'GTF says UK meet sent very clear message'
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Colombo Gazette article on recent GTF meeting with the UK FCO MInister, Rt. Hon Hugo Swire MP.
http://colombogazette.com/2014/10/12/gtf-says-uk-meet-sent-clear-message/
The UK based Global Tamil Forum (GTF), an organisation proscribed in Sri Lanka, says its meeting with the British Government last week indicated the international community had disregarded the ban imposed by the Sri Lankan Government.
British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth office, Hugo Swire had talks on Sri Lanka last week with a group of Tamil organisations including the GTF.
Following the talks Swire affirmed Britain’s strong commitment to the investigation on Sri Lanka by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
A GTF spokesman said that the reason for the meeting request that was originally made by GTF, was to make it public that the proscription of individuals and organisations like GTF by the Sri Lankan Government is not taken seriously by the international community.
“By meeting us publicly, the British Govt has confirmed that,” GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran said.
This is not the first time that the British Government has had talks with the GTF, a very influential Tamil organisation led by Father S. J. Emmanuel.