Foreign Workers & Unemployed Sri Lankan Citizens
Posted on April 26th, 2014
Shenali D Waduge
It is reported that there are 10,000 foreign workers on tourist visas currently working in Sri Lanka while scores more are working tagged to investment clauses that permit foreign workers to engage in employment in Sri Lanka. If 10,000 job vacancies have been occupied by foreign citizens arriving as ‘tourists’ it raises the question why these 10,000 jobs could not have gone to Sri Lankan citizens when unemployment is hovering at 4.4%? More importantly, it raises the question of why Sri Lanka employers have allowed ‘tourists’ to work in Sri Lanka and why Sri Lankan authorities watched while 10,000 ‘tourist visa’ holders are engaged in employment. Generally people arriving on ‘tourist visa’ come to visit and see the country not to engage in employment!
Foreign investments / Foreign ‘Professionals’
Tourists working in Sri Lanka may benefit the companies that are happy not to pay taxes, lodger that are happy to rent out for thousands more than they would gain otherwise but where does this illpractice get the country? Not very far. As for drawing foreign professionals into the working cadre of Sri Lanka, the arguments that local authorities in charge of foreign investments give to explain the scenario is that foreign investments generally come with a clause that entitles foreign companies to bring foreign workers. These foreign workers claim to be those who fill a dearth. In other words they are brought in for areas that there are no local experts. Loopholes in this scenario often lie in the terminologies used. There are many ways people can show there are no professionals in Sri Lanka. While there are barbers in Sri Lanka companies could use a fancy word that would describe the same work a barber does but will local authorities go the length to decipher exactly what type of ‘professionalism’ is not available in Sri Lanka for foreigners to be brought in? How many of Sri Lanka’s public officials would care to ask why jobs should not go to locals instead of bringing in foreign workers? Seeing the scores of foreign workers and families presently living in urban and even outskirts of Colombo and other cities around Sri Lanka we can but ask how many loopholes have been breached! Calculate this in to long term would this end up Sri Lankans functioning as slaves to foreigners inside their own country? Why do Sri Lankan’s not wish to be their own bosses instead of working for foreign natives inside their own turf?
Sri Lankan skilled workers go overseas – Foreign workers employed in Sri Lanka
In the meanwhile, Sri Lankan skilled workers seek employment abroad in a bid to improve their income though that income may be higher than what they can earn in Sri Lanka but in reality it is far lower than what someone from the country they are working in would be given. In the MNC sector especially, foreign workers holding senior positions are often paid remarkable salaries but on top of the salary they are entitled to a host of luxuries that include renting plush homes, international schools for children, club membership, entertainment etc. A local given the same position would not be lucky to secure the same remunerations. In the hotel industry especially, it is again a very white dominated industry. Not many Asians or Africans can find their way right to the top posts. Same can be said of banking industry as well though examples are given naming Indians in top slots but forgetting that they are Indian by name only as they are very much holding foreign passports and living and thinking as the white dominated society in which they have chosen to belong. Describing them as ‘Indian’ is only a cosmetic attempt to show that jobs are given to non-whites.
‘Working’ Tourists
How many western nations allow tourists to work? If not, why should Sri Lanka make an exception to the rule? What is the country getting by allowing tourists to work when tax is deducted on foreign salaries only after 6months and that only the categories that the authorities permit to work in Sri Lanka. Most of the MNCs ensure they give contracts for 6month renewable and then they replace with a new member thus leaving the entire salary going out of the country.
We are well aware that the influx of immigration began for menial jobs which the Western natives were lethargic to do preferring to live off their dole. Today, in most western countries the immigrants are engaged in several jobs while natives bemoan they are unemployed but do little to change that scenario.
In the US there are 55million unemployed Americans while there are 40million immigrants of which 28% are illegal immigrants. Of the 40million, 23 percent of immigrants and their U.S.-born children (under 18) are said to live in poverty.
