Should Norwegian money bags be our conscience? Or, should Norway be held responsible for the LLTE ‘s killings?
Posted on November 16th, 2011
Ranjith Soysa
The study conducted on Norway Peace Plan has revealed many issues which will be vital for the present and future policy makers of Sri Lanka. While some Sri Lankan politicians, many members of the business fraternity and all the foreign funded NGOs including a number of journalists supported the Norwegian peace treaty, the majority of the Sri Lankan people clearly understood the hidden agenda of the Vikings.
One of the important areas which was not discussed in detail in the study referred to was the dubious role played by Norway in her attempt to help directly the establishment of LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Eelam and provide legitimacy to the LTTE.
In a memorandum addressed to the UN Counter Terrorism Committee on 9 Oct 2004, by the World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka comprising 17 organizations based in a number countries, a request was made to probe NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s role as the country has acted in violation of UN Resolution 1373 (2001) By that resolution, Norway was obliged to a) criminalize the wilful provision or collection of funds for terrorism
b) freeze resources of persons who commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts
c) prevent the financing of terrorism d)prohibit their nationals or any other persons within their territories from making funds, finances et available to terrorists.
The memorandum queried whether a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-state/facilitatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ can place itself above international law in the name of peace and open the doors to terrorism and its related activities within its borders. It stated that NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s entry as a state/facilitator has been compromised by its refusal to abide by the legal provisions expressed in Resolution1373.
The WAPS letter provided detailed information about NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s direct and indirect assistance to the LTTE and its front organizations. The names and addresses of 7 LTTE fronts active in Oslo such as Tamil Co-ordinating Committee, TRO, Tamil Development Front ,Tamil Sangam Norge , Tamilsk Resurs-og V, Tamilsk Ungdoms Forum, Tamilsk Kvinne Org were included in the letter.
Based on research carried out by the WAPS the funds donated by the Oslo Municipality and the Central Government for the years 2001 and 2002 to the LTTE fronts were mentioned. The total amount was in the region of 2 million Kr. The funds remitted by the LTTE fronts based in Norway and funds sent thro Oslo by fronts in the adjacent countries in the year was in the region of 93 million Kr. It was also a well known fact that Oslo acted as the banking centre for the LTTE .
The memo quoted Col KarunaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s interview with Tamil Broadcasting Corporation reported on 18.8 2004 in which he confirmed how the Norwegians helped the LTTE with regard to banking activities.
In addition to above, the memorandum also indicated following instances of direct Norwegian support to the LTTE.
1 Norwegian connection to the building of a submarine for the LTTE in Phuket.
2. Norway Government officials accompanying the LTTE representatives to Rene special forces camp in Norway.
3 Norway Government representatives including K.M,Bondevik , Prime Minister, Minister Erna Solberg, officials Eric Solheim , Lisa Goldberg were present at public meetings where PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s photographs were displayed. At the meeting where the above VIPs present, V.Balakumaran. , the trainer of suicide bombers spoke and threatened that any person opposing the LTTE will be killed.
4 The Norwegian Government ignored the Police reports on the LTTE activities in Norway. ( report quoted was the one complied by Widar Brathen of Norwegian Police forwarded to Internal Security Department. The report discussed in detail the location of weapons depots, purchase of arms, visa frauds , acts of human smuggling of the LTTE )
5. NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s donation of Hi-Tech Radio Equipment to the LTTE.
The memorandum concluded its report by stating that the member states cannot be fireman at the UN agreeing to anti-terrorism conventions and simultaneously be pyromaniacs at home supporting the terrorists
In short, Norway must be held responsible for the strengthening the LTTE killing machine. Before, Norway attempt to cleanse her hands and the image by merely browsing a few issues, it is the duty of the Sri Lanka Government and her people to to investigate and record all facts and ignore none. The real role played by Norway should be a chapter in our history books so that the Nation will never allow herself to be pushed to a suicidal peace trap.
Ranjith Soysa
November 16th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Excellent article by Ranjith. It is time GOSL appoint a panel to investigate who funded terrorism and who supplied arms and provided training to terrorists. Western Governments have openly turned a blind eye to fund raising activities of terrorists and also have favoured Tamils. It is time to claim compensation.
November 16th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Yes.
Norway is trying to wash it’s bloody hands off!
GOSL must demand compensation.
November 17th, 2011 at 1:50 am
There is no Question Norway Socialists and other western countries supported Tamil terrorists.
According to a recent report Solheim met RAW and Tamil terrorists at the Airport in New Delhi during the “peace process”
Nordic countries came to the scene much later after the Third Eye trained and armed the Tamil terrorists. India might have made the Nordic countries follow its lead.
Remeber India source a lot of defence technology and armaments from these countries, remeber the Bolfour scandal to understand the scale of these activities.
November 17th, 2011 at 2:58 am
Dear Ranjith Soysa!
Thanks so much for your article. Norway was asked to leave Sri Lanka and was also accused of supporting tamil tigers. Even after leaving Sri lanka, this so called man from Norway is still trying to spoon feed how Norway helped Sri lanka. Norway actually helped prolong the war against a legitimage Sovereign Govt. of Sri lanka.
No person in right mind will entertain this type of false prpoganda to get into good books of Sri Lanka when they failed miserabley with the tacit support of India to bring any peace in the Island nation. When they refer to Int. Community it means INDIA & its RAW the intelligence arm.
As Pakistan says INDIAs inteliigence arm is more powerful than the Govt. of India itself, and responsible for major problems facing India & her neighbours.
