From Sujeeva Nivunhella, our London Correspondent
Two Sri Lankan expatriate groups have written to Prime Minister Tony Blair, following the bomb explosion in Omagh, Northern Ireland, reminding him that the British government is still allowing the LTTE branch in London to operate and to collect funds for the LTTE.

The full text of two letters, one written by SPUR of Victoria, are as follows.

The Sinhala Bala Mandalaya in the United Kingdom writes:

"At a time when your government, the British and Irish people mourn the death of innocent civilians brought about by a bomb exploded by faceless cowardly terrorists in Omagh (Northern Ireland) the Irish Prime Minister has unveiled draconian anti-terrorist measures designed to crush the faceless cowards. We sincerely believe that you and your government will take similar steps to crush not only terrorism in the UK but in other parts of the world as well.

"We in Sri Lanka have been battling against terrorism for over twenty years. Over 90,000 innocent civilians, including 31 Buddhist monks have been massacred by LTTE terrorists. Places of worship have been bombed, damaged or destroyed. Ethnic cleansings have been successfully carried out by these terrorists in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

"Whilst all this is happening the super powers and the European countries wittingly or unwittingly, turned a Nelsonian eye to the whole affair. To our pleas of help, they turned a deaf ear. At times when it appeared that the Sri Lanka government was winning the fight against the terrorists, there was economic and political pressure applied by interfering foreign powers and NGOs. It is a well known fact that the terrorist wars in developing countries provide a lucrative business for arms dealers and a testing ground for new weapons for arms manufacturing countries.

"Our government has time after time pointed out to your government and the governments before you that Britain has become a haven for LTTE support groups, and that as long as Britain tolerate these people and permit them to have their international headquarters here terrorism in Sri Lanka will never cease.

"The lame excuse given by successive Home Secretaries that it is 'hard to differentiate between Tamil refugees collecting money for humanitarian purposes or for financing terrorism' must now come to an end. Money collected for genuine humanitarian purposes should be channelled through legitimate means. This will prevent the abuse of the foreign exchange system and the money getting into the wrong hands.

"The American President has vowed that there will be no sanctuary for terrorists and has condemned countries harbouring terrorists. We applaud you for backing President Clinton in every action he has taken so far and intends to take to eradicate terrorism. A wolf is still a wolf even in sheep's clothing and therefore known terrorists in pinstripe suits, roaming the streets of western capitals should not be afforded the protection of refugee status, and allowed to collect funds for terrorist activities in another country.

"We once again request you and your government to proscribe the LTTE and close down their headquarters in London."

The letter sent by the Sri Lankan organisation called SPUR in Victoria, Australia, reads :

"We wish to convey our deepest sympathies on the killing of civilians in Northern Ireland on account of terrorist bombings. We hope that the British government will take all necessary steps to protect the democratic way of life and punish the despicable offenders.

"The horror of terrorism is deeply felt by all when the terrorists kill and injure innocent civilians without any rhyme or reason. One of the most important tasks of a responsible government is to be vigilant and take effective measures to weaken and eradicate anti-social forces.

"The Sri Lankan government and her people had been urging you to impose restrictions on Tamil Tigers who are considered as one of the most violent terrorist groups in the world. Yet, to the dismay of the democratically elected Sri Lankan government and her people, Tamil Tigers operate in the very centre of London. From this well known, well established centre, all anti-Sri Lankan activities are planned in addition to fund raising to purchase bombs and ammunition to kill Sri Lankans and create havoc and unrest in Sri Lanka. At this moment, when all eyes are on the tragedy of Omagh, we earnestly hope that the British government will take effective measures against domestic and international terrorism."