http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=42466


Stamps bearing LTTE pics, symbols: France admits blunderJanuary 3, 2012, 10:04 pm
The French embassy in Colombo yesterday claimed that ‘Groupe La Poste’ of which French postal services were a part had issued a set of stamps bearing pictures and symbols of the LTTE by mistake.
The admission was made in the wake of External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris strongly condemning the French move at a meeting with the French Ambassador in Colombo Christine Robichon yesterday. External Affairs Ministry told The Island that the international community should thwart LTTE plans to propagate extremist views and sanitize terrorists.
The French embassy issued the following statement yesterday: "Following reports published in different newspapers regarding the issuance in France of stamps bearing pictures and symbols of the LTTE, the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka wishes to inform the media and the Sri Lankan public that no such stamp is part of the official philatelist programme of France, neither on sale in the French post offices. The French Postal services, "La Poste", offers an online service through which customers can order limited quantities of personalized stamps under their responsibility and under specific conditions. It appears that individuals have used this service to order the above mentioned stamps.
"La Poste" recognized that they failed to detect that the conditions had not been met and that some of these stamps have been printed by mistake.
Having been informed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs that LTTE is a movement which has been listed since 2006 as a terrorist organization by the European Union, "La Poste assures that no such stamp will be printed further.
Since 1991, le "Groupe La Poste", of which French postal services are a part, is an independent public, industrial and commercial institution."