A turning point in global war against terror
Shyam Tekwani
SINGAPORE: The United States-led global war on terrorism is
scoring a small victory - in Sri Lanka. The island nation that is
witnessing growth after two decades has managed to curb the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organisation famous for its
child terrorists, suicide bombings and the assassination of former
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a female suicide bomber.
Yes, renewed warfare between the Tigers and the Government broke out
in April, ending a four-year-long peace. But two aspects of the current
warfare are notable. And they could provide a turning point to undermine
the Tigers' goal irreversibly.
One, the government has pulled out a page from the LTTE's manual of
warfare. Recognising that the deadliest weapon in the Tigers' arsenal
has been its communication strategy, propaganda and public relations
machinery, the government - for the first time - has been responding
swiftly to the ground situation with daily sitreps (situation reports),
regular and prompt updates, and rejoinders challenging the Tigers'
proclamations on assorted websites and media statements.
This is in dramatic contrast to a previous policy of secrecy and
hostility to the media, measures which only led to the Tigers being
portrayed as underdogs and therefore worthy of international sympathy.
Two, recent strictures against the Tigers by the international
community have changed perceptions that the global war on terrorism is a
crusade against a particular religion or region. Early this year, Canada
finally proscribed the Tigers as a terrorist organisation.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted joint operations with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, resulting in the arrest of 14 Tiger
operatives last week after a sting operation in the United States and
Canada.
The 'shopping list' for US$900,000 worth of weaponry, recovered from
one of the arrested operatives, included shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles, assault rifles, anti-tank and anti-ship missiles, rocket
launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles capable of jamming radio and radar
frequencies and night-vision goggles.
The operatives are also accused of scheming to bribe US officials
into removing the Tigers from the official list of terrorist
organisations.
The European Union, the last to declare the Tigers a terrorist group
a few months ago, did so only when it became indefensible to glorify the
group as 'freedom fighters'. Evidence that the Tigers relied heavily on
its supporters in Europe and elsewhere to raise and launder money,
acquire intelligence, purchase
Technology and military arms and equipment, and even to influence
elected politicians, was incontrovertible.
While it is no secret that the Tigers have been successful in
influencing elected politicians in India, the revelation that
politicians in Western democratic countries are also susceptible to such
influence is an eye-opener for many.
It is not uncommon for elected parliamentarians eyeing the ethnic
vote, in Canada and Europe, to address meetings organised by the Tigers.
Following last week's arrests in New York, the funding for a US
Congressman and his aide's week-long trip to Sri Lanka last year by a
Tamil organisation with links to the Tigers has come under scrutiny.
These developments are signs of a change in the global struggle
against terrorism. They confirm that outlawing a group can be effective
only where there is political will.
Every effort to destroy these networks will increase the chances of
lasting peace. A beginning has been made with the West recognising and
responding to an urgent need to support distant and small nations in
their fight against terrorism. An end to the 23-year-old conflict could
be facilitated by some Asean countries by merely following the act.
With porous borders, easy availability of arms, rampant corruption,
the facility to launder money and assorted terrorist groups within their
own borders, some countries in the region offer the environment that
enables the Tigers to operate with impunity.
The 'copycat effect' is a phenomenon well understood by
criminologists and terrorism experts. The Tigers, who have made an art
of suicide bombing and constructing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),
have much to offer groups that bear a grouse against their own
governments.
While some of these countries have had a passing involvement in the
aborted peace process and in offering donations, it is irrational of
them to expect an end to the war by simply tossing aid money towards Sri
Lanka's development.
Donor nations and those who speak of bringing peace back to Sri Lanka
need to simultaneously and robustly dismantle the Tigers' support
network and procurement bases on their soil. By allowing the Tigers to
operate out of their countries, they do so at their own peril - and
assume full responsibility for prolonging the conflict in Sri Lanka. The
Straits Times, Singapore
The writer is an assistant professor at the School of Communication &
Information, Nanyang Technological University. He has just returned from
a visit to Sri Lanka. |