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CANADIAN ALLIANCE CHALLENGES THE LIBERAL PARTY GOVT. FOR NOT OUTLAWING THE TAMIL TIGER FRONT -FACT

By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

Canada's main opposition party The Canadian Alliance challenged the Liberal Party government of Prime minister Jean Chretien for not including a well known front organization of the Tamil Tigers, the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils in the list of terrorist organizations outlawed November 7.

Canada's leading newspaper, the Toronto Star reported the Alliance Finance critic, Jason Kenney as suggesting that political reasons were behind the absence of the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT) in the list of organizations just outlawed by the country as terrorist organizations.

The Canadian Security Iintelligence Service (CSIS) has called FACT, a front of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Jason Kenney charged that it was "problematic" for the government to ban FACT, whose Toronto dinner was attended by Finance Minister Paul Martin and Minister for International Cooperation, Maria Minna 17 months ago.

Speaking in the Canadian Commons Jason Kenney said the assets of the FACT should be frozen, "not withstanding the finance Minister's support for that organization."

He said Martin and Minna should not support FACT, which has been recognized as a front organization both by Canada's equivalent of the CIA, the CISI and the US State Department.

The Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail quoted Kenney of having said , " It's no shame to say that they made a mistake. Perhaps they can say they were not fully informed about the nature of FACT when they attended that dinner, back away and apologize. But put FACT on the list."

Jason Kenney said that he did not make the allegation against FACT but he repeated government information.

The Globe and Mail said in a document filed before the Supreme Court of Canada this year, federal lawyers alleged that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is a terrorist organization and the FACT is one of several "political and benevolent front organizations which support the LTTE"

The Globe and Mail quoted the government lawyers of having stated that the Tigers 'raises money by relying upon the willing or the unwilling expatriate communities abroad, such as the large number of Tamil refugees in Canada."

The Toronto Star reported that speaking for Martin, junior Finance Minister Jim Peterson refused to answer the question directly.

The Globe and mail quoted a Liberal MP John McCay as saying it was a slam dank putting the Tamil Tigers on the terrorist list. He reportedly said, "It's fund raising efforts here by FACT that is more problematic."

Meanwhile the National Post said the Canadian Security and intelligence Service has reported that there are eight non-profit organizations in Canada acting as Tamil Tiger fronts. The National Post also said police arrested 53 members of two Tamil gangs in Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener and Windsor. It said forty are being held on immigration warrants after many were found with illegal weapons.

Meanwhile sources in Sri Lankan organizations in Toronto alleged that rarely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam handle directly the millions of dollars collected there to bankroll the Sri Lankan terrorist activities. So, they pointed out that there was no question of their assets facing any danger of getting frozen. They said it was the front organizations that handle the terrorist financing and this law has not touched them. They alleged even organizations like FACT in the aftermath of the September 11 attack were believed to have removed their money and invested them under various other organizations. New organizations like Canadian Tamil Congress have also been organized, they alleged.

Tonda McCharles of the Ottawa Bureau of the Toronto Star reported quoting unnamed sources that during the recent review of what actions Canada should take to suppress terrorism and terrorist financing , finance minister Paul Martin wanted to have a say in which organizations got placed on Canada's list. "But officials say officials in other departments resisted.'

The report further stated, "The list is approved by cabinet on the advise of CSIS and foreign Affairs, said Asst. Deputy minister of Financial Institutions Yvon Roy. Asked why FACT is not on this list, Roy said, "I do not know".

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan expatriate sources indicated that a more meaningful list of terrorist organizations, with their relevant front organizations could appear in Canada after Canadian parliament's own terrorism bill C 36 finally becomes law soon. According to them the banning of the LTTE was just a beginning.

Intelligence sources believe although the LTTE is banned in Britain and the USA large amounts of money are still being collected in those countries for Sri Lanka's terrorism. Legislation without strict enforcement does not help, critics say.

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