Australia today became the latest country to list Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels as a terrorist organisation, cutting off another source of funding for the separatist group.
The Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a statement that the action had been taken as part of the country's obligation under a UN Security Council resolution passed in September to suppress the financing of terrorism.
"All countries are required to take these steps as part of global efforts to combat terrorim. This action shows the Australian government's commitment to ensuring that Australia does not become a financial haven for terrorists," the statement added.
The listing follows a similar move last month by Canada, which the Sri Lankan government says is the largest source of funds for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and its 18-year separatist campaign.
The Australian move coincides with renewed peace hopes in Sri Lanka, with the Tigers on Wednesday declaring a unilateral ceasefire and urging the government to respond positively.
The new government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, elected this month on a campaign pledge for early peace talks, has welcomed the truce and said it would respond soon. The Tigers have used suicide squads in their bloody campaign for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka's north and east. Violence associated with the conflict has killed an estimated 64,000 people.