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Two EU states delaying ban on LTTE?
From Neville de Silva in London
Denmark and Sweden are blamed for blocking European Union moves to ban the LTTE and add it to the EU list of outlawed terrorist organisations, according to anti-LTTE Tamil groups that demonstrated in Brussels last week.

A delegation from the Confederation of Tamil Associations (CTA) representing Tamil groups in Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK which had discussions with EU officials is said to have been told that ‘dilatory tactics’ by two member states are holding up moves by the majority of the members who want to see the LTTE listed as a terrorist group, one of the main organisers told The Sunday Times.

Before the EU Declaration in September restricting visits by LTTE delegations to European Union capitals, The Sunday Times reported that certain Scandinavian countries were opposing any ban on the LTTE.

However as the UK, the current president of the EU was confronted with more evidence against the LTTE and member states called for action, Sweden and Denmark toeing the line of fellow Nordic state and facilitator of the peace process, Norway, were compelled to change their tune.

But they are said to have adopted delaying tactics arguing that a collective ban would affect the peace process and suggesting a softly-softly approach.
EU officials are said to have told the delegation that the travel restrictions imposed on the LTTE were not temporary measures and they will not be lifted, V.Ramaraj of the CTA told The Sunday Times.

He said that the EU had asked the CTA to continue to provide it with information about excesses and violations by the LTTE that would then be circulated to member states.

Meanwhile some UK Tamils have protested to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here and to Scotland Yard that plans are afoot to hold ‘Heroes Day’ that commemorates fallen LTTE cadres including suicide bombers in the guise of a Tamil Memorial Day and Cultural Event on November 27, the same day it is to be held in the Wanni.

They have pointed out to anti-terrorism police that two venues have been booked this year by the British Tamil Association (BTA) for this cultural event, but they suspect that this is in support of the LTTE that has been banned in the UK for the last five years as a foreign terrorist organisation.

The two venues booked are the Wembley Arena Pavilion and Alexandra Palace in Wood Green, according to some Tamils opposed to the LTTE who are said to have passed on the information to the Foreign Office and Scotland Yard.
Under the UK Terrorism Act 2000 even the display of symbols, signs or flags of a banned organisation is an offence.

So is membership of an outlawed group and raising funds on its behalf.
While some claim that the BTA is a front organisation of the LTTE no conclusive evidence has been presented to make this tie up, others say.
What has intrigued many is why two venues have been booked this year.
Is it because the organisers fear that the authorities might discover one venue and stop the proposed gathering in which case they could move to the other?

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