Exile backlash against Tigers

A petition signed by over 9,000 US residents to the US State Department in early April has accused the LTTE of regular extortion from expatriate Sri Lankan communities. The petition calls on the US government to prohibit Tiger fund-raising and to close pro-LTTE offices.

The LTTE enjoys widespread support within the expatriate Tamil community in the West, but observers say many Tamils are being forced to toe the line. Tamils taking neutral or anti-LTTE views are increasingly coming under pressure.

The Toronto Tamil weekly Munchari, edited by Sri Lankan journalist DBS Jeyaraj was forced to close down after threats and violence. Mr Jeyaraj blames the pro-LTTE World Tamil Movement (WTM) in Canada. WTM coordinator Manickavasagam Suresh denies involvement. Mr Suresh is currently in detention charged under Canadian immigration laws of membership of LTTE, a group engaged in terrorism.

Thousands of Tamils demonstrating outside the Swiss Parliament in Berne on 27 April against Operation Sunray II also demanded the release of top Tiger representative Nadarajah Muraleetharan. Swiss police detained him and five others for violence against other Tamils.

The International Communist Party says LTTE supporters attacked its members distributing the party's Tamil newspaper in Paris on 12 March causing serious injuries. Reports say over 50 LTTE supporters attacked a Socialist Party May Day rally in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The Sri Lankan government has agreed to renew the January 1994 agreement with Switzerland for repatriation of Tamil refugees. In the last year 6% of over 17,000 refugees arriving in Switzerland were Tamils. Only 279 of the 23,000 Tamil asylum applicants have been given refugee status.

Western governments are taking tough measures against asylum-seekers. The rate for humanitarian leave to remain for Sri Lankans in Britain has fallen from over 90% in 1993 to less than 10% in 1995. New asylum rules have imposed restrictions on asylum-seekers claiming welfare. In mid-April the High Court ordered the Home Secretary to reconsider new asylum applications of two Tamils made after fresh violence in Colombo.

As conflict escalates, Sri Lankans continue to flee the island. Six Tamil asylum-seekers drowned near Lampedusa Island south of Sicily on 25 April. Fourteen others were saved by a Dutch ship.

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