posted September 25, 2002 07:59 AM
Expatriote Tamil People in action abroad.
No wonder some people don't want to be called
Tamils anymore.http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/uk/newsid_2007000/2007199.stm
Saturday, 25 May, 2002, 15:17 GMT 16:17 UK
Tamils preying on Tamils
By Chris Summers
BBC News Online
Spiralling violence between gangs in London's Tamil community has led
to four violent deaths and up to 200 other incidents in the last two
years.
Police say the violence is getting worse.
Commander Richard Bryan, whose patch in north west London has
witnessed much of the violence, has set up a cross-London
co-ordinating group in an attempt to root out the gang culture.
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Tamil deaths
17 Jun 2001: Arvithan Muthukumarasamy
6 Nov 2001: Sellathurai Balasingham
19 Feb 2002: Supenthar Ramachandran
22 Apr 2002: Suresh Kumar Selvarajah
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He said: "The vast majority of the Tamil community in London are
law-abiding and want to get on with their lives in peace but a
significant minority represent a problem which needs to be addressed."
Cmdr Bryan said those causing much of the trouble were "loose
associations of individuals" but he said they needed to nip them in
the bud before they became established gangs.
The conflict in Sri Lanka began in the early 1980s when the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sought independence for the north and
east of the island.
The UN estimates 917,000 people have left Sri Lanka since 1993 and
many of the diaspora have come to Britain.
Thambirajah Jeyabalan is editor of Thesam (Nation), a monthly magazine
which serves London's 100,000-strong Tamil community.
He said the gangs were unsophisticated and poorly organised but could
be extremely violent.
Mr Jeyabalan told BBC News Online: "The fights are between people from
different villlages.
"The main ones involved are from Valvettithurai (they're known as
VVT), Mannar and Ariyalai."
He said the 500,000-strong Tamil community in Ontario had suffered
even worse violence until the Canadian police cracked down on them
four months ago.
The two main gangs involved in Canada are the AK Kannan and Seelapu,
the latter being an ally of the VVT.
No political connection
In Canada the leader of the AK Kannan was a sworn enemy of the LTTE.
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London boroughs affected
Brent
Harrow
Croydon
Ealing
Newham
Hillingdon
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But Cmdr Bryan said the violence in London did not appear to have any
political overtones, although some of those involved may be former
Tamil Tiger fighters.
The LTTE was added to the list of proscribed organisations by the UK
Government last year.
Mr Jeyabalan said there had been occasions when young Tamils from
Toronto or Paris were flown to London especially to carry out attacks.
They then flew home.
Various motives
Cmdr Bryan said the motives for the violence were many and complex,
but they included rivalry and vendettas stemming from their home
villages in Sri Lanka and simple criminality.
"There is evidence these gangs are involved in fraud, especially
credit card fraud, and human trafficking," he said.
Cmdr Bryan said it was not uncommon for refugees from Sri Lanka's
civil war to pay traffickers from their own community to smuggle them
into Britain.
Once in the UK they are often beholden to the traffickers, and are
forced to carry out credit card frauds or assist in violent attacks on
rival groups.
Cmdr Bryan said many of the attacks were "tit-for-tat" and there had
been a dangerous escalation of the violence in the last two years.
Paul Sathianesan is a councillor in Newham, east London, and he says
he regularly hears about attacks but many of the victims refuse to go
to the police for fear of retribution.
Cmdr Bryan admits there is a high level of unreported crime.
But the Metropolitan Police is responding by introducing high
visibility policing at Tamil weddings and religious festivals, and by
seeking better intelligence to enable them to intervene in feuds
before they escalate into murderous violence.
Mr Jeyabalan is confident the police can get on top of the problem:
"If the police take firm action against these people they can crack
down within months."
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Related
Canada's Tamils under scrutiny
http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/south_asia/newsid_793000/793625.stm
Ontario police arrest 40 Tamils in gangland raids
http://www.cantyd.org/english/media/articles/2001/19oct2001star.asp
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posted September 24, 2002 11:56 PM