Influx of Maldivians to Sri Lanka
The excuse of Maldives going underground was reason enough for President J R Jayawardena to open Sri Lanka’s doors for Maldivians to arrive and live in Sri Lanka. In 30 years nothing has happened to Maldives but there are over 300,000 Maldivians currently working, educating their children and living in Sri Lanka. Areas have been virtually taken over by brokers securing rented households exclusively for Maldivians creating ghettos of Maldivians willing to pay any price since they are renting out their homes in Maldives to live in Sri Lanka. Moreover, there are many now marrying Sri Lankan women – both Muslim and non-Muslim and thus indirectly securing land for themselves too. Calculate that into future and the Muslim 4-women marriage and multiple children to realize the change in demography for Sri Lanka. These aspects surely could not have escaped the attention of the country’s leaders and their supposed coterie of advisors. Leaders may also like to look up voter mentality to realize that no sooner demography does change they would face the grim reality that there are no more Buddhists to vote them into power! The grim reality in this is that there is no reciprocity. Maldives does not allow citizenship to anyone but Muslims. No one can take a non-Islamic religious relic or picture even to Maldives. Those that do will have it destroyed in front of their faces at the airport itself. The pre-Islamic Buddhist history of Maldives has been completely erased from its history books, vandalisms continue to take place to destroy the museum replicas and other historic monuments of the Buddhist history of Maldives were anything dug throughout Maldives islands continue to have some Buddhist link. Yet, not a hum is said even in opposition of the situation from anyone in Sri Lanka not even the External Affairs Ministry or Minister.
Foreign presence and value systems
While development does have its merits it behoves leaders not to compromise the country’s ethos and value system simply to be thought in equal terms to the West. Why should we degrade the civilizational culture of the country simply to be benchmarked by Western standards. Do we need to copy all that the West does to be accepted by them? Should we not be proud of our own culture and continue to protect and foster it? Does development mean that we are ready to forsake the culture and identity we have had passed down from generation to generation or simply use it as a cosmetic exercise when serenading foreign guests?
Foreign ‘tourists’ must see Asian Sri Lanka not a replica of the West
Let us also make clear that visitors in particular those that arrive as ‘tourists’ come to the ancient heritage, culture and other places of historical value. Why should they pay to travel thousands of miles to eat and live just like they do in their own environment? For business people of course, their meetings often being in Colombo and major cities their stay is often confined to 5 star hotels where they look for all the amenities they find in the West. However, for tourists while the general amenities must be of good standard they would enjoy the real Sri Lankan atmosphere rather than live in the same compartments/hotel rooms that they would find in their own countries. Therefore, we need to create the atmosphere of generating tourists aligned to what our culture and heritage is all about and to do that our officials starting from Ministry to public needs to be proud and appreciate that culture. We can but ask how many of the external affairs ministry know even to recite the national anthem or are able to hold a conversation on the history of Sri Lanka.
Advantage of investments
It is also a good time to seriously evaluate the exact impact of the investments and the return on investment to the country. The company’s initially investing does promise to put on the table a large sum of money for numerous tax concessions and other tax holidays and benefits and in calculating these how beneficial is the exact deal? In many instances foreign company’s that have set up in Sri Lanka end up diverting money out of the country using various ‘administrative/IT and technical fees’ charged to the local company from the global networks and these fees can never be questioned. Therefore, apart from paying for salary of local employees is the country really benefiting and do we have a country-concerned public body that can evaluate these investments for they may bring tons of commissions for those striking the deal but long term does it get the country anywhere for often these multinational companies are linked in some way to foreign governments that attempt to strike regime change using companies as camouflage?
There is also an increase in arrests of foreign travelers involved in illegal activity which range from narcotics, stealing religious artifacts, gems, human smuggling etc. The arrests of foreigners overstaying is also posing a problem and demands that a system needs to be set in place to ensure that the country is aware of the foreign passport holders coming into the country and those leaving to the deadline given. A system should be in place to tabulate foreign passport holders whose visas are to expire at a certain date and these must be checked with airport immigration to ensure that they have afterall left the country. If not, authorities must be able to locate them and take legal action according to the country’s laws.
Returning to the question of employment, with the numerous public and private training programs in place and people attempting to secure additional qualifications over and above their educational qualification it would be unfair to hand jobs over to foreign workers without allowing our own people to be employed first. Additionally, natives must also realize that simply because they obtain a degree the government is not beholden to secure jobs for them. As adults they must carve their own future. However, there is no requirement for Sri Lanka’s to be employed under foreigners if they have the talent to run their own firms and people to work in them. We need to be more confident in our own people and their abilities and capabilities and help those who can leverage their talents to levels of requirement.