I say get rid of all of them. PEACE! we will decide WHEN & HOW NOT the Int: Community. Thanks again for your valuable contribution. Concerned ex-patriate…Gamunu Alahakkone. (Retired Engineer- Canada)
November 17th, 2011 at 4:21 am
Thank you Ranjith for focusing on this vital aspect of Norwegian meddling in SL. Norway would like to make everyone believe that their interest in SL was purely humanitarian – but the truth is far from that. They were interested primarily in two things for themselves: (a) To elevate Norway as a Global Player in international Politics from their present position of a simple nonentity and (b) in the long term to have access to the SL maritime resources via the LTTE. Norway is a global technology leader in fishing,Oil, Gas and mineral recovery from the seabed and via Elam and the LTTE they would have had the rights to all these resources if SL got divided. That includes significant titanium -bearing ilmenite deposits. (Titanium is recognized for its high strength-to-weight ratio). And most SL geologists were Tamils and they knew that too. So now we know!!
Fine if Norway wants to pay back SL, they indeed should do so to expiate their sins for all the damage caused by their encouragement of the LTTE. But SL should insist that all such payments be defined as WAR REPARATIONS to be acceptable to SL – S de Silva – London
November 17th, 2011 at 5:08 am
Norwayy (Solheim is a Socialist of Norway) was not acting alone, but under the direction of Indian Intelligence Service the Third Eye. The RAW is the visible instrument of the Third Eye.
Norway provided sophiticated communication equipment to the Tamil terrorists.
India is a major buyer of tecnology from Norway.
India has benefited most from Ceylon sice thier arrival from 1792.
When you are in Ceylon go for a walk in Pettah and Fortand losten and look.
Then go to a remote village and look and listen and you will understand who is behind the woes of Ceylon.
November 17th, 2011 at 5:10 am
India ois a very cunning operator.
See who wrote the Darusman report.
Yasmin Sooka an Indian lady from KwaZulu Natal of South Africa.
November 17th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Ranjith – Thank you for discussing a very important political issue that deals directly with Sri Lanka. The study report is titled “Pawns of Peace” and it has evaluated the peace efforts in Sri Lanka from 1997 to 2009. According to a report issued by Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (Norad) a total sum of 2.5 billion NOK ($ 366m) has been granted to Sri Lanka. This money has been provided to the Sri Lanka Government, Norwegian and Sri Lankan non governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Tamil Tigers.
The “Pawns of Peace” report (as reported) says, that the funds provided to majority Sri Lankan NGOs have been properly dispersed. But it continues to say that one important “exception” is that of Milinda Moragoda Inst. together with the Indian NGOs Horison and Sarvatra. As per a seperate report produced by Norwegians Against Terrorism (NAT) in 01/14/2007 Mr. Milinda Moragoda Inst.( a UNP Minister and a facilitator of the CFA) received 8.4 million NOK (1.2 million US dollars.) So you will now see that this is the “exception” that Pawns of Peace cannot explain to the public how that money was utilised. Incidentally you will remember that Mr. Moragoda was one of the architects
of a document called “Oslo Declaration” whcih spelled out a Federal solution to Sri Lanka and later the CFA. According to recent admissions by Erik Solheim this “Oslo Declaration” was not a public document, but was presented to Anton Balasingham and rejected by Pirapakaran of LTTE. Next came the CFA and we all know what it was.. and what followed from there onwards till 2009.
However in exclusive words of this enemy of Sri Lanka Erik Solheim “only Gotabhaya thought military victory was possible. To that extent all these traitors and enemies of our country have resolved to carve out the map of Sri Lanka into two parts and as drafted by the LTTE.
Today where is this Mr. Milinda Moragod? He is presently representing the Government at a seminar followed by the launch of the evaluation report of the Norwegion Peace Efforts in Sri Lanka. In short he is the Government nominee at this seminar. I do not know what importance our Government has in this process of evaluations, other than to evaluate and investigate to what extent the Sri Lankan authorities had in securing such large sums of money in the name of a “Peace Deal” and institute legal proceedings if found wanting in accountability.
The worse is not this. Being a Government nominee or the representative, Mr. Moragoda says on the sidelines of an event in Oslo: “We stand at a critical point. We have an opportunity to make our future; either Sri Lanka could lay the foundation for a prosperous future OR POTENTIALLY SOW THE SEEDS FOR ANOTHER CONFLICT. How are Sri Lankans going to evaluate this statement, bearing in mind the vital role he played that led to the CFA beteen the then Government of which he was a Minister and the Tamil Tigers? Recently he was the nominee to the post of Mayor of the capital city, Colombo and he ended up being the Leader of the Opposition. In addition, he is also an “Advisor to the HE President”.
Can you fathom where we are heading. Are we in capable , honourable, trustworthy hands to protect ourselves?
I doubt it very much. Is this the next step of “infiltration” by Norway to regain their lost glory? Is it also to cover up the corruption that prevailed from 1997 to 2009. Upto you. Please discuss it. Thank you.
November 17th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
douglas
I think we are (as you said) SOWING THE SEEDS FOR ANOTHER CONFLICT.
Milinda was bribed to do what he did with the CFA. I simply cannot understand the stupidity of engaging him again with Norway.
I have more respect for Gotabhaya now after the enemy admitted to his heroism.
People were with him. People always beleived this had a military solution.
November 17th, 2011 at 6:05 pm
After study of LLRC report by President Mahinda Rajapaksa should appoint a commission to investigate who funded terrorism and who supplied arms and provided training to terrorists. This include India. Milinda Moragoda is a grandson of N.U. Jayawardena. Sri Lankans have not forgotten NU’s activities as the Central Bank Governor,Businessman and Sampath Bank founder etc. So Moragoda is not second to grandfather.