7 Tamil Diaspora Groups & 389 individuals banned

Seven Tamil diaspora groups, including some influential organizations based in the UK, Canada and Australia have been banned by Sri Lankan Government.

According to the extra ordinary gazette notification issued, signed by the Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), British Tamil Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), National Council of Canadian Tamil (NCCT), Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) and the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC) have been denounced by the Ministry of Defence, which is the competent authority.

These Tamil diaspora groups have been banned under Regulation 4(7) of the United Nations Regulations No. 1 of 2012.

All these groups were banned in 2014 on terrorism related activities and financing terrorism but were de-listed by the Government in 2015.

And the Sri Lankan Government has also banned 389 individuals based in the UK, Germany, Italy, Malaysia and several other countries.

Among those banned are GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran, who had been engaged in talks with then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the Tamil National Alliance after the former Government lifted the ban on some of the diaspora groups.

Some individuals who are believed to have supported the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) are also among those banned by the Sri Lankan Government.