Sri Lanka bans LTTE, Tamil diaspora groups

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Tuesday banned LTTE and 15 other Tamil diaspora groups for their alleged terror links and involvement in reviving the Tamil rebel movement.

Defence ministry spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said Sri Lanka has banned 16 organisations, including the LTTE, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 1373 These organisations have been classified as “terrorist” under the new government proclamation, he said.

From now on it will be illegal to have any contact with these organisations, Wanigasooriya said. He said among the organisations proscribed are the LTTE’s Trans National Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), which is active in Europe, and the UK-based British Tamil Forum (BTF). Wanigasooriya said all these groups are being led by four different individuals.