Aussie Tiger broadcast: “Kill Sinhalese!” “Chop Sinhalese to pieces!”

From our Correspondent

(August 15, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) Yesterday a Melbourne-based radio, 3CR (Community Radio), run by the sole representative of the Tamil Tigers in Australia, S. Sebanesan, brazenly broadcast direct reports from Tiger cadres in the Vanni calling for the blood of the Sinhalese.

The voice casts screamed: “We will kill the Sinhalese!” “We will chop the Sinhalese to pieces!”

The broadcast was designed to win support for the Tiger terrorists, partially banned in Australia, and also to collect more funds from the Tamil diaspora in Australia.

Mr. Sebanesan is a public servant working in the Tax Department.

Sri Lankan organizations in Australia are complaining that these broadcasts incite racial hatred which is not conducive for peaceful co-existence in a multi-cultural society like Australia.

Mr. Ranjith Soysa, spokesperson for Melbourne-based SPUR, told the Sri Lanka Guardian, that this kind of racial vilification and incitement of racial hatred is not acceptable. He added: “We have complained several times to the authorities in Australia but they have failed to take any remedial steps to stop these broadcasts. It is against the code of ethics for broadcasters and despite several protests no effective steps have been taken to promote communal harmony.

“The situation is made worse coming from a community radio. There are signs that the Sinhalese community is disturbed by this kind of racial vilification. We are trying to keep the community calm and urging our community not to react negatively to blatant acts of racial incitement. But if anything happens the Australian government should be held repsonbile for not taking appropriate action in time,” he said.

These broadcasts are made primarily to promote the fund-raising campaigns of the Tamil Tigers in Australia. As head of the Tamil Tigers in Australia Sebanesan spearheads these campaigns, according to Tamil sources. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary told the media that 30% of the funding for Tamil Tigers come from Australia. Jane’s Weekly reported this week that the Tamil Tigers agents collect $200 – 300 million annually.

Mr. Soysa said that fund raising too is illegal. “However,” he said, “Police and other authorities are helpless because the Australia government has not banned the Tamil Tigers comprehensively for the law enforcement authorities to crack down on illegal broadcasting and fund-raising. Australia has banned the Tigers only under international law and not under domestic law.”

He commented: “Under UN Security Council Resolution 1373 Australia has an obligation to take more stringent measures to curtail broadcasts that glorify terrorism, vilify other communities, incite racial hatred and use public radios and media to raise funds for terrorism. The failure of the government to take more vigilant and pro-active measures against Tamil Tiger operations on Australian soil is most regrettable.”

Dr. Gamani Goonetilleke, a spokesperson for Veera Parakarama Foundation, a NSW-based Sri Lankan Organisation, confirmed that more action is required from the Australian government to stop covert and overt Tiger operations in Australia. He said that the situation can get worse as the Sri Lankan Forces close in on the Tiger headquarters in the Vanni in Sri Lanka. He added: “They are desperate and they are hitting in all directions. But this is no reason why the Tiger agents should provoke the Sri Lankans in Australia with their hate broadcasts.”

Dr. Goonetilleke said that New Zealand is the latest to stop grants given to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), a Tamil Tiger front banned in USA, UK etc. NZ government decided to stop grants after ONE News exposed the TRO activities.

According to 'ONE News', the New Zealand government had given the NZ TRO over $120,000.

"The New Zealand TRO will not get any government money while it's on the U.S blacklist" New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was quoted by news agencies as saying.

TRO has been banned in several European countries after been observed that the group was pumping funds collected from the Sri Lankan

Mr. Ranjith Soysa said that despite the ban on Tamil Tigers Australian Council for Foreign Aid (ACFID) insists on keeping TRO as a member. He explained that representations have been made to ACFID about ACFID violating its own rules in enrolling TRO as one of its members. But they have turned a deaf ear due presumably to high pressure from some of the pro-Tiger Christian NGOs and other allied activists.

Dr. Goonetilleke said that the Australian government has all the evidence provided by Sri Lankan government sources, official sources in Australia and the Sri Lanka community organisations to take effective step to control Tamil Tiger activities in Australia.

“Australia’s inaction is detrimental to harmonious relations among communities here and also with Sri Lanka, a significant market in the Indian Ocean Rim for Australian products and investors,” said Dr. Goonetilleke.
- Sri Lanka Guardian