At least seven suspected LTTE cadres have been arrested in The Netherlands, the BBC reported quoting Sri Lankan Ambassador there Grace Asirvathan.
The arrests show the LTTE international network has become vulnerable. For several months since the military decimation of the LTTE and death of its leader Velupillai Prabakaran in May last year, Colombo has been maintaining that the international network has largely remained intact and urging global cooperation in dismantling it.
Though the LTTE is a banned outfit or under the watch list in 30 countries, it is believed to have a strong network of operatives particularly in the West.
As per the BBC , the arrests came after an intensive study of the LTTE banned activities in the country. It quoted The Netherlands National Criminal office as saying 16 residences and businesses were searched in the operation and computers, paperwork, phones, documents, photos, DVDs and €40,000 were seized.
“Among the suspects are the leaders of various organisations of Tamils in The Netherlands, which probably play a role in the international network of the LTTE,” it quoted the Justice Ministry as saying.
Leaders of the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC), the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), the Tamil Women Organisation (TWO) and the Tamil Arts and Cultural Organization Netherlands (TKCO), are believed to be among the suspects.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a statement said after a gap of three weeks, the Sri Lankan government has resumed resettlement of the war displaced Tamil civilians.
“Following this, some 7,000 internally displaced people [IDPs] have returned to the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu,” said the agency.
Over 207,000 internally displaced have left camps in the north and east of the country since the organised return process began in August last year. “People are returning to areas which suffered major destruction”.
Each returning family is being provided with a shelter cash grant of 25,000 rupees and more than 40,000 families had already received the grant by March.
“In the past month we were forced to temporarily suspend this assistance due a funding shortfall, but thanks to recent generous contributions by donors, UNHCR will be restarting the shelter cash grants by the end of the week,” said the statement.
