United States freeze TRO assets  

[Friday, November 16, 2007 - 4.30 GMT]   
 

The United States froze the assets of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a front organization of the LTTE.
  
The LTTE has been designated by the United States as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization since 2001 and a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997. The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) was designated on November 15 under Executive Order 13224, which is aimed at financially isolating terrorist groups and their support network, said a press release issued by the US Embassy in Colombo yesterday (15).
  
The press release further said:
  
“In the United States, the TRO has raised funds on behalf of the LTTE through a network of individual representatives. According to sources within the organization, the TRO is the preferred conduit of funds from the United States to the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

”The TRO also has facilitated LTTE procurement operations in the United States. Those operations included the purchase of munitions, equipment,
communication devices, and other technology for the LTTE.

”The TRO's efforts worldwide reportedly have allowed the LTTE to use humanitarian aid, which TRO collected for the international community after the December 2004 tsunami, to launch new campaigns to strengthen
LTTE military capacity.”

According to its website, the TRO maintains a headquarters office in Kilinochchi  and operates branch offices throughout Sri Lanka and in seventeen countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The release also said that the “United States continues to support a just, negotiated political settlement to the conflict in Sri Lanka that meets the aspirations of
all communities, including Sri Lanka's Tamils. The U.S. will continue to vigorously support efforts to stop human rights violations against Tamils, including abductions and threats against Tamil journalists.”





  

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Last Updated Date: November 16, 2007 - 4.30 GMT