Sri Lanka plans to lift ‘terrorist’ ban on Tamil groups
Posted on March 19th, 2015
Courtesy Adaderana
Sri Lanka’s new government has announced plans to remove 16 groups and hundreds of Tamils from a list of foreign terrorists” as part of reconciliation with its largest ethnic minority.
The country’s foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, said the previous administration of hardline president, Mahinda Rajapakse, had linked overseas Tamil outfits to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which was crushed by his forces by May 2009.
They banned several Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups… for their alleged links to the LTTE,” Mr Samaraweera told parliament.
This was done to build up the hysteria about the LTTE regrouping.” A further 424 individuals, some of whom had been dead for years, had also been listed as terrorists and banned.
Announcing a review with a view to lifting the banning and terrorist classifications, the foreign minister said the action was part of the reconciliation plan by the president, Maithripala Sirisena.
Official sources said the lifting should happen soon. Reviewing this list of individuals and entities is an important exercise at this juncture when the government of president Sirisena is seriously committed to expedite the reconciliation process,” the minister said.
The former regime of Mr Rajapakse, who ruled for a decade until he was defeated in January elections, had said the ban was to prevent them from funding Tamil rebels to regroup in Sri Lanka.
The terror designation applied to several organisations in Australia, Britain, Canada and the US. Among the 16 groups was the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), which was banned in April last year, accused of financing terrorism. The ATC was formed in 2009 and has chapters in five Australian states. Mr Samaraweera said most of the groups, as well as the individuals, designated terrorist had merely been vocal proponents of Tamil rights. There was hardly any tangible evidence to link them to the LTTE,” the minister said.
Sri Lanka’s main Tamil political party has accepted efforts of the new government to ensure reconciliation after 37 years of ethnic war that claimed more than 100,000 lives.
Security forces under Mr Rajapakse crushed the LTTE leadership in a military campaign that ended in 2009 but sparked allegations that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were also killed, AFP reports.
March 19th, 2015 at 5:04 am
People who voted for this government, look what you have done. In few years you will see your children, creatives will be blasted using suicide bombs and other means. Unlimited fund will flow free to SL and proba will rise from the grave. SINHALA MODYA Kavum kand yodaya. You fools.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:17 am
After reading this article I fully understand why Rajapakse conceded defeat, did not question the authenticity of the election and probably chuckled to himself.
Rajapakse gave enough to Sri Lanka. he ended the war, built a stellar infrastructure, forged strategic ties with Asia’s most powerful nation and one of the most powerful nations on the planet including a regional neighbor, China, and he kept the Western, Indian and pro Tamil Tiger outfits at bay. what more could he have done?
Between India, the Obama administration of the US and the Tamil voter they placed their puppet in Colombo and I believe by cheating on the elections in addition. So if the whole deal comes apart and Elam becomes a reality with each passing day
I am sure white Americans like PROFFESOR HAMHOCKS WHO HAPPILY HOPES FOR PEACE SO HIS FAT BUT CAN CONTINUE TO BASK IN SRI LANKA WHILE LECTURING TO EVERYONE ELSE
OR TAMILS LIKE KUMAR WHO WANT TO SILENCE THE SINGHALESE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT TILL SOME FORM OF ELAM IS REALIZED. HEY I WILL JOIN WITH RAJAPAKSE IN SAYING
“I TOLD YOU SO” PARASITES LIKE PROFESSOR HAMHOCKS WHO GETS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS (SRI LANKA ND THE US) WANT PEACE AT ANY COST OR HIS WHITE BUT WILL BE IN TROUBLE SO HUSH HUSH SINGHALESE NATIONALISTS DO NOT MAKE A FUSS. HIS DEVOTED TAMIL LACKEYS CAN BE FOUND ON HIS ARTICLES PRAISING HIM FOR HIS BRILLIANT “WHITENESS’ WHILE SIRISENA MAKES THE ELAM DREAM COME TRUE.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:06 am
Helay excellent comment. BW, good comment, I do not know who Prof. HAMHOKS is but I take your word for it. Almost all comment writers do not know who is Dr. Mendis is! to find out: Go to Asian Tribune web site and dig it out. Elam is already there. I am so happy to read that you agree with me that the election was won by BALLOTT BOX stuffing. Again, SA KUMAR is a syndicated columnist and get paid for comments. What I wrote about GOMIN tickled every body including you BW. Read his first article “Musical chairs” and you will know where was he then, and where is he now.
