About time, but...

Tamil Tigers to be added to Canada's list of terrorist groups:

The Tamil Tigers have been added to Canada's list of outlawed terrorist organizations, the National Post has learned.

The designation was to be finalized yesterday, a day after Cabinet met to accept a recommendation from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

An official announcement was scheduled for Monday.

The Tigers are the 39th terrorist group to be outlawed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the first added to the list by the new Conservative government...

But there is a big "but":

...while the Tigers were placed on the list, the government stopped short of listing any of the terrorist group's Canadian front organizations...

"It is estimated that between one and two million dollars are raised annually in Canada, making it one of the largest contributors of funds to the LTTE worldwide," according to a classified CSIS report circulated in 2000. "The LTTE has traditionally raised these monies through the use of fronts groups."..

The Anti-Terrorism Act allows Cabinet to designate not only terrorist groups but also the front organizations that support them, but none are named in the latest listing.

CSIS has claimed that eight front organizations support the LTTE in Canada, as well as several front companies that are used to harness financial and political support for the civil war effort in Sri Lanka...

Update: Day said authorities will be keeping a close eye on affiliated organizations that could run afoul of the terrorist designation should they continue allying themselves with the Tigers.

Posted by markc at April 8, 2006 11:18 AM