Interesting article... another case where the gTLD is as important as the ccTLD - at the very least to provide for redirection of visitors to the ccTLD, and even moreso to prevent a more nefarious use of the gTLD.
It's still amazing how many government, NGO and various organisations do not think about the branding aspect of covering their identity in multiple domains.
We've had similar cases where end users have approached us for gTLD names we hold ... months after they've built their gTLD (for example a .ca or .fr domain) claiming that we "have" to give it to them.... this is in cases of generic domains!
Rob