Tamil protests in London

The Sri Lankan Human Rights Minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said demonstrators should not have been allowed to display the Tamil Tiger flag and pictures of the group's leader.

He said action must be taken particularly in countries where the organisation is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation.

Large pro Tiger demonstrations were held in major cities in Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States.

formal protests

The minister said formal protests would be made to the governments of the countries.

There had been several self-immolations at pro-Tiger demonstrations in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, but Colombo will not take up issue with New Delhi because the demonstrators did not display Tamil Tiger flags, the minister said.

However, in other countries, the demonstrators had draped themselves in Tiger flags, the minister said.

One Tamil protester self immolated in Geneva, in front of the UN building.

banned organisation

"The LTTE is a banned organisation in some of these countries. We are surprised these countries allow LTTE sympathisers to use the LTTE flags so openly in their protests against us," the minister said at a press conference in Colombo.

He said Sri Lanka had asked its diplomatic missions in these countries to lodge protests over the pro-rebel activities which he described as "supporting terrorism."

To glorify a terrorist organisation is totally misplaced. We have asked our high commissioners, our ambassadors, to raise the issue with their host governments Palitha Kohona

"We can only assume that these people will continue to fund the LTTE". he said.

Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, Palitha Kohona added that the United Nation Charter prohibited glorification of terrorism.

"To glorify a terrorist organisation is totally misplaced. We have asked our high commissioners, our ambassadors, to raise the issue with their host governments," Kohona said.