[A Swiss Tamil child with fake lethal weapon] image Asia tribune ]
The New Sri Lankan government has said that it will continue to blacklist several Tamil Diaspora groups as maintained by the deposed government of Mahinda Rajapaksa for, what it called, “their alleged involvement with the terror organisation and in reviving terrorism in the country.
Colombo-based Sunday Leader newspaper quoting Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith P. Perera said today that the new government would “maintain the status quo on the ban imposed on the organisations that were alleged to have links with the terrorist organisation”.
He has also said there had been “any discussion or consideration in the new government about lifting the ban”.
The previous regime on April 1, 2014 blacklisted 15 Tamil Diaspora groups including the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and British Tamil Forum (BTF) in Sri Lanka for allegedly trying to revive the militarily defeated LTTE.
The previous government also said that Sri Lankan nationals and political parties had been forbidden from making contact with such organisations and that the individuals belonging to these organisations would face arrest under anti-terrorism laws when travelling to Sri Lanka.
The ban on these organisations came barely a week after UNHRC passed a resolution calling for an UN-led international investigation into the credible allegation of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the final months of the war that ended in May 2009.
The announcement of the new government on the Tamil Diaspora groups has come at a time when some leading members of some of the Diaspora groups are looking to work with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government.
Issuing a statement after the elections, the GTF even called for talks between the newly elected Sri Lankan government and Tamil Diaspora groups
Colombo Mirror