Curbing a global threat

GONE are the days when terrorism affected only a few countries. Today, terrorism is a truly global phenomenon. Most terror groups have spread their menacing tentacles far beyond their ‘home’ base.

They are also closely linked, vis-a-vis training, weapons procurement and propaganda. Terror groups also ‘learn’ from each other.

For example, the LTTE’s use of women suicide bombers has been copied by several other terrorist organisations.

The LTTE is a prime example for terrorism’s global reach. It raises funds virtually all over the world - even using front organisations in countries and regions where it is banned - and scurries illegal weapons markets for additional purchases to its arsenal. It has even carried out a suicide bombing abroad.

It is known to operate in some remote South East Asian islands mainly for shipping weapons to the North of Sri Lanka. The same applies to many other international terror groups including al-Qaeda and JI.

It is thus vital for Governments to cooperate to end the menace of terrorism. Sri Lanka has spearheaded a global movement against terrorism, having experienced first hand its devastating effects.

The late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was a driving force behind this campaign and many countries banned the LTTE after scrutinising the group’s record of terror. The events of 9/11 accelerated global action against terrorism.

The US designated the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation 10 years ago and has been investigating its clandestine activities on US soil since then.

The Sri Lanka Government has extended its fullest cooperation to the US in this endeavour, a fact highlighted in this year’s US State Department’s annual overview of global terrorism.

After an extensive investigation that took several years, the FBI has arrested several LTTE operatives who had been engaged in sourcing weapons.

The two countries have also worked together on cutting off terrorist finances, one of the primary means of curbing terrorist activity. The European Union is also cracking down on the LTTE, as exemplified by the arrests in France of several LTTE suspects.

Terrorism anywhere is a threat to civilised life everywhere. No Government can ignore terrorist activity on the premise that it is someone else’s problem.

A glaring example for this mentality is the ignorance by many Governments of the LTTE’s extortion of the Tamil diaspora.

However, the Lankan Tamil expatriates are citizens of their countries and the LTTE’s methods of coercion pose a danger to their law and order too. Thus inter-Governmental cooperation is the only way forward to curb global terrorism.

There must be a total commitment on the part of Governments and law enforcement authorities to take action on terror groups regardless of their country of origin and intended destination of funds and weapons.

Needed: Urgent action

The City witnessed a massive deluge yesterday too, for the second consecutive day. We deliberated on the pathetic scenes witnessed in Colombo and elsewhere on Thursday in these columns yesterday as well, but the extent of the devastation clearly calls for more words - and more action - on this issue.

What is most alarming is that the floods have led to the loss of precious lives countrywide, most notably in Colombo.

This is not a good omen for a city that aspires to become an economic hub of the South Asian region. A city with a creaking infrastructure cannot hope to compete with other cities.

It is clear that the powers that be in our main cities have neglected their primary responsibility of properly maintaining and developing infrastructure.

Young Anoma Induttara lost her life on Thursday after falling into an open drain at Wijerama, Colombo. Who is responsible for this tragedy?

It appears that the Colombo Municipal Council workers had not replaced the slabs after attending to some work at the site. Moreover, several persons were electrocuted by fallen electricity wires.

A huge ‘crater’ was seen near the Roxy Cinema in Wellawatte as the road virtually caved in yesterday. It is fortunate that no one was hurt. This incident proves that our roads are also not maintained properly.

There should be an impartial investigation into these incidents as well as a wider probe on why Colombo gets flooded after just half an hour of heavy rain.

The most probable cause is that drains have been blocked and low-lying water retention lands have been reclaimed.

Some roads have no provision at all for rainwater drainage, a rather serious state of affairs in a city that receives rain practically throughout the year.

But this does not mean that the public should be mere spectators when it comes to maintaining infrastructure facilities in their towns and villages.

We throw away polythene bags and other litter on the roads and into drains, without realising that the accumulation of garbage in drains leads to the inundation of roads and houses.

Some illegally reclaim low-lying lands and constrict unauthorised structures without realising the implications for the wider society.

It thus appears that floods can be prevented, if both local bodies and the public discharge their responsibilities properly. It is a two-way street.

The Central Government, provincial councils and local bodies should urgently turn their attention towards resolving this problem, while creating awareness among the public on the need to desist from actions that can aggravate the dangers.