CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

MELBOURNE COURT TOLD HOW TAMIL TIGERS IN AUSTRALIA RAISED MILLIONS IN THE NAME OF TSUNAMI VICTIMS

By Walter Jayawardhana

A Melbourne Court was told three men raised funds in Australia for terrorist activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the guise it was for charitable purposes including for the victims of the devastating Tsunami of 2004 to the tune of millions of Australian Dollars.

The prosecution told the judge about raising funds for the LTTE also known as the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka by the three men when Arun Vinayagamoorthy (33) of Mount Waverly, Sivarajah Yathavan (36) of Vermont South, and Arumugam Rajeevan (41) of Old Toongabbie of Sydney’s West appeared at the Melbourne Magistrate Court on Thursday September 13 for the start of their committal hearing.

The charge sheet against them said all were members of a terrorist organization and they made funds available for a terrorist organization and other related offences.
The prosecution alleged that the accused used the Melbourne-based Tamil Coordinating Committee between 2001 and 2005 to raise funds for the LTTE.

Between 2001 and 2005, Commonwealth Prosecutor Mark Dean SC, told the magistrate, Australian Dollars 1.9 million was deposited into a bank account for the Tamil Coordinating Committee. He said Australian Dollars 1.2 million was withdrawn in cash and utilized to buy electronic and other equipment for the terrorist activities of the LTTE.

The prosecutor told the judge the accused hoodwinked the people by telling that the funds were collected for the 2004 Tsunami victims and other charitable purposes before that.

State Counsel Mark Dean told the judge that the accused men were principle partners of the Tamil Tiger’s Australian branch and they maintained constant contact with the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

Dean alleged that the LTTE is one of the most sophisticated and deadly terrorist groups in the world and is widely involved in suicide bombings and political and military assassinations in the Indian ocean island republic of Sri Lanka.

He said during interviews with the police the accused denied being members of the LTTE or any links between the Tamil Coordinating Committee and the Tamil Tigers. The hearing before Magistrate Peter Rearson continues.

Disclaimer: The comments contained within this website are personal reflection only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the LankaWeb. LankaWeb.com offers the contents of this website without charge, but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions expressed within. Neither the LankaWeb nor the individual authors of any material on this Web site accept responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused (including through negligence), which you may directly or indirectly suffer arising out of your use of or reliance on information contained on or accessed through this Web site.
All views and opinions presented in this article are solely those of the surfer and do not necessarily represent those of LankaWeb.com. .

BACK TO LATEST NEWS

DISCLAIMER