LTTE ban in Canada welcomed
[November 10, 2001 - 9.00 GMT]

The Government and the people of Sri Lanka were relieved to learn that the Government of Canada has listed the LTTE among recognized terrorist organisations. Similar decisions were taken sometime ago by the Governments of the USA and the UK to ban the LTTE. The Government and the people of Sri Lanka are deeply appreciative of the of Canada’s decision, said a press release issued by the Presidential Secretariat on November 9.

The full text of the release is as follows:

PRESIDENT WELCOMES CANADIAN ACTION
AGAINST LTTE

The decision of the Government of Canada to include the LTTE among identified terrorist organisations, whose funds and property are to be frozen, is a welcome and timely move in the current battle against terrorism in Sri Lanka and other countries.

Canada has more than 150,000 expatriate Tamils, and is known to be a major source of funds for the LTTE. A good proportion of these funds are obtained through coercion and intimidation of Tamil civilians, as well as through illegal activities such as narcotics dealing, human smuggling etc. 

The move by the Canadian authorities is a major victory for the vast majority of Tamils both in Sri Lanka and abroad, who have always been supportive of democracy and opposed to terrorism, as well as, other illegal acts of the LTTE.

It is also a victory for the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka who have eschewed extremism, and refused to carry out acts of revenge or retaliation against the Tamil citizens of the country, despite repeated provocation of the LTTE. This majority has always been in favour of a democratic negotiated settlement of the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka.

The decision by the Canadian Government also helps to further change for the better the image of Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world. It helps change an image that was tarnished by continued LTTE disinformation campaign and the UNP’s dismal record of Human Rights Violation and of violence against the Tamils of this country, during the period it was in power.

 The Canadian Government has listed the LTTE as No.9 in its new list of 20 terrorist organisations in its schedule to the United National Suppression of Terrorism Regulations.

This Landmark decision by Canada is also the results of the sustained diplomatic efforts by my Government, which included many initiatives by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar and myself, for international action against the terrorism of the LTTE.

It is also one aspect of the fruition of the many personal efforts made by me in negotiations with leaders of western democracies to take action against LTTE terrorism. This was part of the agenda of my recent visit to the UK, too.

The Government and the people of Sri Lanka are deeply appreciative of the decisions taken recently by the Government of Canada, in the wake of similar decisions taken by the Governments of the USA and the UK to ban the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and to freeze its funds and assets, used to further terrorism in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

Canada’s Finance Minister Paul Martin and Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley announced LTTE as a terrorist organisation in the list of additional 83 individuals and organisations linked to terrorism, issued on November 7.

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Last Updated Date: November 10, 2001  - 9.00 GMT.