AUSTRALIA MAY LIST TAMIL TIGERS AS TERRORISTS

MELBOURNE, Oct 13 (Bernama) - Australia is likely to join several other
countries and list Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebel separatist movement as a
terrorist organisation.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama called on Australia to
explicitly list the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist
group at a meeting with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith in Canberra
Monday.

Smith said Australia already was considering the matter.

"As I indicated to the foreign minister, that is currently under consideration
by the Attorney-General," he told reporters.

Already the group was effectively banned in Australia.

"For a considerable period of time the LTTE has effectively been listed
under United Nations arrangements, that affects a freeze on LTTE assets in
Australia and as a consequence (it is) unlawful for the use of LTTE assets in
Australia," Smith is reported by the Australian Associated Press as saying.


"The LTTE has become a universal terrorist organisation," Bogollagama told
reporters.


"It is to be banned in the United States of America, it is banned in
Canada, it is banned in 27 countries in the European Union, it is banned in the
United
Kingdom and also it is banned in India.


"It's time we addressed terrorism and isolate terrorists and bring the
community on board in terms of a political solution."

For more than 40 years, the Tamil Tigers have been fighting to create an
independent homeland for the country's ethnic minority Tamils.
--BERNAMA