British Minister vows to clamp down on LTTE activities in the UK

Courtesy The Island 17-02-2007

British Minister vows to clamp down on LTTE activities in the UK

The visiting British Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Minister Dr. Kim Howells said the British Government will take stringent measures to clamp down on activities of the LTTE on British soil. He expressed deep concern at the terror tactics adopted by the LTTE agents in the UK for fundraising purposes and vowed stern action would be taken soon to curb these activities. " We have a large number of around 200,000 Tamils living in the United Kingdom and they feel threatened by these thugs, who go around shops, homes and demand money," he had said in interview with APTN television journalist, the Presidential Secretariat Media Division said yesterday (16).

Dr. Howell has expressed profound concern over the atrocities committed by the LTTE violations of human rights, abduction of children and students, murder and extra-judicial killings among other offences which he pointed out as unacceptable to any democratically elected government to overlook.

"The abduction of children and ordinary citizens is an obnoxious act. It is the prime responsibility of any democratically elected government to look after the welfare and safety of its citizens.

"I have been encouraging everyone to take this matter very seriously," he said.

Dr. Howell in his three day tour of the country held talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday (16). Ministers, the Eastern Commander Maj. Gen. Parakrama Pannipitiya of the Sri Lanka Army, whom Dr. Howell lauded as a highly civilized and intelligent individual, who had well understood the potential dangers of human rights violations, the Presidential Media Division said.

The British minister had been optimistic of their role and offering their services on the request of the British Premier Tony Blair in the quest for a lasting solution and peace in the ethnic conflict. In the backdrop of their vast experience of over thirty years dealing with the Irish Republican Terrorists in Northern Ireland, the media division said. (L de S.)