Udaya Gammanpila, the co-spokesperson of the Sri Lankan Cabinet, said on Monday that the government is not prepared to engage with groups and individuals promoting separatism in the country.

In recent weeks, various Tamil diaspora groups, some among them are LTTE sympathizers, based in western countries, openly rallied against Sri Lanka when a UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka was pending.

“Diaspora is a Greek term used when Jews were expelled from Israel,” said Gammanpila, adding nobody has been expelled from Sri Lanka so the government of Sri Lanka doesn’t recognize the term ‘diaspora’, he added.

It is pertinent to remember that the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, some of them very influential in diplomatic circles, had played a very significant role in the rise of LTTE in Sri Lanka and in the west. For years, the diaspora played a significant role in providing monetary and advocacy support to the LTTE cause.

The government will engage with the expatriate community, Gammanpila said, but will ban anyone promoting separatism.