Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

Ban on LTTE unjustified, argue sympathisers before Tribunal

LENDING SUPPORT:MDMK general secretary Vaiko and World Tamil Movement leader P. Nedumaran coming out of the Tribunal on Wednesday.

Udhagamandalam: At a sitting of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal dealing with the declaration of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association here on Wednesday some of the outfits sympathising with the organisation made a forceful plea to permit them to implead themselves as parties in the proceedings headed by Mr. Justice Vikramajit Sen.

Stating that the ban was not justified, they claimed there was not enough evidence to prove that the LTTE was indulging in unlawful activities.

Averring there is sufficient evidence to warrant an extension of the ban, Director, Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs, P.K. Mishra, said while deposing before the Tribunal that convictions were recorded in Tamil Nadu over the last two years in LTTE-related cases. They related to speeches made by pro-LTTE organisations. There was also evidence of regrouping. Pointing out that the diaspora continued to spread anti-India sentiments by holding the top leadership in India responsible for the defeat of the LTTE, he contended that the propaganda affected the security of VVIPs in India.

There were reports of the CPI (Maoist) expressing solidarity with the LTTE.

At a meeting in the U.S., a forum called the Trans National Government of Tamil Eelam (TNGTE) had come into being. Its convenor is a U.S. citizen, Vishwanath Rudrakumar. Many of the 115 elected members from the diaspora in countries such as the U.S., France, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and South Africa belonged to the hardcore faction of the LTTE.

Another organisation called the Global Tamil Forum had also been formed by the diaspora.

Cross-examining Mr. Mishra, MDMK general secretary Vaiko asked whether there was any evidence to link the diaspora with the LTTE. He said that though the LTTE was banned in the U.S., the authorities there did not interfere when the TNGTE was launched in Philadelphia.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Benefit from training programmes: Collector
Ban on LTTE unjustified, argue sympathisers before Tribunal

Copyright © 2010, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu