Dutch arrest Lankan Tamils

17 June 2010 01:58 am

The Dutch authorities have arrested a number of Tamils as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement in the Netherlands.

The organisation, which seeks to establish an independent Tamil state in northeast Sri Lanka, was placed on the EU list of terrorist organisations in 2006. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutors' Office has announced that four suspects have been arrested in Breda, Rotterdam, Heemskerk and Heerlen. The arrests come after seven suspects were arrested in April.

The police investigation focuses on attempts to raise funds for the LTTE. The investigation is also intended to show whether the suspects are members of a criminal and terrorist organisation. The police are still looking for people who can provide information on LTTE activities in the Netherlands. (Radio Netherlands Worldwide)