PM Rajapaksa: ‘I hope British govt will maintain proscription on LTTE’
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says he hopes the British Government will maintain the proscription on the LTTE.
His remarks on Twitter came as Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement titled ‘Appeal on the LTTE proscription in the UK.’
The government of Sri Lanka “has sufficient evidence to prove that the remnants of the LTTE and groups aligned with its terrorist ideology are active in foreign countries, working to incite violence and destabilize the country, “ said the ministry statement.
Sri Lanka “remains vigilant of threats to its national security as well as that of the region, and will always support members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism,” it added.
The prime minister’s Twitter message said: “Sri Lanka defeated the LTTE & put a stop to its brutal terrorist activities. But, remnants of LTTE terrorism remain very active around the world and pose a great threat to the national security of any country. I hope the British Government will maintain the proscription on the LTTE.”
The following is the Foreign Ministry statement:
The Government of Sri Lanka has been made aware of the Open Judgement by the Proscribed Organizations Appeals Commission (POAC) of the United Kingdom dated 21 October 2020.
The decision of the POAC arises from an appeal filed in May 2019 by an LTTE front organization challenging the decision of the UK Secretary of State for Home Affairs dated 8 March 2019, which refused the application by the group to de-proscribe the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the list of Proscribed Organizations under the UK Terrorism Act of 2000.
While the Government of Sri Lanka was not a party to these proceedings at the POAC and could not make direct representations, the Government has assisted the Government of the United Kingdom by providing relevant information with regard to continued terrorist activities.
The Open Judgement of the POAC while allowing the Appeal, provides for further hearings, and the Government of Sri Lanka will continue to closely monitor the progress of the case in the UK.
The Government of Sri Lanka has sufficient evidence to prove that the remnants of the LTTE and groups aligned with its terrorist ideology are active in foreign countries, working to incite violence and destabilize the country. Sri Lanka remains vigilant of threats to its national security as well as that of the region, and will always support members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism.