Charity's status revoked over aid to Tamil Tigers

The Canadian Revenue Agency said Saturday it has revoked the charitable status of the Tamil (Sri Lanka) Refugee-Aid Society of Ottawa because it supports the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a group which Canada and the United Nations views as a terrorist organization.



According to a statement from the agency, the Ottawa society had provided $713,000 to the Tamil Tigers, whose long revolt against the Sri Lanka government was crushed last year.
“The CRA audit also indicates that fundraising conducted under the Society’s auspices involved an individual who has been convicted in the United States of conspiring to provide material support to the LTTE,” the agency said. “In addition, the Society’s liaison officer for Sri Lanka was named in documents filed with the Federal Court of Canada as a contact for area sales coordinators with the World Tamil Movement, also a listed entity under the Criminal Code of Canada because of its ties to the LTTE.”
The agency’s statement also said that the refugee-aid society failed to maintain adequate control and direction over the use of its funds; had improperly issued tax receipts on behalf of third parties; and had provided funding to non-qualified donees outside Canada.
“The Government of Canada has made it very clear that it will not tolerate the abuse of the registration system for charities to provide any means of support to terrorism, and that the tax advantages of charitable registration should not be extended to an organization where its resources may, directly or indirectly, provide any means of support for, or benefit to, an organization listed under the United Nations Suppression of Terrorism Regulations or the Criminal Code of Canada, or to any other body engaged in terrorism,” said the statement.