Government extends ban on LTTE by five years

NEW DELHI: The government has extended by five years the ban imposed on LTTE, a terror group that was behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and was decimated by the Sri Lanka military in 2009.

India had banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the assassination of Gandhi in 1991.

The government, under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, has proscribed the LTTE as an 'Unlawful Association', a Home Ministry statement said.

"The declaration of LTTE as an 'Unlawful Association' has been extended for a further period of five years with effect from May 14, 2014," it said.

LTTE, which came up in 1976, was based in northern Sri Lanka and fought for creation of an independent Tamil state in the north and east of that country. It was decimated by the Sri Lankan military in 2009.

Thousands of people were killed during the bloody movement launched by LTTE under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was also killed in the fight with the Sri Lankan Army in 2009.

It had carried out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lanka's President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993.
The Home Ministry said the government of India is of the opinion that LTTE is an 'unlawful association' and there is a need to control such separatist activities by all possible means.

"The activities of the LTTE cadres, sympathisers in Tamil Nadu suggest that the cadres would ultimately be utilised by the LTTE for unlawful activities.

It has come to the notice of the government of India that despite the ban in force, attempts have been made by pro-LTTE organisations and individuals to extend their support to the LTTE," the notification said.

The government, under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, has proscribed the LTTE as an 'Unlawful Association', it said.

"The declaration of LTTE as an 'Unlawful Association' has been extended for a further period of five years with effect from May 14, 2014," the notification said.

LTTE, which came up in 1976, was based in northern Sri Lanka and fought for creation of an independent Tamil state in the north and east of that country. It was decimated by the Sri Lankan military in 2009.

Thousands of people were killed during the bloody movement launched by LTTE under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was also killed in the fight with the Sri Lankan Army in 2009.

It had carried out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lanka's President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993.