What Sri Lanka’s leaders need to ponder about is the avenues that ‘foreign workers’ have to manipulate the systems which include marriage, purchasing property (by default using local proxies), securing land illicitly etc. These are areas that Sri Lanka will have problems in future if authorities are not bold enough to take action now itself and already we see live examples of areas being breached. All these help add up to people’s woes and when external elements get whiff of areas they can manipulate the Government will soon discover they have created avenues for enemies to linger and more importantly they have ignored the warnings given. Eventually the headaches once piled will become a national security concern for the country.
April 26th, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Shenali,
Very true.
Foreign investments / Foreign ‘Professionals’
Sri Lankan skilled workers go overseas – Foreign workers employed in Sri Lanka
‘Working’ Tourists
Influx of Maldivians to Sri Lanka
Foreign presence and value systems
Foreign ‘tourists’ must see Asian Sri Lanka not a replica of the West
Advantage of investments
Yet, you are always criticizing the government, same are many other writers.
Why can’t you read the Lanka Web editorial and write 1 article applauding the government ?
April 26th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
41 CEOs of SL companies are Endians!!
April 27th, 2014 at 8:25 am
We must have a friendlier immigration policy, even if the tourists could work a bit. I am campaigning abroad for governments in the West to be more lenient to our people with some results. This kind of articles if get to the head of the politicians in SL will be used by the politicians in the West further tighten rules on our people especially our poor students. Stringent visa regimes only hurt our people who are poor enough not to get an visa for Western countries, while rich, some are crooks could afford foreign travel and qualify for visas.
Sl’s relaxed visa system is used by likes of us argue and shame the politicians here in the West who use our unfortunate as a political football.
Thanks to likes of us, immigration debate is little used these days except for the extremist party that is now popular. Soon we may be able to get some low skilled care workers to come here on work permits. Germany has already started. So let’s not allow our self seeking politicians make life more difficult for our poor who wants to seek green pastures.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:25 am
Whilst it is true that there is a dearth of skilled workers in Sri Lanka for some jobs, it is not a fair practice to have foreign workers numbering many thousands working in Lanka with their tourist visas. The SAARC rule of ‘visa on entry’ is used by foreigners to enter Lanka and work also. The SAARC rule does not permit work. India has done away with the ‘visa on entry’
rule. Why not Sri Lanka ?
Just try to get work on a tourist visa outside of Sri Lanka !
Apart from all that, there are hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants who have settled down in Lanka. BBS should look into this matter.
April 27th, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Nimal,
You said “We must have a friendlier immigration policy, even if the tourists could work a bit.”
You’ve GOT TO BE KIDDING! That would be the DEATH for Sri Lanka! Consider that:
1. At an AVERAGE population density of over 800 people per square mile, Sri Lanka is probably the most HIGHLY POPULATED nation in the world! When MORE land is alienated to MORE recently arrived immigrants (legal or immigrant) what other option will the native citizens of SL have other than to flee abroad to be able to buy a piece of land for him/herself? Land in Mount Lavinia costs MORE than suburban land in the San Francisco East Bay areas of the United States! You want us to handover our Motherland to foreigners, while we ourselves become foreigners in foreign lands?
2. Sri Lanka is a paradise compared to sand desert like Saudi Arabia, and frozen ice deserts like Norway (highest per capita income, over $120,000 in the world), temporarily AWASH in trillions of dollars of OIL income. What chance will the native citizens of Sri Lanka (per capita income less than $5,000) have in buying power if land is available for purchase by Saudis (and even those Sri Lankans funded by Saudis) and rich Westerners earning $50,000 and above every year?
Sri Lankans will be pushed more and more into hovels or become renters of apartments to be milked like dairy cows confined immobile in sheds to enrich the newly arrived foreign immigrants who own them. When the ownership of the LAND is ALIENATED, what MEANING is there to CITIZENSHIP exercised by renters?
Go to Hawaii and see how the native Hawaiians eke out a living performing Hula Dances for foreign tourists while the white men from the continental United States who ROBBED them blind, own all of the glittering hotels and resorts that we associate with Hawaii. That is how a conquered Hawaiian people, brainwashed by the missionary immigrants who married their royalty, slowly taking command of their land, building plantations, engineering coup-de-etats, toppling the Hawaiian royalty, and annexing sovereign Hawaii to the US as a State, were ROBBED WHOLESALE by the IMMIGRANTS who were allowed to creep into the nation, so the royalty could get a few baubles and be anointed as good Christians!
