As it has been reported by Lankan media, a very limited number of stamps featuring LTTEs deceased leader Prabhakaran and LTTE symbols have been produced in Norway. These stamps are not official Norwegian stamps. They have been ordered as so-called personalized stamps - a web-based service anyone can utilize after paying a fee.
The order for the stamps was carried out despite precautions being taken after similar stamps had been issued in other countries. In a statement issued, the Norwegian Postal Service states that their policy is never to produce personalized stamps showing “illegal, inappropriate or improper” images. Unfortunately, in this case, the order passed the postal service’s quality and assurance control and were printed without being stopped as they should have been.
The customer ordering the stamps has been informed that the order violated the terms under which personalized stamps can be ordered. The account has been barred from future orders.
In a letter to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo, The Norwegian Postal Service has offered their sincere apologies for this most unfortunate oversight. The Norwegian Embassy in Colombo shares this sentiment.