COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Friday appreciated the UK government's continued partnership in the fight against global terrorism, as it noted the British Home Secretary's decision to keep the LTTE in its list of banned terrorist organisations.
In a communique, the government of Sri Lanka was notified that the UK Home Secretary (Priti Patel) has decided to maintain the proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation under the UK Terrorism Act No.7 of 2000.
"The government of Sri Lanka is appreciative of the partnership with the UK and all governments in the global fight against terrorism and remain committed to working with the UK in all efforts to mitigate terrorism and violent extremism that threaten the lives of citizens and endanger global and regional peace and security", the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said, reacting to the development.
The UK Home Secretary's decision, which was taken following the judgement of the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC), rejects the application of a LTTE front organisation to de-proscribe the LTTE in the UK.
The LTTE now remains a proscribed organisation in the UK, as in over 30 other countries worldwide, including in the European Union region.
The continuity of the proscription is indicative of the continued threat posed by the remnant of the LTTE group working through its international network, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said.
The LTTE, which led an armed rebellion for over three decades against the Sri Lankan government to set up a separate Tamil homeland in northern and eastern regions of the island nation, was defeated by the Sri Lankan Army in May 2009.