TYO Condemns Freezing of TRO Bank Accounts
For Immediate Release
September 11, 2006
The Tamil Youth Organization is outraged and condemns the act of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka , which is supposedly responsible for immobilizing TRO accounts. As of Monday, August 29th, 2006, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) has unofficially been informed through various banks in Sri Lanka, which claim to be instructed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka , to "freeze" all the TRO accounts. However, TRO is still awaiting to receive official notification and credible information from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as to WHY the accounts have been frozen.
The Tamil Youth Organization condemns this unlawful act of injustice on the basis that TRO is a registered charity with the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and is a vital humanitarian organization to the survival and well-being of all the affected communities in the Northeast. TRO has undeniably co-operated with the appropriate sectors of the GoSL by promptly providing financial and project information at their requests.
Currently, $750,000 US is being withheld from TRO. Such funds were to be directed toward tsunami-relief projects and it is now uncertain how long that money will be withheld, if the funds will ever be returned. Whatever the ethnic or so-called "political" reason behind this act by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, it is at the enormous cost of human life.
TRO has been recognized by many international NGOs, the UN, and foreign governments as being very efficient and effective at providing relief for the many displaced by the 2004 Tsunami and the ongoing ethnic war.
TRO is one of the few remaining organizations aiding the communities of the Northeast following the pullout of many international agencies. The futures of the many beneficiaries of this organization, the civilians of the Northeast, are now in question. Relying on the Government of Sri Lanka to meet the needs of these people has always been problematic.
On behalf of the Tamil Youth Organization, we are appealing to the media to take a proactive role, urgently address this unjustified act and bring to light other such indisputable human rights violations.
Please contact us at www.tyocanada.org for further information.
TYO Canada
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