Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena raised concerns about the use of children in terrorist propaganda activities, adding that it would lead to children and youth being radicalised. During a meeting with British High Commissioner Sarah Hulton and Canadian High Commissioner David McKinnon this week, Minister Gunawardena spoke about the mutual concern of security of countries, particularly the increasingly visible activities in the past few weeks by non-state actors engaged in the glorification of terrorist acts of the LTTE, including suicide bombers..
Early this month a couple was arrested with a claymore mine on a bus plying from Jaffna to Kandy. Police revealed they also had their child with them during the arrest. Later the couple divulged to the police about a hand grenade that was buried.
In a press release the Foreign Ministry stated that High Commissioners Hulton and McKinnon conveyed ‘the strong position of their governments that there was no tolerance for terrorist activities nor glorification of terrorism, in their countries, and the recent spate of acts of non-state entities in no way reflected a change in their official position on such matters’.
Minister Gunawardena thanked the High Commissioners for the commitment to ensure non-resurgence of the LTTE, which remains proscribed as a terrorist group in the United Kingdom and Canada, the media release stated.
“The Minister said being Commonwealth countries, Sri Lanka’s relations with the United Kingdom and Canada are deep-rooted, steadfast and wide-ranging, and expressed confidence of continued close cooperation. The talks focused on the shared efforts of countries to support citizens and re-calibrated programs to pursue economic development and support the wellbeing of citizens during this global pandemic, while welcoming the news of the Covid-19 vaccine,” it added.