By Dushy Ranetunge
British authorities are concerned over the "Peace in Sri Lanka" event which was held at Members of Parliament office building, Atlee Suite, Protcullis House, Westminster on Monday January 22. The event organised by the LTTE via one of its front organisations the "Confederation of Tamil Associations—UK" was exclusively reported in this newspaper last Thursday.

"The Island" has since learnt that inquiries about the event have been made from the highest levels in Britain and concerns expressed on the use of British parliamentary facilities and lobbying by a foreign terrorist organisation facing possible proscription in the United Kingdom.

Late last year there was outrage amongst the British security community when the Sunday Telegraph in London in an article titled "Tigers Recruit at British Schools" revealed the use of British schools for terrorist fund-raising and propaganda by the LTTE.

The "Peace in Sri Lanka" event was attended by Robert Evens MEP (European Union Foreign Affairs Committee), Dr. Jenny Tong MP (Overseas Development spokesperson, Liberal Democratic Party), Andy Love MP (Secretary, Parliamentary Sri Lanka Committee), Andrew Dismore MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Linda Perham MP, John McDonal MP and Garth Thomas MP. It was chaired by Barry Gardiner MP.

All these British MPs have substantial Tamil constituencies in and around London.

The event was organised by a LTTE front organisation and was packed with key LTTE leaders and activists in Europe. In its propaganda, the LTTE projected the event as "British Tamils lobby MPs at Westminster".

In the weeks leading up to a possible proscription of the LTTE in Britain there is an increased desperation among LTTE activists. There is frantic lobbying taking place with almost weekly meetings with vulnerable British MPs in marginal seats, conferences and seminars, innumerable letters from LTTE activists and their front organisations addressed to the Foreign Office etc. in an attempt to halt or delay any British action. These British MPs in turn have been voicing their concern of the possible British proscription.

Earlier in January both Balasingham (the LTTE’s London based theoretician/political adviser) and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar issued statements, including some veiled threats which did not go down very favourably with British authorities.

Balasingham told Britain that if the LTTE is banned, they will become "real terrorists". Kadirgamar told Britain that if the LTTE is not banned, Sri Lanka will be disappointed.

The decision to include the LTTE in a British list of foreign terrorist organisations will be decided upon by the Home Ministry on recommendations by M 15 and M 16.

The US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organisations would influence any British list, and the LTTE’s inclusion in that list makes it almost a certainty that the LTTE will be included in any British listing.

If Britain fails to include the LTTE in it listing of foreign terrorist organizations, it would be providing an opportunity for the LTTE, a terrorist organization, to embarrass, ridicule and even challenge the United States State Department’s decision to list the LTTE.

It is highly unlikely that Britain would contradict the listing by the United States, its greatest ally and allow a terrorist organisation to make mockery of the US stand against global terrorism.

Britain’s security community already feels that the LTTE has abused British hospitality by launching so many terrorist arms procurement deals from UK soil. It should be recalled that the first head of the LTTE International Secretariat, Satasivam Krishnkumar alias Kittu was served a quit notice by UK authorities and asked to leave the United Kingdom in 1991.

Last week, a member of a British law enforcement agency commented "I will be very surprised if the LTTE is not on the list, when it is released".

However, with a general election around the corner, British MPs in marginal seats lobbied by the LTTE are trying to influence the British government to delay any listing till after the election. But considering the massive parliamentary majority of the Blair government it is doubtful if they would be able to show the government’s decision.

Furthermore a few years ago, during a lunch meeting held in a Mill Hill Indian restaurant in North London, Robert Evens MEP told this correspondent, that in his opinion a majority of the Tamils in the United Kingdom do not support the LTTE. This means that the LTTE is not in a position to materially influence the Tamil vote in the marginal seats in London, where most of the 100,000 or so Tamils live.

What is certain is that any British listing will include an appeals procedure and the LTTE is expected to utilise it and appeal. This procedure which may take up to one year or more, will delay the impact of any proscription.