Today, the impoverished Hawaiians live in the backwoods of Hawaii, while the immigrants live in the lap of luxury. That WILL ALSO BE the inevitable consequence of relaxing immigration rules into a lovely land of SRi Lanka we call our Mother!
3. A better policy than inviting foreigners to come to Sri Lanka as IMMIGRANTS is to only let them come as temporary visitors to TRAIN OUR PEOPLE, and develop the country so that there are better jobs and a better quality of life for our OWN people, so they NEED NOT CONTEMPLATE leaving Sri Lanka to earn money to PROVIDE A GOOD LIFE for their families.
Your suggestion would RECREATE the DISASTER PERPETRATED by the British who IMPORTED Tamil laborers into Sri Lanka to work the coffee and tea plantations GROWN on lands STOLEN BY FORCE from the conquered Sinhala people. As a result, today we have a potential demographic problem of Upcountry Tamils who may join the Eelam struggle too.
Today, there are QUALIFIED SRi Lankans working in foreign lands, in every area of professional expertise, working and contributing to the GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT of Foreign Nations, while Mother Lanka lies fallow devoid of its sons and daughters to help till the fertile fiels in technology, healthcare, research and development and university teaching.
What is WRONG with this picture? Why is Sri Lanka not making it possible for our own sons and daughters, highly qualified and highly rewarded in foreign countries, to earn that salary that would be paid to a “qualified” foreign immigrant invited to come and work in Sri Lanka?
WHY, for heavens sake, Why? Would not that money paid to our own remain in Sri Lanka, rather than be repatriated abroad?
April 27th, 2014 at 1:43 pm
So now we see there is an ORGANIZED attempt to BRING kallathonis to SL to shift the demographics!!
LAW alone cannot resolve this problem.
Kallathonis should be exploited for locals’ DIRE health requirements if you know what I mean. That should peacefully deter them.
April 27th, 2014 at 1:56 pm
Fran,
“Apart from all that, there are hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants who have settled down in Lanka.”
ALL of them should be KICKED OUT of SL.
At the same time Maldives will NOT vote for SL at UNHRC if we do that.
But we ANYWAY LOSE UNHRC votes. So it does NOT matter. Just kick them out of SL.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
“WHY, for heavens sake, Why? Would not that money paid to our own remain in Sri Lanka, rather than be repatriated abroad?”
Ananda,
So many valid questions.
But what is the point asking from a headless chicken running like mad ? UDA reported 1 billion dollar loss, why ?
April 27th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Nanda,
It is 1 billion RUPEES.
“The Auditor General of Sri Lanka has said that the accumulated losses of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) since 2006 till 2011 amounted to over Rs. 1 billion.
A report submitted by the Auditor General on the authority responsible for urban development in the country to parliament has revealed the accumulated losses amounted to Rs 1.23 billion during the five year period.
The report has stated that even though the UDA had realized a profit before tax of Rs. 242 million in 2011, the profit was due to a receipt of Rs. 532 million from the General Treasury.
The UDA Chairman in response to this observation has said that despite the continuous losses incurred by the UDA from 2006, it has been able to minimize the net loss in 2010 in comparison to 2006, and to reduce the Administration and Operational cost by a large amount, and generate a profit at the end of 2011, by improving the income through the implementation of proper Administration in the Authority within 2011.
The Auditor General has also noted of several other financial losses running into millions of rupees incurred by the UDA over the years.
In one instance, the UDA had issued debentures amounting to Rs. 10 billion redeemable in five years, in October 2010, with a view to obtaining funds for the national programme, on the construction of 60,000 permanent houses for shanty dwellers in Colombo City, local newspaper Sunday Times reported.
The Auditor General has added that even though the Authority had been informed by the Attorney General in writing, that the UDA was not authorized to establish a company for managing rest houses. The Authority had established a company named UDA Rest House, exceeding its legal powers.
The Auditor General has also said that no action had been taken to pay Rs. 406,483,000 to a Company on behalf of the “Waters Edge Hotel”, which was vested in the Authority in 2008, according to a Court decision.”
