Australia considering Tiger ban

Australia is considering formally declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a terrorist group, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said yesterday.
Visiting Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said he had asked Canberra to join countries such as Britain and the United States in taking the step against the LTTE.
“As I indicated to the Foreign Minister, that is currently under consideration by the Attorney-General,” Smith told reporters after a meeting with Bogollagama in Canberra. Smith said the Tigers were already effectively banned in Australia.
“For a considerable period of time the LTTE has effectively been listed under United Nations arrangements, that effects a freeze on LTTE assets in Australia and as a consequence (it is) unlawful for the use of LTTE assets in Australia,” he said.
Bogollagama said it was time that Australia named the Tigers as a terrorist group in a bid to help forge a political settlement with the Tamil community.
“It’s time we addressed terrorism and isolate terrorists and bring the community on board in terms of a political solution,” he told reporters. Smith said he had also raised with his counterpart Canberra’s concerns over the violence in Sri Lanka.
“Australia’s view remains that Sri Lanka’s conflict cannot be resolved through military means alone,” he said.
“All parties to the conflict must work towards a political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans.”
Australia yesterday pledged an additional US $ 4 million over three years to improve access to primary school education for Sri Lankan children, Smith said.
Bogollagama also said the war on the LTTE will not be slowed by international financial turmoil placing pressure on the Government’s military budget. “We are coming to the final stages of taking on the LTTE.
We are quite confident our financial resources can sustain the current engagement,” Bogollagama told journalists. Bogollagama said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had no option but to continue an offensive that gathered pace earlier this year when the Government formally annulled a 2002 ceasefire, accusing the Tigers of using it to re-arm. Bogollagama is in Australia to talk about “post-conflict” Sri Lanka.(DailyNews)