The Wire

The rebel group known as the Tamil Tigers has been waging a long civil war with the Sri Lankan government, in an attempt to gain a separate homeland for Tamils. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is now considering a request from his Sri Lankan counterpart to add the rebel group to Australia’s terrorism watch list. This would bring Australia in line with the U.S, U.K., India and 27 countries in the European Union who have ‘banned’ the group. But what does the classification hope to gain? And is it a pragmatic decision when trying to solve complex conflicts? The Wire asked Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees from the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies what, in the Australian government’s eyes, classifies a terrorist.