Two Tamils in Britain were charged last Wednesday under the Terrorism Act 2000 with providing support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is proscribed in UK.
Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar, (also known as ‘AC Shanthan’), 50, and Goldan Lambert, 29 appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates Court last Thursday.
According to details released by the British Police, Mr. Chrishanthakumar is charged with five counts. Two of the charges are linked to his alleged role in organising a mass rally last July to mark the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom in Sri Lanka.
The single charge against Mr. Lambert is that he was also involved in organising the event.
The rally on July 25, 2006 was attended by 15,000 Tamils in UK.
The pair are due to appear again at Westminster Magistrates; Court on 9 August when their pleas against the charges will be entered.
At the end of the court appearance last Thursday Mr. Chrishanthakumar was remanded in custody, while Mr. Lambert was released on bail.
The charges against Mr. Chrishanthakumar are:
“1. For that you between the 1st day of June 2006 and the 26th day of July 2006 within the Greater London area assisted in the arrangement of a meeting which you knew was to support a proscribed organisation namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(2)a and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000
“2. For that you on the 25th day of July 2006 in a public place, namely Hyde Park London, addressed a meeting and the purpose of the address was to encourage support for a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(3) and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000
“3. For that you on or about the 24th day of January 2005 within the Greater London Area received £1500 intending that it be used or having reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used for the purposes of terrorism Contrary to Section 15(2) and Section 22 of the Terrorism Act 2000
“4. For that you between the 17th day of January 2006 and the 22nd June 2007 within the Greater London Area received a quantity of literature and manuals including Underwater Warfare Systems, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Naval Weapons Systems, six trenching spades, thirty nine compasses and a piece of ballistic body armour intending that they be used or having reasonable cause to suspect that they may be used for the purposes of terrorism Contrary to Section 15(2) and Section 22 of the Terrorism Act 2000
“5. For that you between the 23rd day of January 2005 and the 22nd day of June 2007 within the Greater London Area belonged or professed to belong to a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 11(1) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000”
The charge against Mr. Lambert is: “you on the 25th day of July 2006 at Hyde Park London assisted in managing a meeting which you knew was to support a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(2)a and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000.”
The Sri Lankan press had earlier reported that two Tamils had been arrested in Britain on suspicion of connections to the Liberation Tigers, but at that time the Police in the UK would only say that two unnamed men have been detained on suspicion of providing support to a banned organisation they did not name.
The arrests were made late on Thursday two weeks ago, from two different locations in London, the BBC reported, adding the men were being held under British anti-terror laws which meant they could be held for 14 days without charge.
"Two men, aged 29 and 50, were arrested on 21 June - one in west London and the other in south-west London," Metropolitan Police spokesman Alastair Campbell told the BBC
"They were arrested on suspicion of providing support to a proscribed organisation... and taken to a central London police station, where they remain in custody,” he said.
"Some addresses in various locations in London are being searched in connection with the enquiry."
This is the first time that people of Tamil origin have been detained and charged in the UK under the Terrorism Act. But the move comes after the arrests in separate incidents of Tamils in France, Australia and the United States on charges of supporting the LTTE.
Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar, (also known as ‘AC Shanthan’), 50, and Goldan Lambert, 29 appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates Court last Thursday.
According to details released by the British Police, Mr. Chrishanthakumar is charged with five counts. Two of the charges are linked to his alleged role in organising a mass rally last July to mark the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom in Sri Lanka.
The single charge against Mr. Lambert is that he was also involved in organising the event.
The rally on July 25, 2006 was attended by 15,000 Tamils in UK.
The pair are due to appear again at Westminster Magistrates; Court on 9 August when their pleas against the charges will be entered.
At the end of the court appearance last Thursday Mr. Chrishanthakumar was remanded in custody, while Mr. Lambert was released on bail.
The charges against Mr. Chrishanthakumar are:
“1. For that you between the 1st day of June 2006 and the 26th day of July 2006 within the Greater London area assisted in the arrangement of a meeting which you knew was to support a proscribed organisation namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(2)a and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000
“2. For that you on the 25th day of July 2006 in a public place, namely Hyde Park London, addressed a meeting and the purpose of the address was to encourage support for a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(3) and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000
“3. For that you on or about the 24th day of January 2005 within the Greater London Area received £1500 intending that it be used or having reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used for the purposes of terrorism Contrary to Section 15(2) and Section 22 of the Terrorism Act 2000
“4. For that you between the 17th day of January 2006 and the 22nd June 2007 within the Greater London Area received a quantity of literature and manuals including Underwater Warfare Systems, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Naval Weapons Systems, six trenching spades, thirty nine compasses and a piece of ballistic body armour intending that they be used or having reasonable cause to suspect that they may be used for the purposes of terrorism Contrary to Section 15(2) and Section 22 of the Terrorism Act 2000
“5. For that you between the 23rd day of January 2005 and the 22nd day of June 2007 within the Greater London Area belonged or professed to belong to a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 11(1) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000”
The charge against Mr. Lambert is: “you on the 25th day of July 2006 at Hyde Park London assisted in managing a meeting which you knew was to support a proscribed organisation, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Contrary to Section 12(2)a and (6) of the Terrorism Act 2000.”
The Sri Lankan press had earlier reported that two Tamils had been arrested in Britain on suspicion of connections to the Liberation Tigers, but at that time the Police in the UK would only say that two unnamed men have been detained on suspicion of providing support to a banned organisation they did not name.
The arrests were made late on Thursday two weeks ago, from two different locations in London, the BBC reported, adding the men were being held under British anti-terror laws which meant they could be held for 14 days without charge.
"Two men, aged 29 and 50, were arrested on 21 June - one in west London and the other in south-west London," Metropolitan Police spokesman Alastair Campbell told the BBC
"They were arrested on suspicion of providing support to a proscribed organisation... and taken to a central London police station, where they remain in custody,” he said.
"Some addresses in various locations in London are being searched in connection with the enquiry."
This is the first time that people of Tamil origin have been detained and charged in the UK under the Terrorism Act. But the move comes after the arrests in separate incidents of Tamils in France, Australia and the United States on charges of supporting the LTTE.
