Sri Lanka’s postal authorities have decided to defy rules and regulations stipulated by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) when dealing with letters and parcels with stamps bearing the emblem of the LTTE and the image of its late leader, officials said yesterday.

Already, there are reports that members of the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora have issued personalised stamps bearing the emblem of the beleaguered LTTE in France, Britain and Canada. First, it was reported in France, and the issue was taken up diplomatically.

According to the UPU Treaty, stamps of member nations are accepted for the entire international route of mailing.

Post Master General M.K.B. Dissanayake said he informed La Poste, the French postal authority, not to send any parcel or letter with such stamps to Sri Lanka.

“In this case, we will act according to domestic rules and regulations whatever has been stipulated by the UPU. For us, the interest of Sri Lanka is more important than anything else,” he said.

The LTTE is a banned organisation in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, it is prohibited to use the emblem of the LTTE within the country. Also, the organisation remains banned in several other countries including the European Union.

However, he said he was yet to receive reports about stamps printed in Canada and Britain.

Earlier, the External Affairs Ministry, on behalf of the Sri Lankan government, registered its official protest with the French Embassy in Colombo over the issuance of such stamps. The French authorities admitted later that it was a mistake.

Asked for a comment, a spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said the stamps printed in France were personalised stamps. The spokesman said these stamps would not be used in that country and therefore any problem would not arise in the future. (Kelum Bandara)