TAMIL DIASPORA GROUPS BANNED

• Global Tamil Forum among groups listed • Several individuals also listed • Updated gazette notice issued • Most groups were de-listed in 2015

The Government has banned a number of Tamil diaspora groups, including some influential organisations based in the UK.

Some groups were banned in 2014 but were de-listed by the Government in 2015.

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF), British Tamil Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), National Council of Canadian Tamil, Tamil Youth Organisation and the World Tamil Coordinating Committee have been proscribed by the Ministry of Defence.

They have been banned under Regulation 4(7) of the United Nations Regulations No. 1 of 2012.

The gazette notice issued to ban the organisations has been signed by Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne.

The Government has also banned a number of individuals based in the UK, Germany, Italy, Malaysia and several other countries.

Among those banned are GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran, who had been engaged in talks with then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the Tamil National Alliance after the former Government lifted the ban on some of the diaspora groups.

The former Government had de-listed most groups considered as being moderate in their views, in an attempt to seek their support for the reconciliation process and development of the North. However, the current administration considers these groups as still being linked to terrorism and a threat to national security.

The latest ban had been enforced just before the UN Human Rights Council began to meet in Geneva.

The Tamil diaspora has been critical of the current administration on the human rights issue and had been lobbying for support for the resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva.