Tiger-funded trip?
Here is an interesting story about Illinois Congressman Danny Davis' trip to Sri Lanka, allegedly paid for by the LTTE (Tamil Tigers).
Fundraising by the Tigers is common in places where there are relatively large populations of Tamils. And giving money to them isn't always voluntary either, particularly if you have family or loved ones in Sri Lanka.
And, with the role that the Tigers play in the north and northeast of Sri Lanka, both defending the area and building it up, contributing to healthcare, education and other social welfare efforts, the line between contributing to the Tigers, and contributing to the welfare of Tamils in the region becomes somewht blurry. And so does the line between what contributions are coming from a bonafide Tamil organization and what's coming from the Tigers.
After the tsunami, there was much concern in Sri Lanka that the government was not properly distributing relief aid to Tiger-controlled areas in the northeast that were hardest hit. Davis traveled to Sri Lanka to investigate. Whether his trip did any good is a different story. And so is whether he should have accepted the junket.
But, when he says that he didn't know the money came from the Tigers, he should be believed. Because, while there are many bonafide independent Tamil expat groups around the world, there are others that are little more than thinly-veiled fronts for the group. And it is often difficult to distinguish between the two.
And this incident should not discourage visits by other foreign politicians and diplomats, particularly with the recent withdrawals of Sweden, Denmark and Finland from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which was helping hold together the fragile peace there, and with the escalating tensions.
If the world withdraws because of such incidents, the fate of the innocents dying daily there will only get worse -- after all, it was partly because the eyes of the world rested on the island for a bit that the ceasefire itself managed to last for as long as it did.
Fundraising by the Tigers is common in places where there are relatively large populations of Tamils. And giving money to them isn't always voluntary either, particularly if you have family or loved ones in Sri Lanka.
And, with the role that the Tigers play in the north and northeast of Sri Lanka, both defending the area and building it up, contributing to healthcare, education and other social welfare efforts, the line between contributing to the Tigers, and contributing to the welfare of Tamils in the region becomes somewht blurry. And so does the line between what contributions are coming from a bonafide Tamil organization and what's coming from the Tigers.
After the tsunami, there was much concern in Sri Lanka that the government was not properly distributing relief aid to Tiger-controlled areas in the northeast that were hardest hit. Davis traveled to Sri Lanka to investigate. Whether his trip did any good is a different story. And so is whether he should have accepted the junket.
But, when he says that he didn't know the money came from the Tigers, he should be believed. Because, while there are many bonafide independent Tamil expat groups around the world, there are others that are little more than thinly-veiled fronts for the group. And it is often difficult to distinguish between the two.
And this incident should not discourage visits by other foreign politicians and diplomats, particularly with the recent withdrawals of Sweden, Denmark and Finland from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which was helping hold together the fragile peace there, and with the escalating tensions.
If the world withdraws because of such incidents, the fate of the innocents dying daily there will only get worse -- after all, it was partly because the eyes of the world rested on the island for a bit that the ceasefire itself managed to last for as long as it did.
posted by Anonymous at 9:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home