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‘LTTE’ tattoo no taboo
From Neville de Silva in London
That was one tattoo that did not leave a mark. Certainly not on the High Court judge who seemed to have found the reason for seeking asylum in Britain rather humorous, to judge by his reaction.

A Sri Lankan, Kathgamanathan Kuvendran, 34, of Hayes, West London claimed that he would be persecuted if returned to Sri Lanka because the letters LTTE were tattooed on his arm near the shoulder.

Because of that two-inch tattoo he would be considered a member or supporter of the LTTE, a terrorist organisation and one that has been in armed conflict with the Sri Lanka government. Therefore, he would suffer persecution.

The High Court judge at the Royal Courts of Justice had a rather simple solution to the problem of the offending tattoo. He asked Mr. Kuvendran to wear a long-sleeved shirt and dismissed his asylum claim.

The Daily Mail newspaper quoted an Adjudicator who had earlier rejected Kuvendran's claim for asylum as saying, he "was not of the slightest interest to the Sri Lankan authorities, and upon arrival at the airport was likely to be waved through."

The Daily Mail quotes Mr. Kuvendran as saying that he would consider a further appeal against the judgment. The case that lasted an hour and involved two barristers had cost the taxpayer £2000.

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