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NPA says LTTE robbed its vehicles and ensures every
effort to secure their return
The controversial International Non Governmental
Organization (INGO), Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) in a letter to
Secretary Defence today (July 28), has informed that few of its vehicles
had been forcibly taken over by the LTTE terrorists "few days" back and
it had taken "Serious Action" to "recover these assets and prevent
further recurrences". The INGO has finally decided to inform this
incident to the Ministry of Defence, as a "response" to the revelation
made by the defence.lk on Sunday (July 27). (LTTE terrorists use INGO
vehicles for military activities - Kilinochchi)
The NPA states, without giving an exact date on which
the LTTE had "stolen" nine of its heavy vehicles including; one
excavator earth moving vehicle, one tractor with water bowser trailer,
one Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep, one Tata Pickup vehicle, one Mitsubishi
Canter twin-cab vehicle, two Ashok Leyland Trucks, one Tata 407 mini
truck, and one Tata water tanker. Further, it states that it has no
complicity with the terror group over this act of "theft".
The NPA expresses its "grave concerns" over the
revelation made by the defence.lk but obviously not about the alleged
"theft", complaining our news item it was written in a way "to insinuate
compliance" on the part of their organization "in this act carried out
by the LTTE". The letter signed by Mr. William Atkins, the Resident
Representative of NPA - Sri Lanka, has requested the Defence Secretary's
assistance "in correcting the inaccuracies and false innuendo reported
in the said article on the Ministry of Defence website".
While conveying our regrets to the NPA over any hurt
that our revelation may have caused to the expatriate and other staff of
the INGO, we would like to point out that we had only reported the facts
we received from a very reliable source in Wanni. As the NPA officials
had chosen not to report the incident to the Ministry of Defence, Public
Security, Law and Order of Sri Lanka or any law enforcement agency, for
reasons best known to it, we were in the dark whether the said vehicles
were taken "forcibly" or not. Hence, in our article we had only
mentioned that the vehicles were "obtained" by the LTTE since the
vehicles are now actually in the possession of the terrorist outfit. We
purposefully refrained from making any comments over any possible
indulgence that NPA officials might have had with the terrorists as no
impartial inquiry would be possible in the area concerned. In fairness,
we also reported what our sources said that the INGO claims the vehicles
were taken over by the terrorist outfit; which is confirmed the NPA's
letter. Therefore, we request the INGO officials to understand the fact
that the said report was not written with any intention to offend them,
and that there was certainly no false innuendo in it.
Nevertheless, we admit that there was a difference
between the number of vehicles indicated by our source and the number
claimed by the INGO. It should be noted that our source had based its
reports on its observation rather than verifying the facts with the
LTTE, which would have been unrealistic. Also, nine heavy vehicles mean
a considerably large fleet for a terror outfit, and there is no
exaggeration over the seriousness of the incident on our part. Had the
NPA officials understood the seriousness of the situation and realized
the importance of reporting the incident to the ministry of defence or
any other law enforcement authority in the country, no sooner the
alleged forcible removal of the vehicles took place, we would have
reported the facts, as now stated. Indeed, we are grateful to the INGO
officials for having finally decided to inform the Ministry of Defence
about this matter.
According to the INGO, the theft had been suddenly
discovered by an NPA expatriate operating from separate office situated
in the same Kilinochchi town after several days of the theft. The
vehicles had been utilised under the mine action program of the NPA and
at the time of the theft they were stored at the NPA Mine action
compound under its local staff.
The NPA arrived in Sri Lanka in 2002 with the CFA and
carried out mine clearing operations in uncleared areas up to January
2008. The NPA claimed that it had taken considerable efforts to move its
assets to the cleared areas but failed as the LTTE obstructed the
process and the government did not give permission to its expatriate
staff to visit uncleared areas.
The NPA, however informed the theft of vehicles in a
letter to the Ministry of Nation Building and Infrastructure Development
on Thursday (July 24) without mentioning any LTTE involvement with the
incident. Thus, the defence.lk was unaware about any connection between
the report they received from Wanni and the NPA's letter to the Nation
Building Ministry.
NPA in its letter to the Ministry of Defence has
informed that three vehicles, i.e. one Ashok Leyland Truck, one Tata 407
mini truck, and on Tafe Tractor had been returned. Now, the NPA has
openly stated its objection to the LTTE, and also calls for an immediate
return of its property and cessation of such acts of misappropriation of
INGO assets by the terror outfit.
While appreciating the above statement, we would like
to highlight the fact that these assets are now in the hands of a
world's most barbaric terrorist outfit and are being used for terrorists
activities against citizens of Sri Lanka. The Defence Ministry has
throughout maintained its position that the INGO staffs have no power to
protect their assets in areas under the clutches of terror. The Ministry
has on several occasions requested the relevant NGOs and INGOs not to
take excessive assets to the uncleared areas knowing the possibility
that terrorists may misuse them. However, some INGO's and NGO's did not
accept this realty but went on misinterpreting the Ministry's position
as an attempt to restrict their activities. We consider the NPA's
incident is an excellent example of such misuse of NGO property by a
terrorist outfit. Therefore, as the website operating under the Ministry
responsible for public security, we consider it is our responsibility to
inform the public over such matters in way that represent their true
gravity.
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