WASHINGTON, NOV 7: The Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE) has challenged in a court of law the US State Department's designation of it as a terrorist outfit, claiming that it is a de facto government and a de facto state.In an application filed in the US Court of Appeals here on Thursday, the LTTE said it is a national liberation movement seeking to realise the right of the Tamil people to self-determination pursuant to a mandate given by the Tamil people in the 1977 election, the last authentic election held in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka. LTTE presents no threat to the security of the US, and it is not a terrorist organisation as defined under US laws and international law, the application said.LTTE is one of the 30 outfits designated by the state department as a terrorist organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996. It is also the first to legally challenge the designation.We feel we have a moral obligation to challenge the designation, LTTE's international representative said.
