Tribunal holds hearing on LTTE ban

Two Tamil Nadu police personnel deposed before a tribunal conducting hearings to decide the validity of the proscription of the militant outfit.

Kodaikanal, (TN): Defending the ban on LTTE, two Tamil Nadu police personnel on Saturday deposed before a tribunal conducting hearings to decide the validity of the proscription of the Sri Lankan militant outfit. Appearing before the Justice V K Jain Tribunal, formed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, two police inspectors submitted that they had seized explosives from three LTTE activists.

The government counsel told Justice Jain that there was need to continue the ban on LTTE. MDMK chief Vaiko, a known supporter of LTTE, also appeared before the tribunal and opposed the continuation of the ban. Vaiko later told reporters that he told the tribunal that LTTE did not exist in India. "There is no truth in the claim that LTTE is present in Tamil Nadu," he said and wanted the tribunal to recommend for lifting the ban, first imposed in May, 1991 soon after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a human bomb from the outfit. Sivanesan, a Canada-based coordinator in making representations on behalf of LTTE, contended that the organisation was not fighting for the cause of Tamils in India. It neither asked for a separate Tamil state in India nor did they want all Tamil areas to merge. Hence it was unfair to ban LTTE, he argued. The Centre had recently extended the ban on LTTE by another two years following which the tribunal is conducting hearings to decide on the validity. Its next hearing would be held in Madurai and Chennai, officials said. PTI