by Dushy Ranatunge
Agitated by the British listing of the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO), pro LTTE gangs have attacked Sri Lankan music fans outside Acton Town Hall in North London.

The attack took place late Saturday night as Sri Lankan music fans were leaving a concert. A Sri Lankan music group called the "Marians" had performed at the venue on Saturday night and as the event ended and the fans left the hall a gang of pro-LTTE Eelamists attacked them on the streets with swords and baseball bats.

Several Sri Lankans have been admitted to hospital with sword wounds to their head, arms etc. All are reported to be in a non life threatening and stable condition.

Earlier some Sri Lankans had been requested to leave a Sri Lankan restaurant in Bounds Green (North London) when a group of LTTE supporters who were in the restaurant had told them "You have got us banned in the UK".

It has been speculated that these pro-LTTE gangs may be 'employees' of the LTTE who were used by them to visit Tamil homes to collect contributions for their 'cause'. It seems that the sources of revenue of these gangs may have dried up because of the British ban and the LTTE withdrawing their fund raising effort.

On February 19, as the British Terrorism Act 2000 came into force, the LTTE withdrew all their propaganda material such as videos, calendars, magazines, newspapers etc., from Tamil owned shops in London.

Commenting on the ban, a leading and respected Tamil professional in Britain stated "The LTTE have run out of their visa in the United Kingdom and have achieved the status of an 'illegal alien'. From now on, like in Canada, they are fugitives on the run, and will operate in the UK underworld at a much reduced level. "