Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have been listed as a terrorist outfit in Canada, which the Sri Lankan government says is a key source of funds for their separatist campaign, a senior military official said on Friday. The move comes after the United States tightened the screws on the tigers by placing them on a list of terrorist organisations to be targeted for asset freezes and other penalties after the September 11 hijacked aircraft attacks.
''We have just received a list signed by the authorities in Canada,'' said a senior military official who did not want to be named. ''This is a great moment for the country.'' The rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have used a suicide squad in their 18-year campaign to press for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka's north and east.
Officials at the Canadian High Commission in Colombo were not immediately available for comment.
More than 64,000 people have died in fighting between government troops and the LTTE which is also banned in Britain and India. Bureau Report