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LTTE to remain internationally ostracised

By V.S.Sambandan

COLOMBO Sept. 6. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which was de-proscribed by Colombo on Thursday, would continue to remain internationally ostracised till it renounces terror completely.

India, the U.S. and the U.K., which along with several other countries outlawed the rebels, have made it clear that there is no change in their positions after Colombo's move to lift the ban ahead of the September 16 talks in Thailand.

The U.S. said today the Tigers would remain on Washington's list as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), until it renounced "terrorism in word and deed."

``The U.S. understands and supports the Sri Lankan Government's decision to lift its ban on the Tigers in the context of moving forward with negotiations to end the conflict," the U.S. embassy here said.

The LTTE was one of the 30 groups listed as FTOs by Washington on October 8, 1997 under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996. As a result of the branding it became a crime in the U.S. to fund, provide weapons or other tangible support for the groups designated as FTOs; their members and representatives were ineligible for visas to enter the U.S. and their existing funds, if any, were blocked. Washington further tightened the noose around the designated terrorist organisations in the aftermath of the September l1 attack on the World Trade Center.

In addition, the Tigers are listed as terrorist organisations in Canada and Australia as well. In February 1996, Malaysia made it a crime to support the LTTE, under which foreigners backing pro-LTTE rallies would face deportation. While the domestic ban in Sri Lanka was largely symbolic, the international ostracism hurt the Tigers the most. Its image took a beating and there was a squeeze of inflows into its war chest. No figures are readily available on the funds that have been blocked because of the international exclusion of the Tigers, but indications are that they run into millions of dollars.

The Tigers, who set a condition that the domestic ban should be lifted before talks begin, also made the point that they would subsequently work towards getting other countries to revoke their positions. However, this remains a distant destination.

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