Tiger tracks in Tamil Nadu

CEASEFIRE: “Five Years of Ceasefire Agreement - What Next?” was the rhetorical topic of the symposium organised by the National Peace Council, known more for its capability in organising seminars and workshops on peace.

Many of the views expressed at this symposium have been reported in the media. Of this, what impressed me were the observations of the Japanese and US Ambassadors who saw in the All Party Representative Conference (APRC) and possible devolution more than a glimmer of hope for a negotiated and sustainable peace in the country.

To the possible surprise of many in the “peace at any cost” lobby, the Japanese Ambassador Kiyoshi Araki had some interesting reflections on the contribution made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to further the peace process.

What the Ambassador said may not have been pleasant to the ears of those who were happy to label Mahinda Rajapaksa as a warmonger from the time he began his campaign for election as President in 2005.

But his search for consensus and commitment to a negotiated settlement is seen by the Japanese Ambassador as a clear sign of a positive movement toward the progress of peace.

The Japanese Ambassador saw a positive movement in the Government’s efforts to formulate a devolution package.

Akari said: “Mahinda Rajapaksa, since his appointment as President, has clearly stated that a final solution to the ethnic problem must be sought through peaceful dialogue, and in fact he has taken initiatives in holding the All-Party Conference (APC), where representatives of all political parties are participating in active discussion to formulate a devolution package towards the political solution to the conflict.

The presentation of this package to the people of this country would be the best and perhaps the only way to reinvigorate the peace process at this moment, by initiating dialogue on the political solution to the conflict among the Government, the LTTE and other stakeholders in all communities.

Other positive moves by the Government, as seen by the Japanese Ambassador are its efforts in coping with human rights and humanitarian challenges in the country.

Commenting on this Akari said: “It is a commendable move that the Commission of Inquiry has been established under the initiative of the President to investigate cases of human rights violations, as well as the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) to observe the activities of the Commission.

“Five Years of Ceasefire Agreement - What Next?” is clearly answered by the LTTE, who have violated the Agreement over 7,000 times, thereby making it seem a joke for some to ask that it be abrogated by the President.

If one is to pursue the question “What Next?” the answer seems to be coming from across the Palk Strait where there is heightened concern about Tiger activity in Tamil Nadu.

The alarm bells are now ringing in India with the Coast Guard there discovering vessels transporting arms and explosives for the LTTE here, and in a curious twist of events, and a major sign of danger, also transporting a fully primed, suicide killer jacket across the sea to India.

If the Tiger activity along the coast of Tamil Nadu had sufficient cause for concern, there was another warning that came from India’s National Security Advisor MK Narayanan who has alerted New Delhi to a new threat that the LTTE is among the terrorist organisations which manipulate the Indian Stock Market.

Apparently there is evidence that such manipulation is taking place on the Mumbai and Chennai Stock Exchanges. Narayanan has said in a speech posted online that Islamist militants, who have launched attacks in India killing hundreds of people, as well as the LTTE had in part funded activities, through legitimate businesses, including, restaurants, real estate and shipping.

The Hindu of February 16 reported these developments on its front page, headlined “Sensational seizures deepen anxieties”, subtitled “LTTE exploits Tamil Nadu links, operates deadly two-way traffic across the Palk Strait”.

The news item said that Indian Intelligence had been warning about LTTE activities, and that the Indian authorities were looking into possible links between Tigers and Naxalites.

The Chennai datelined news item states: “The Coast Guard’s interception and seizure in Indian waters, close to the Tamil Nadu coast, of a boat carrying deadly arms and ammunition, including a 7 kg suicide belt, has spotlighted the deadly terrorist menace the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam poses to India and chosen targets in Sri Lanka as well as India.

But even before Wednesday’s sensational catch, a number of recent seizures by the police, the Navy, and the Coast Guard off the Tamil Nadu coast pointed to a resumption, on a significant scale, of smuggling of arms and raw materials by the LTTE.”

The Hindu report adds: The Intelligence Bureau has been constantly warning the Central and State Governments as well as the Tamil Nadu police about the ongoing activities of the LTTE and the elements who support the terrorist organisation in the State.

Very importantly it states: “The recent developments in Sri Lanka and the persistent demand from some groups in Tamil Nadu that the Centre must stop all forms of assistance to the Rajapaksa Government in Colombo has perhaps emboldened some of the groups and support bases here to step up their supplies,” the source explained.

It was not too far back, when the Government closed the A9 at Muhamalai for security reasons that there was a hue and cry by some politicians in Tamil Nadu against the Sri Lankan Government.

Some like Vaiko even asked the New Delhi to boycott President Rajapaksa’s visit to India in December last. They carried out a protest in New Delhi when President Rajapaksa was there.

It is important to recall here that when President Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on that occasion, he suggested that India and Sri Lanka share the work of patrolling the Indian Ocean region North of Sri Lanka.

In making this suggestion, President Rajapaksa explained to the Indian leader, that strengthened Sea Tigers would pose a major threat to Sri Lanka, India and the entire region, including India’s Sethusamudram Project.

In the event, the fears expressed by President Rajapaksa have now proved correct, with India forced to take action on many fronts to curb LTTE activity, which seeks to use Indian soil for its terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka and also to carry out terrorist attacks and other means of destabilising India, such as manipulation of the Stock Exchanges there.

Indian Intelligence must be more than concerned about the suicide killer jacket that was being transported to India.

Which Indian leader was the LTTE targeting in India? With all the noise that Vaiko and others made against President Rajapaksa and the Sinhala “majoritarian” government here, has the LTTE seen a great opportunity to get back to the days when they were able to target former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Indian soil?

These are questions for Indian Intelligence authorities, and the political leaders, both in New Delhi and Chennai, to ponder over and come up with adequate answers in the interests of India and the wider South Asian region.

It is also interesting to know what the TNA has to say of all this, and how they can once again face the Indian Prime Minister in the face and speak anything good about the LTTE, and its supposed mission to liberate the Tamil people.

The Tamil Nadu politicians who worked hard to bring about a meeting between the Indian PM and the TNA must also be having other thoughts about their dealings with this LTTE proxy.

The LTTE has effectively answered the question “Five Years of Ceasefire Agreement - What Next?” - Get ready for more terrorism, in Sri Lanka and across the Palk Strait.

The Ceasefire Agreement has given them just the space it needed for its deadly manoeuvres. Who will organise a symposium on “Tiger claws across the Palk Strait - What Next?”