Tamil organisation ban lifted after careful study – Minister-by Ishara Mudugamuwa

Source:Dailynews

Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena yesterday refuted the allegation that the government has lifted the ban imposed on six international Tamil organisations to attract foreign investments but after careful study.

The minister said this while responding to a question by a journalist regarding the lifting of the ban imposed on six Tamil diaspora organizations at the Cabinet media conference held at the Government Information Department.

The minister said that according to the provisions of the United Nations Act No. 45 of 1968, the Defence Ministry will appoint and remove terrorist and non-terrorist organizations. Sri Lanka has issued a special gazette notice in this regard.The Minister said the Defence Ministry has decided to remove the ban on six international Tamil organizations that were banned earlier like the Australian Tamil Congress, Global Tamil Forum, World Dravida Coordination Committee, Dravida Eelam Janata, which had been blacklisted under UN Security Council Convention 1373.

He said the ban on the organizations like Federation, Canadian Tamil Congress and British Tamil Forum was removed.The minister said that the ban has been lifted as per the recommendations made by the ongoing studies on the activities of these organizations in the past period, adding that such bans will be lifted after continuous investigations as per the international charters and recognitions in respect of the UN Charters.The minister said that three new organizations have been added to the blacklist and they will be mentioned in the government gazettes.