LTTE declining fast in Germany

Shirajiv SIRIMANE in Berlin

The LTTE and its sympathisers are fast fading in Germany. Several attempts made by them to raise funds by holding campaigns have failed, said Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Berlin, Sarath Kongahage.

In an interview with the Daily News, Kongahage said that the Sri Lankan community in Germany is around 60,000, of which around 8,000 are Tamils. LTTE sympathisers tried to hold a protest to coincide with Sri Lanka’s Independence Day on February 4.

They wanted to hold a mass protest and tarnish the image of Sri Lanka. However, their plans were a utter failure as only eight people turned out for the event,‘‘ he said.

He said that the Sri Lankan community too organised themselves and had a separate event. He said that one of the main reasons for this is that the Tamil population in Germany knows that government is keen to safeguard the rights of the Tamils and they are being protected and looked after well.

“They also know about the massive development that is taking place in the North East which has opened up new avenues of employment and better living standards,” ambassador Kongahage said.

“Sri Lanka and Germany have been having diplomatic ties for a long time and Germany is the third largest tourism feeder to Sri Lanka after India and the UK. Germans are keen on Sri Lankan Blue sapphires and a special Blue Sapphire stamp too was issued recently” he said.