The tolerance of terror

Assassination: Forty three years ago, on May 27, 1964 India saw the end of an era with the passing away of its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. As the BBC reported it, "Jawaharlal Nehru, founder of modern-day India and confidant of Mahatma Gandhi, died from a heart attack in 1964 leaving the nation in shock."

Thirty five years later, on May 21, 1999 the nation was again in shock as India's ninth Prime Minister and grandson of Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated by Thenmuli Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Siriperumbudur near Chennai, in an LTTE conspiracy hatched by Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence chief, Pottu Amman.

If the death of Nehru was the passing away of an era, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi saw the beginning of another era: The era of terrorism from Sri Lanka, initially nurtured by India, striking back with devastating force on Indian soil.

Today, sixteen years later, the two main suspects accused of the assassination, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE and Pottu Amman, his intelligence chief, are yet to be brought to justice in India for their heinous crime.

They still carry out terrorism for the so-called liberation of the Tamil people and the setting up of a separate Tamil Eelam, operating mainly from the Northern jungles of Sri Lanka.

Earlier this week on the 16th anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, there were pledges in India to counter terrorism. Media reports said that on the day that is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in India, hundreds gathered to pay homage to him at the place where he was assassinated.

Several workers of the State unit of Congress party, of which Rajiv Gandhi was a member, pledged to fight terrorism as they paid floral tributes to him. "His vision and commitment is great for our country's progress," said Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President M. Krishnasswamy. Interestingly, in Chennai, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi paid homage to the departed leader and also administered an oath to his Cabinet members to work against terrorism.

Strangely enough 16 years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the man who realised the importance of reining in the LTTE, there appears to be a dichotomy in thinking, both in the Indian administration and its political leaders, about the threat posed to India and the South Asia region by the LTTE, which continues on its path of terrorism.

Sri Krishna

If the LTTE's acquisition of an aerial capability, even of a limited nature, has not convinced some sections of the Indian political leadership of the threat that it poses in this region, the recent developments in the Maldives should be a good eye opener to the wavering politicians there as to the real danger of an unbridled LTTE in South Asia.

This comes on top of known intelligence reports that it has connections with more than one terrorist group at present operating in India.

The evidence coming from the Maldives shows the utter contempt the LTTE has for international borders whether on land or at sea. It is ready to violate these borders and carry on with its acts of terrorism, whether they affect the coast and landmass of India or the Maldivian archipelago.

Those who assisted in preparing the recent report tabled in the Rajya Sabha, which wrongly referred to movements of the Sri Lanka Navy in Indian waters, would not have expected the LTTE to use the Indian vessel "Sri Krishna" it captured together with its Indian fishing crew, killing one, for its transnational terrorist operations. But, the LTTE has no interest in giving credence to its apologist among Indian political leaders.

It was much more interested in smuggling arms into Sri Lanka and found in the "Sri Krishna" and one member of the captured Indian crew a good means of achieving its ends. It also had the least compunction in operating in Maldivian waters to carry out the mission to strengthen its terrorist capability.

If the "Sri Krishna" operation shows how the LTTE could be more than a thorn in the South Asian region, the earlier incident involving the Jordanian vessel "Farah 3" that was captured by the LTTE off the coast of India, was a very clear pointer to the international ramifications of the LTTE's terrorist operations.

In what was a clear act of piracy in international waters, it captured a Jordanian registered vessel with its crew, carrying cargo from India to South Africa. In one move its operations affected South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Such is the reality of the LTTE's terrorism today, spread worldwide as one can see from the various reports of arrests of LTTE operative made in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, Norway and the actions against its operations in France.

Challenge

In this context, the observations by President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding the commonality of terrorism in any part of the world made at the recent G11 Summit in Jordan, should open the eyes of those who wish to see, of the actual threat the LTTE poses in this part of the world, and also the challenge its operations pose to efforts to uphold human rights and bring humanitarian relief to people affected by the conflict in Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa said: "My request to you is for the G-11 to emphasise the strong bond that unites us all in responding to the challenge of terrorism. All terrorist attacks whether on Amman, Islamabad, London or Colombo, are acts that must be vehemently condemned. There can be no differentiating between them. Terrorism anywhere is terrorism".

He added that: "Unfortunately, some in the developed world tend to view certain terrorist organisations with a degree of tolerance. At times, these terrorists are viewed as rebels or fighters against discrimination, as long as they do not create violence in those countries.

Also some countries have permitted terror organisations to have front offices, institutions, lobby groups and charities based on the premise of democracy. By this, they have shown their indifference to terrorism.

President Rajapaksa's reference to a "degree of tolerance" of terrorist organisations by some in the developed world, could well be expanded to include the developing world too, if one takes into consideration some of the Indian politicians who are so reluctant to blame the LTTE for its acts of terror, even when its victims are fishermen from India, its booty is an Indian vessel, its prisoners are Indians and those pointing the finger are from the Indian Police.

It is ironical that 16 years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the LTTE has staged a comeback to Tamil Nadu, involved in murders and kidnappings of Indian citizens, using Tamil Nadu as a base to procure arms and strengthening the separatist movements in India with its training and instructions on terror.

Streak of hope

Despite his recent report to the Rajya Sabha, and whatever pressure the narrow politics of Tamil Nadu may be having on the Centre, as well as the power of the TN Fishermen's Lobby, there is a streak of hope that the vision of those who matter in India is improving with the recent announcement by Indian Defence Minister A K Antony of the need for faster modernisation of the Indian Coast Guard in view of the terrorist threat that "is more likely than ever to come from the sea.

Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police D. Mukherjee has also said his earlier report that five Indian fishermen were killed by the LTTE in Indian territorial waters on March 29, had been confirmed by the LTTE's Sea Tiger suspects in Indian custody, and it was also now clear that the LTTE had kidnapped 12 Indian fishermen and taken their vessel which was later sunk off Maldives when carrying weapons.

Would the vision of those that matter in India keeps improving with regard to the LTTE's operations both in Sri Lanka and India, and the very real threat it poses to security in this region. No amount of pledges to fight terrorism on the anniversary of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination would yield any results unless there is a full realisation of the threat to India by the "home grown" but imported terror of the LTTE.