‘Democratic Governments combating terrorism need international support’

BRITAIN: Terrorism is, without doubt, the greatest challenge faced by the world community in our time and requires a concerted effort at the international level if the democratic way of life is to survive, said Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, said in a delivering a lecture at Jesus College, University of Cambridge.

He was a keynote speaker in the inaugural session of the symposium on “The Wealth of Nations at Risk” attended by Ministers, officials, diplomats, academics and representatives of civil society from more than 40 countries.

Among the Minister’s co-panelists were Lord Davidson of Glen Clova QC, Advocate General for Scotland, Sir Gavin Lightman, Judge of the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom, Jia Chunwang, Prosecutor General of the People’s Republic of China, Sir John Gieve, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and Michael Klein, Vice President of the World Bank.

Taking the case of Sri Lanka as an example, Prof. Peiris dealt with the internal and external manifestations of terrorism and their impact on weakening the economy of nations.

“Within a country, terrorism has found expression in the use of duress to collect money from persons residing in parts of the country controlled by the terrorist organization, forcible recruitment of persons including children into the armed cadres of the organization, and denial of freedom of the public in a variety of ways.

“Externally, funds extorted from the diaspora have been used for the purchase of arms, while the resources of terrorist organizations have been further enhanced by their involvement in such activities as the drugs and narcotics trade and human trafficking.

The Minister referred in this connection to the recent conclusion in Jane’s Intelligence Review that the LTTE has a considerable stake in the lucrative drug market in Canada.

“To combat a threat of this gravity, it is necessary to introduce suitable changes in criminal laws and procedures, Prof. Peiris said. All countries, including those in the West, recognize the need to put in place special legislative regimes governing emergency situations as carefully defined exceptions to the general law.

One must not lose sight of the reality that a democratic government pitted against terrorism has to operate within the framework of values and practices based on the rule of law, although these constraints do not apply in any way to the terrorist organizations.

While the protection of human rights and humanitarian values is of the utmost importance, a government has the sacred duty to ensure the security of the public, and this is a duty which cannot be compromised in any circumstances”, he said.

“For this purpose reasonable departures need to be made from conventional legal principles governing restriction of detention in police custody, search of premises and seizure of objects and documents.

These departures are justified by the priority which must be accorded to safety of life and limb and protection of the democratic way of life itself. For similar reasons, the simplifying and expediting of trial procedures and modifications of the law applicable to bail is warranted, he added.

Particular attention needs to be paid to reform of the law in such areas as the provision of effective protection for victims of violence and witnesses to acts of terrorism,” he said.

“Prof. Peiris, in his address, placed special emphasis on attitudes and perceptions of the international community. The predicament of developing nations in particular, responding to terrorism, call for understanding and support, and judgmental postures are certainly not appropriate.

The international community must be wary of attempts to use the human rights discourse as a lever to weaken the structure of a democratic state, to the advantage of terrorist organizations. Nothing is as destructive of the core of human rights as the practice of terrorism.

“Pious pronouncements denouncing terrorism have very little effect in the real world unless they are accompanied by concrete action directed towards the suppression of terrorist organizations and the rigorous control of terrorist funding and propaganda, Prof. Peiris said.

(Prof. Peiris was a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge and Smuts Visiting Fellow in Commonwealth Studies in the University of Cambridge.)