Sri Lanka opposes delisting of LTTE as terrorist group in UK; cites 'sufficient evidence'

Sri Lanka has appealed against the judgement by the UK’s Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC) that delisted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a proscribed terrorist organisation. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry on October 22 said in a statement that the government was made aware of the judgement made by the British Commission on October 21 that was taken from an appeal filed back in May 2019 by an “LTTE front organisation”. It was to challenge the prior decision of UK Secretary of State for Home Affairs on March 8, 2019, that refused the application by the group to de-list the LTTE from the list of Proscribed Organizations under the UK Terrorism Act of 2000.

Even though Sri Lanka was not part of the proceedings at the Commission and was unable to make direct representations, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that it assisted the British government by providing them with the required information. The statement added that 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.”

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Sri Lankan government has ‘sufficient evidence’

The statement also added that the government of Sri Lanka has “sufficient evidence” to back the remnants of the LTTE and groups aligned with its terrorist ideologies are “active” in the foreign nations. Moreover, according to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry, these groups are working to trigger violence and cause unrest in the country. It reiterated that the island nation is “vigilant” to the threats to its national security along with the region and has pledged to support the international community in its fight against extremism. 

The statement concluded, “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.”

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