criss-cross the globe.

     ABC News had also quoted Director of CSIS, ward Elcock as saying "With perhaps the single exception of the United States, there are more international terrorist groups active here than any other country in the world", stated the Daily Mirror.

     Further the Canadian Intelligence report had stated terrorism as being the chief concern for Canada's national security. According to the report over 50 terrorist groups are believed to be operating from Canada and prominent among them are the Sikh extremists, the LTTE, Algerian Armed Islamic Group )GIA), the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Hezbollah, the Kurdistan Workers Party and extremist Irish groups.

     ABC News quoted and expert saying that Canada was especially susceptible to terrorists entering, either legally or illegally because of the acceptance of hundreds of immigrants and refugees. In 1997 Canada has taken 216,039 immigrants and 24,101 refugees.

     However, UNI said that the reports came amid at accounts that the U.S. will not tolerate terrorist activities and that the Pentagon is creating anti-terrorist teams to tackle terrorist emergencies, the Daily Mirror said. Los Angeles Times had stated on Thursday that intelligence sources and experts have revealed terrorists' shifting of activities towards North America following a massive crackdown on their bases across Europe.

     According to the Daily Mirror, in related developments yesterday, CIA Director George Tenet was quoted in the media as saying that the United States would never forget an act of terrorism against its citizens and would never bring those responsible to justice no matter how long it took.

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