Sri Lanka’s is stepping up pressure on the European Union to proscribe the Liberation Tigers in its member states, even amid renewed efforts to resume peace talks, reports said. Sri Lanka’s position is being bolstered by Indian pressure, reports also said.
Whilst the EU slapped a travel ban on the LTTE after it was accused of being behind the assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August, the 25-member bloc has refrained from imposing a threatened all out ban.
However, the new Sinhala nationalist administration of President Mahinda Rajapakse has been pressing the EU to proscribe the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.
The LTTE has protested that an EU ban will embolden the state to adopt intransigent positions at future talks and undermine the Tamils’ ability to make the case in the international stage.
This week Sinhala nationalists marched in Colombo demanding the EU ban the Tigers. Activists of the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) demonstrated in front of the EU’s offices
Malinda Seneviratne, a official of the NMAT’s co-ordinating committee, said "We want EU to ban the LTTE and stop their fund raising in EU member states. EU must ban them the same way they have banned the Al Qaeda."
The EU has not commented, but in strongly worded statement issued protesting the killing of Kadirgamar by a sniper, the European bloc said it is “is actively considering the formal listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation” and that “in the meantime, [it] has agreed that with immediate effect, delegations from the LTTE will no longer be received in any of the EU Member States until further notice.”
The European Union also agreed that “each Member State will, where necessary, take additional national measures to check and curb illegal or undesirable activities (including issues of funding and propaganda) of the LTTE, its related organisations and known individual supporters.”
Two weeks ago Sri Lankan press reports said India was also pressing the EU to proscribe the LTTE.
The Island newspaper quoted ‘informed sources’ as saying that India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has sent to the EU, through the Minister of External Affairs, a dossier on the LTTE and three Indian militant organisations to be considered for a ban.
The Indian dossier sent to the EU says the LTTE runs a wide network of publicity and propaganda activities through bases in at least 54 countries, the Sinhala nationalist paper said, adding that financial support comes in the form of donations from expatriate Tamils across Switzerland, Canada, Australia, the UK, the US and
The LTTE has already been proscribed by India (in 1991), the United States (in 1997) and Britain (in 2001). Fundraising has been also banned in Australia and Canada.
Whilst the EU slapped a travel ban on the LTTE after it was accused of being behind the assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August, the 25-member bloc has refrained from imposing a threatened all out ban.
However, the new Sinhala nationalist administration of President Mahinda Rajapakse has been pressing the EU to proscribe the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.
The LTTE has protested that an EU ban will embolden the state to adopt intransigent positions at future talks and undermine the Tamils’ ability to make the case in the international stage.
This week Sinhala nationalists marched in Colombo demanding the EU ban the Tigers. Activists of the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) demonstrated in front of the EU’s offices
Malinda Seneviratne, a official of the NMAT’s co-ordinating committee, said "We want EU to ban the LTTE and stop their fund raising in EU member states. EU must ban them the same way they have banned the Al Qaeda."
The EU has not commented, but in strongly worded statement issued protesting the killing of Kadirgamar by a sniper, the European bloc said it is “is actively considering the formal listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation” and that “in the meantime, [it] has agreed that with immediate effect, delegations from the LTTE will no longer be received in any of the EU Member States until further notice.”
The European Union also agreed that “each Member State will, where necessary, take additional national measures to check and curb illegal or undesirable activities (including issues of funding and propaganda) of the LTTE, its related organisations and known individual supporters.”
Two weeks ago Sri Lankan press reports said India was also pressing the EU to proscribe the LTTE.
The Island newspaper quoted ‘informed sources’ as saying that India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has sent to the EU, through the Minister of External Affairs, a dossier on the LTTE and three Indian militant organisations to be considered for a ban.
The Indian dossier sent to the EU says the LTTE runs a wide network of publicity and propaganda activities through bases in at least 54 countries, the Sinhala nationalist paper said, adding that financial support comes in the form of donations from expatriate Tamils across Switzerland, Canada, Australia, the UK, the US and
The LTTE has already been proscribed by India (in 1991), the United States (in 1997) and Britain (in 2001). Fundraising has been also banned in Australia and Canada.