March 19th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Safeguard our country from western and indian who are hell bent on dividing it to
to please the minorities we have to be with the Chinese. When Chinese are on your side you are totally
safe. Nobody troubles you. Uk, us, norway, indian etc. etc traitor scums comes nowhere near. MR had a vision
to keep our country safe. The things he did in 10 years, UnPatriotic Party (UNP) would have taken 500 years.
Those low lives coudn’t built an inch of motorways. Couldn’t kill any terrorists. But they were very good at
killing Sinhalese youth. No mercy. Now this low lives JVP (jathiya vinasha party) sleeping with them. Those jvp
jokers, the Sinhalese youth who paid with their lives will be cursing these current clowns.
But some Sinhalese idiots still support these UnPatriotic Party (UNP) because they think it is fashionable.
They align our country with traitors Uk, us, norway, etc. etc (all catholic countries) and india. These traitor
countries are hell bent on dividing Sri Lanka for tamil diaspora votes in those countries. Traitor Sinhalese idiots
at least now stop supporting treacherous party. FUTURE GENERATIONS GOING TO CURSE YOU, YOU LOW LIVES!
March 20th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
LANKAPUTHRA:
I have come across people like Professor Hamhocks in my life here in the US. Give you an example.
A Doctor of Psychology who is an Italian American with a touch of Native American blood, a liberal progressive thinking man. To make a long story short let me point some issues I have seen about him
-he chairs the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Often he would get stoned smoking pot, put eye solution to clear out the blood shot eyes, gargle, put on cologne and FACILITATE at those meetings. He would advice people whose lives are broken and this is the only place they would come to get their lives together.
Then he would come back and tell all how he fooled them and he would laugh and laugh away. I never found it funny since I have been invited by him to witness this charade.. at the expense of others. this doctor who specializes in helping those with such problems would make a fool out of these people while being stoned himself. It was cruel
He was and I believe still is an ardent believer the high philosophy of Hinduism. When he finally did go to Kerala he did wonderful work with the orphans, many who had debilitating diseases, disabled and mainly orphaned by the Tsunami. he spent a good deal of his own money to set up a computer and learning center for them and joined a prominent Ashram. there he was “anointed” the “Maharishi” and given a Hindu name. Here in the US his life was anything of that. take my word on that.
during the time I knew him he would also go to the native American reservation and then “become” a “bonafide” native American with all the rage and fury of what the “white man” had done to “his people”. He is an Italian American and a rich well to do one at that. His father was in the Mafia, and owned 13 grocery stores. it used to amaze me how he can change personalities from that of an American Italian to a Hindu “Maharishi” to a Native American. In each of these “avatars” he was extremely convincing. either he helped or took advantage of those who needed help at their expense. These are only some of what he would become and I have met many like him. Another person swore he was from French nobility till the rest of us got to meet his “gumba” Italian parents. He fooled many for decades since no one actually met his parents. He was close to being of French nobility as I am. I can go on giving so many examples of Americans who change according to the environment and take advantage of it for themselves. I do not believe it is done with true malice but end up fooling many.
Professor “Hamhocks” comes out to me this way as he is so shady about himself. often refers to his comments as “humble” and is evasive regarding himself. quick to accuse others of not sharing the details of their life. (I have done so numerous times in the Lankaweb). It is more “stinging” when the whole Singhalese nationalist movement is about race, ethnicity, language, religion (which I have openly stated that I would be glad to embrace Buddhism anytime as my official faith if my faith stands in the way). That is the reason for this war. it was to define a new nation by ethnicity religion and language.
March 20th, 2015 at 12:10 pm
forgot to mention when Professor “Hamhocks” states his opinions are humble he then makes statements and accusations that are far from “humble”