-colombopage
So next year’s loss will be 10 billion as the loan has to be paid. The houses are given FREE. So no income. IF they charge money for it that will lose VOTES from them.
Also UDA is doing things it is NOT AUTHORIZED to do!!
April 27th, 2014 at 2:41 pm
Sampanthan is a Bloody TRAITOR … lying through his teeth …. trying to ABSOLVE HIMSELF of responsibility for COLLUSION in the attempt to REVIVE the LTTE insurgency.
Ordinary Tamils may oppose return to violence, but the TNA under his Leadership, aiding and abetting Eelamist rebellion, DOES NOT.
COLLECT the EVIDENCE, CHARGE HIM with TREASON, PUNISHABLE by DEATH!
…………………
Sampanthan breaks silence over deaths of rebel suspects and says – Tamils oppose return to violence
By Nation.lk
April 27, 2014
Breaking TNA’s silence over deaths of three LTTE suspects in Nedunkarni, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan said Saturday (April 26) that the Tamil population in the country was opposed to returning to violence.
In an interview with ‘The Nation’, MP Sampanthan stated that he was unaware as to whether the LTTE was in fact regrouping in Sri Lanka, but added that the Government should take action if there was anything illegal happening.
This is the first time the Tamil National Alliance made its position clear about alleged resurgence of the LTTE in the North and illegal activities of some ex-LTTE members.
“There were reports of a clash. Whether in fact a clash occurred, I do not know. There is a view amongst the Tamil people in particular and also shared by others, that the government is overreacting to the resolution in Geneva. That the government is trying to intimidate the Tamil civilian population, who could provide vital evidence in regard to the matters contained in the resolution, into silence, and that some of these events have been orchestrated with that purpose,” Sampanthan said.
He added that he was generally of the view that the Tamil population was opposed to any form of violence.
When asked about arrests of LTTE suspects in the North, Sampanthan said he was not aware of any arrests and he was not aware of any incidents.
“What I’m saying is that there is a view that these incidents could have been orchestrated because the Government is overreacting to the resolution passed in Geneva. I’m not a witness to any of those things. And as far as I’m concerned, The Tamil civilian population doesn’t want to return to any violence,” Sampanthan said.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Sorry for the mistake. 1 billion rupees is OK for me, not much and very good compared to other ministries.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Lorenzo,
I am sure this Auditor General will also be fired soon. 2- 3 years ago, my good friend who works 365 days and 10 hours (min) for the country ( ex- AG) was fired.
April 27th, 2014 at 6:05 pm
Nanda,
ABSOLUTELY!
He will be fired or fired.
“Who is Auditor General? How dare he tell me what I can do and what I cannot do? These people have blood on their hands. Blood on their hands. He cannot say that. I will hang him. Look at PB Jayasundara the great and learn how to be a GOOD government servant.”
April 27th, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Ananda and others,
Here is a controvercial idea.
The reason behind RENEWED WEST’S and Endian support to Tamil Elam may be because of the MASSIVE oil and gas potential of Jaffna and north western coast that can be extracted by FRACKING.
The entire Jaffna peninsular is on a massive LIMESTONE layer. IDEAL condiions for TIGHT GAS and SHALE GAS!!
And potentially oil too.
IF these can be extracted by FRACKING it will worth BILLIONS if not trillions.
There are plenty of studies into this layer. I hope the govt. will experiment with exploration.
April 28th, 2014 at 2:26 pm
Ananda USA
I am not kidding.
You should know that in USA there are few millions working illegally because the locals are not willing to do some of the work. This so in every country that I have connections. Sri lanka too I find it difficult to have staff on regular basis and if they do stay, must leave a lot allowances that make the efficient enough. My friend who has a tea estate is on the verge of giving up as he can’t get the pluckers on regular basis. the new culture is to go to middle east and work under terrible conditions, though they could work the same hours and earn the same in sl.They all find the grass is greener elsewhere. We need low skilled people and people at higher levels as well. No country has the skill and the experience in some of the fields.so stopping people coming to work from abroad is not wise.
April 28th, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Nimal,
The solution is NOT to bring those parasites. They don’t pay any tax. They work ILLEGALLY. They take all the money abroad. Our hard earned middle east money is ROBBED by these parasites. WORSE. Some of them settle and BREED in SL!!
