EU puts Tamil rebel group on terror blacklist
European Union governments have agreed to put Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels on their terrorist blacklist, diplomats said today, a move that could affect Sri Lanka’s shaky peace process.
The decision was passed without debate at a Brussels meeting of EU ministers late yesterday, clearing the way for the 25-nation bloc to freeze the group’s assets within the EU, said European diplomats.
The diplomats did not know exactly when the designation would formally take effect, but expected it to happen within several weeks.
The United States and Canada have already listed the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organisation, hindering efforts by the group to raise money from expatriate supporters.
In September the EU banned representatives from the Tamil Tiger group from entering the EU, saying delegations from the group “will no longer be received in any of the EU member states until further notice”, in protest against their refusal to give up violence.
The EU has long warned it would add the group to its blacklist, which includes other notable terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.
The move comes as the EU, Norway, the United States and Japan have tried to push ahead peace talks between the two sides to end the armed conflict.
They were meeting in Tokyo today to evaluate progress and were expected to urge both Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan government to take steps to stop violence from spiralling out of control.
The Tamil rebels began their fight for a separate, independent homeland for minority Tamils in 1983, claiming they were discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese.
More than 65,000 people were killed in fighting before the Norway-brokered 2002 ceasefire.
In recent months, the truce has been pushed to the breaking point by surging violence that the Tigers and government blame on each other.
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