by: Prof Rajiva Wijesinha

The moral authority that we would all like NGOs concerned with Human Rights to exercise has sadly been eroded in recent years. This has coincided with the apotheosis of such organizations into recognized players on the world stage. Unfortunately, a mechanism designed to enhance their stature has led in many cases to their being prey for skilful lobbyists, anxious to bend their pronouncements to purposes that have little to do with Rights. Countries that can influence such organizations, through funding or more subtle means, have also got into the act, and we find that increasingly organizations that should look after the Rights of all are selective about their pronouncements. Not entirely surprisingly, such selectivity is often at the expense of countries that strive to remain independent of the dominant consensus.

Following their military set back in the face of the Sri Lankan security forces, The LTTE, one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organizations, according to the FBI, has increased its propaganda and fund raising events in the countries in the West. In funding its separatist-terrorist war in Sri Lanka over the past quarter century, the LTTE has largely been dependent on the financial support (obtained often by force) of the Tamil Diaspora in these countries.

Recently, an LTTE front organization, Tamil Art and Culture Organisation in Threau, Switzerland, along with LTTE administered Tamil schools in the area, had staged a drama. This drama had been designed to rouse and inculcate Tamil sentiments and violence among the younger generation of the Tamil Diaspora in Switzerland. The LTTE partisans had tried to do this by making small Tamil children – who were as young as 8 years and have probably never set foot in Sri Lanka where the LTTE is waging its secessionist-terrorist war against the Sri Lankan state-, carry dummies of sophisticated weapons like RPG’s, Mortar tubes, Machine guns, etc. Photographs of this event are given below.