Norwegian support for terrorism

By Mallika Wanigasundara

S L Gunasekera senior Attorney at law and President of the Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya did not mince his words as he veered away somewhat from the topic on which he was down to speak .What was the reason for the hysterical outburst of the Royal [he kept dragging the word] Norwegian government’s Foreign Ministry about a symposium by private citizens? he asked.

Could one explain what caused so much excitement leading to letters to Editors, [ circulated worldwide] says the Sunday Times, a third person note to our Ambassador in Oslo, government statements to the BBCs ‘Sandesaya’[fertile ground for anti-Sri Lankan material] protests to the Defence Ministry about a notice appearing the Army website, and a request to stop the seminar.

There was this strange phenomenon where the allegation was made that the speakers would tell lies about Norway , before the event took place. This was part of the huge pre-publicity bout that the symposium on ‘Norwegian support for LTTE terrorism’ received via the Norwegian government.

The upcoming seminar had three speakers- the main speaker being the Norwegian Falk Rovik founder member of Norwegians Against Terrorism [NAT], Dr Susantha Goonatilleke and S L Gunasekera. The other organizations sponsoring the seminar were the World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka [WAPS}[with 22 affiliated organizations], Sansadaya and SPUR of Australia

Rovik found himself buffeted in a smear campaign which eventually turned out to be a huge propaganda blitz for him. The Norwegian government said Rovik was a loner putting up a one-man show in NAT, and a criminal, which he denied.All three speakers had one common comment to make. They thanked the Norwegian government and the Colombo embassy for the wide publicity the seminar received.The Mahaweli centre hall overflowed into a hall downstairs and political personalities such as Somawansa Amerasinghe and Wimal Weerawansa of the JVP, Champika Ranawake of the JHU and Hemakumara Nanayakkara were present.

If Rovik’s feat was a one man show why all this rumpus, Gunasekera asked.In short Norway denies that she has ever promoted terrorism.Which is what makes Rovik a thorn in the side of the Eric Solheim whom Rovik described as having been a nobody whom the LTTE made into a ‘world renowned’ somebody.Besides, Rovik is an enormous embarrassment for the Norwegian government which poses as peace-makers and conflict resolutionists.The long toll that Rovik provided is too long for a newspaper article, but we could look at some of it.

If you support Norway to support the LTTE you are on the gravy train. Names were mentioned. Two journalists were said to have received 20,000 and 28,000 kroner each.A wellknown politician 8,400,000 NK = Rs 154,547,046; Lawyers for human rights:90,000 NK= Rs 1,655,861;Centre for Policy Alternatives 440,000=Rs8,095,321;National Peace Council 2,072,000 NK=Rs38,121,604; Tamil

Rehabilitation Organisation 15,000,000NK=275,976,869; Tamil Womens organization 2,170,000=29,924,653. Foundation for Co-existance 12 million NK.

Norwegian Tamil Health organization 2,170,000=Rs 39,924,653;National Christian Council 75,000NK=1,379,884.

There are secret funds and for what are they used? To manipulate elections or provide additional funds for the LTTE Rovik wondered.

Rovik said there are 12,000 Tamils in Norway, most of them LTTE’rs or its supporters.The diaspora is hacked to the bone to raise funds for the LTTE and the government turns a blind eye. It is an impressive and highly skilled organised network of intelligence, propaganda work, extortion, and criminal activities which use threats and intimidation on Tamils and creams off funds from social and cultural service projects.The LTTE is quite open about fund raising because they have so much government support Rovik revealed.

Norway’s denials sound hollow against activities like taking 21 LTTErs on state account to one of the best special military camps at Rena to enable them to watch training and demonstrations, take photographs. Norwegian special forces have given military training to Sea Tigers in Thailand at a vital nerve centre. When Christy Reginald Lawrence was caught smuggling powerful weapons, a high powered boat , sonar and global positioning systems a special Norwegian liaison officer was sent to Bangkok and all equipment was taken to Norway.

Norway thinks nothing of glorifying terrorism, says Rovik, by contributing 250,000 kroner towards a film on a Christian Black Tiger woman , made with the help of the Tigers. She disappeared at age12 and graduated to be a romanticised Tiger. It is Norwegian justification of terrorism.A picture was shown of Norwegian Ministers participating at Tiger memorials and fund raising events. There was Prime Minister Stoltenberg, Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen,Education Minister Kristin Clement,and even Justice Minister O E Dorum from this land of impartial facilitators and peaceniks.

