Dear Mr. Obama, Please Lift The Ban On The LTTE
Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah
Dear Mr. Obama,
The continued, unfair and unjust labelling of the Tamil Tigers cannot stand. Please lift the ban on the LTTE.
In the light of the opinion given by the advocate general to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to remove the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) from the European Union’s (EU’s) terror list, I am appealing to you, to give credence to that advice and act – it should now be accepted the continued unfair and unjust labelling of the Tamil Tigers cannot stand.
I draw your attention to three media reports – one from The Wall Street Journal, another from Reuters and the 3rd from the BBC that refer to the opinion of the advocate general AG) of the European Union’s (EU) “top court”, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), that the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) should be removed from the, “terrorism blacklist” of the European Union. The advice was given, by the AG in support of a lower General Court’s decision to remove the LTTE from the EU’s terror list, at an appeal hearing launched by the European Council (that represents 28 EU countries) that asked the ECJ to reject the earlier lower court decision.
“Now (that) the European Court adviser has recommended the appeal be rejected,” and the lower court’s decision be upheld, It’s an accepted norm according to the media that it is usually the case the ECJ would follow the AG’s recommendation. As such you would agree, it’s only a question of time when the ECJ would give a favourable ruling to remove the LTTE from the terror list.
In view of this development I strongly feel it’s time, also right and proper not only for the European Union but also for America and for all other countries that still persist to do so, to take the necessary action accordingly to lift the ban on the LTTE!
As a passionate activist fighting a non-violent fight, to free my homeland, Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island of Ceylon (known as Sri Lanka), through engagement and diplomacy, it will greatly help our freedom struggle to remove this unfair labelling that demonizes our just cause in the eyes of the world, amongst world leaders and members of civil society.