Solution is to increase productivity and SCRAP the industries that cannot run without kallathonis. Then land and capital are released for other good industries.
MR said there are 41 Endian CEOs in SL companies!! What madness. SL has better and enough people to become CEOs.
ALL SL problems are because of these people who came to SL to work!!
April 28th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Nimal,
As I said in my response to your comment, if workers are not paid a living wage, and they can find better work elsewhere, even by going abroad, they will leave your employment. That is what people do in all countries. Only indentured slaves, yoked to the grinding wheel by force, will not leave for a better job, and in independent democratic Sri Lanka we no longer have people who will tolerate being treated like slaves.
Like your friend, my family found it difficult at one time to retain tea pluckers etc. So, we gradually increased the per-kilo wages, gave them the power tools and training so they could earn more by plucking more tea in the same time, improved the houses we provide rent free, and paid for their healthcare in addition to contributing to their mandatory Provident Fund pensions.
Of course, all of that is possible only if there is sufficient profit being made in the business. We increased that bottom line not only by increasing our tea output using better growing and harvesting practices, but also by planting additional cash crops like king coconuts, cinnamon, pepper and fruit trees. I am nw looking into increasing the fruit output, and installing a small canning facility. As a consequence of the increased income to the workers who now do a variety of interesting jobs than merely pluck tea all day, every day, our labor turnover is now vanishingly small.
However, at no time, did we consider importing workers from abroad or employing illegal immigrants to do the work. If we have to do that, then it is better to abandon the tea business altogether and do something else with the land. The crop diversification we have undertaken is a step in that direction to ADAPT to the times, WITHOUT UNDERMINING our own country, and bringing our own house down upon our heads in the long run. Our plan is to make it possible for our descendents to live in Sri Lanka FOREVER in the future, not to abandon our country to foreigners for any reason.
Employers everywhere have to devise strategies to adapt to societal and economic changes through innovation. If they don’t they and their businesses will die, in more ways than the obvious.
April 29th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
The NPC passing a resolution opposing the recent GOSL ban on SEparatist Terrist groups abroad, is CLEAR EVIDENCE of TREASON against Sri Lanka.
What is the GOSL still waiting for? Declare it TREASON by UNREPENTANT DEDICATED TERRORIST SUPPORTERS, DISMISS the NPC, REPEAL the 13th Amendment as INIMICAL to Sri Lanka’s National Security and Sovereignty, and ENFORCE the 6th Amendment by ARRESTING, PROSECUTING, CONVICTING and SEVERELY PUNISHING these terrorist Hoodlums for their TREASONOUS activities during the last 30 yeearsthat is STILL continuing in FULL SWING!
What more EVIDENCE of TREASONOUS INTENT do you need? It is CLEAR that empowering these SEPARATIST TRAITORS to CONSPIRE with Sri Lanka’s enemies both WINTHIN and WITHOUT, will ultimately DESTROY Sri Lanka. GOSL … uphold your duty to Defend and Protect the Nation and its People NOW!
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Northern PC passes resolution opposing Sri Lankan government’s ban on pro-LTTE organizations
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Apr 29, Colombo: The Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka has adopted a resolution against the government’s decision to proscribe 16 international Tamil diaspora organizations alleged of functioning as LTTE front organizations.
The Council controlled by the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday passed 23 resolutions including a resolution demanding the government to withdraw the ban on the 16 overseas Tamil organizations.
The resolution moved by the Council member M.K. Sivajilingam has been passed unanimously.
However Provincial Councilor A. Jayathilaka has told local media that the UPFA members in opposition objected to the TNA resolution.
The government on April 01 signed the UN Resolution 1373, which sets out strategies to combat terrorism and to control terrorist financing.
Among the organizations proscribed are, the LTTE’s Trans National Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) headed by New York lawyer Visuvanathan Ruthirakumaran, Global Tamil Forum (GTF), which is headed by Fr.SJ Emmanuel and active in Europe, and the UK-based British Tamil Forum (BTF).
The Tamil groups claims the government banned the diaspora groups to thwart the international investigation into Sri Lanka’s alleged human right violations requested by the UN resolution.
Sivajilingam said that also a resolution to thank the countries that supported the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last month.