Rovik thinks that Sri Lankans who have suffered damage under LTTE terrorism could sue Norway for compensation as in the case of the Lokerbie disaster when families of victims successfully sued Libya.Norway knew that the Tigers were terrorists when they started supporting and funding them. Despite huge increases in LTTE atrocities Norway continued to increase funding and neglected to stop fund raising in Norway.According to Karuna the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo is the paymaster.

Please donot equate the Norwegian people with the Norwegian government, Rovik appealed. They are not well informed about what is happening and they have to be educated he said.

The credit card fraud is very much in the news now and the British have woken up to it.In Norway 5.3 million kroner have been stolen through stolen credit cards and is nowhere to be found.It has been done with co-operation between the LTTE, the mafia and the underworld.It has spread its tentacles worldwide to the UK,Lebanon, Kenya, Canada,Sweden.One cadre who was arrested had with him 5000 credit cards.In one pizza joint one dinner cost them 65,000 korner! The crime network is huge and Norway has rewarded these criminals with tax payers money, Rovik said.

Want a passport? You could get a Norwegian passport through the LTTE. In this land of great protection for all LTTE crime charges are played down. The District Attorney did his best to soften the sentences for the suspects, Heeman Nyhusmoen a police officer and Mike Daniel Jeya who were caught in the passport robbery.. The National Crime Investigation Service says that only 95,000 passports have gone missing. This figure is put at 132,294 by Ronald K Noble of Interpol.

Solheim does not return calls of non-LTTE leaders or to the Sinhalese but participates in LTTE conferences, memorials etc.In a Norwegian newspaper ‘Dagsavisen’he said on Sept 11 2006 that the LTTE would never by classified as a terrorist organization in Norway.But when asked he defined terrorism as ‘planned attacks on citizens.’

The Tigers effective spin is faltering said Rovik. The LTTE has been banned in many countries, though not effectively enforced. Its members and supporters have been arrested for arms rackets money laundering and bribes.NAT has a variety of documents, affidavits and evidence on LTTE crimes and it is tracing more and more information, he said.

This is Norway’s new imperialism, said Dr Susantha Goonatillake.Norway is attempting to be a proxy master here, he said.This interference was seen in our internal affairs in the 1990s when Jon Westborg then head of Red Barna helped settle thousands of estate Tamils in the Wanni, who now provide the core of LTTE cadres.

It is quite evident that Norway tries to manipulate the public,politicians,institutions and political structures through heavy funding of NGOs.It is easy to establish links between the Peace Corps, Norway, the LTTE and Tiger Fronts, he explained.He spoke of the activities of several of these NGOs – Young Asia which does some good programs but is found to be talking of two flags, two national anthems.

He analysed the attempt at a comprehensive infiltration of power structures, the state, intelligence services, the military, business, media, religious organizations by these NGOs funded by Norway.He went into the activities of NGOs such as International Alert,National Peace Council, Foundation for co-existence etc. Details too long to be recorded here could be found in his book ‘Recolonisation –Foreign –funded NGOs in Sri Lanka’ the publication of which one NGO activist tried to stop.

The National Peace Council described as a war front for propaganda is shown for its strange stands on war and peace. Jehan Perera chief spokesman for the NPC called on the country to cow down to India during the IPKF incursion.He has talked of ‘shared sovereignty’ and ‘two near states’.Kumar Rupasinghe of Internationa Alert called on the army to halt its campaign to take over Jaffna and requested the UN to intervene. Berghoff Foundation another interloping foreign NGO has attempted to interfere with the very shape of the Sri Lankan state, downsize the army, remake the Air force and bring it under foreign control, says Goonatillake.Suggesting security sector reform Berghoff advocates ‘ deminlitarisation, demobilization and disarmament ‘ for Sri Lanka. Lie down and die, that’s it.

‘Rightsize the political and economic role of the military’, says Berghoff and it has been contemplating a restructuring of the Sri Lanka state through an interim arrangement which it designs to execute through a small group of NGOs! Which is why one should have a look at the Norwegian constitution, which Goonatillake advocated some time ago we should imitate for it characteristics, which are condemned now in this country as anti-multiculturism and feudal.

The Norwegian Constitution lays down the Evangelist Lutherean religion as the state religion.The King who holds executive power must be of that religion and he must uphold and protect that religion.The majority of members of the Kings Council must be of that sect. Any foreign organisation can interfere in the internal affairs of the state only if it receives three fourths approval from Parliament.Until recently Sami [Lapp] children were discouraged from learning their language and the Sami Language is banned in church, records Goonatillake in his book

Sri Lanka is often criticized for giving Buddhism the ‘foremost position’ under the Constitution, by the very acolytes who sing hosannas for Norway.

Sri Lanka gets a pittance as aid from Norway said some speakers. We should refuse to take aid from Norway, they advised.