Sri Lanka: A ‘Foot Soldier’ in the battle against terrorism

Speech by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama at the inaugural session of the anti-terrorism conference now being held in Colombo.

The scourge of terrorism has been one which we as a nation and we as a world have been grappling with for many years.

This International Conference on Countering Terrorism comes at a critical juncture, not only locally but globally as well, as international attention is increasingly focused on the travails and tribulations the modern state has to wrestle with, due to terrorism and terrorism related concerns.

This challenge is manifold as it confronts democratically elected governments like ours.

We are appreciative of the presence of such a large and distinguished gathering of eminent personalities in the field of counter terrorism and its related areas, who would no doubt contribute immensely to the deliberations that would take place over the next two days, and in so doing would make a worthy contribution to our discussions.

A victim of terror

Here in Sri Lanka, for over three decades we have been a victim of terrorism and every single citizen of this country has had to deal with this vicious plague.

The brutal tentacles of terrorism are not just limited to a single locality or region, but are ones which spread far and wide, over a myriad of areas from financing, to smuggling be it humans or narcotics, all contributing in no small measure to bring misery and hardship to thousands, whilst further handicapping a country on its path to progress and prosperity.

This growth of the LTTE has been widely commented upon by the media as well as by terrorism and intelligence experts across the world, over time.

Unfortunately little effort has been made by the international community to arrest this trend until the attacks of 9/11.

However terrorism is a global phenomenon. Addressing the 62nd Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly, President, Mahinda Rajapaksa was to note, and I quote, “Terrorism anywhere is terrorism. There is nothing good in terrorism. Sri Lanka has taken an upfront position in the global community’s efforts to deal with terrorism.”

A ‘foot soldier’ in the battle against terrorism

As you are aware Sri Lanka has played a pioneering and influential role in a multitude of fora from the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to the United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth, the Non Aligned Movement (NAM), recently through the Shangri-La Dialogue and the Asian Regional Forum (ARF), in drawing international attention to the problems confronting democracies facing the challenge of terrorism.

In this era when the global community continues to be entangled in a definitional debate as to what constitutes “terrorism”, it must be recalled that Sri Lanka’s pioneering efforts were largely responsible in pressing for the SAARC Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism at the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka in December 1985.

Few believed it was achievable at the time, but not only was the SAARC able to sign such a Convention in 1987 at the Kathmandu Summit, but since, SAARC has moved on to enter into an Additional Protocol in 2004, with a view to cooperate in practical ways to help each other.

In the 1990’s Sri Lanka was also at the forefront in making specific proposals on measures to eliminate international terrorism, covering the question of abuse of asylum and fund raising activities through front organizations.

At the time Sri Lanka also proposed that terrorist crimes should be regarded as ‘serious non-political crimes’, while also advocating the prevention of financing terrorist and terrorist organizations, whether such financing was direct or indirect.

It is heartening to note that the substance of these proposals were reflected in the 1996 Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism which was adopted without a vote in the General Assembly.

My predecessor Lakshman Kadirgamar himself, a victim of terrorism, in whose memory, the Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies which is organizing this Conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been named, played a forceful role in drawing attention to the phenomenon of child combatants.

Since 1997, as Vice Chair of the UN Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism, Sri Lanka played an important role in the drafting of the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.

Since 2000, Dr. Rohan Perera, the Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka has chaired this committee and is playing a pivotal role in the on going delicate negotiations of a Comprehensive Convention on the Elimination of Terrorism.

Since 1963, 13 major United Nations Conventions and Protocols have been adopted to confront and combat terrorism that deals with a range of issues from hostage taking, terrorist bombing, financing of terrorism, terrorist related threats to aviation and maritime navigation, nuclear terrorism, among others.

Sri Lanka is a State Party to twelve of these thirteen Conventions and I deposited the instrument of ratification of the International Convention for the Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism at the UN a few weeks ago.

It was under Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship, that the Nuclear Terrorism Convention was successfully concluded in April 2005. Sri Lanka was also amongst the first signatories of the Convention.

As for the ongoing negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on the Elimination of Terrorism, Sri Lanka believes that this Convention, which, in our view remains a priority, must be concluded without further delay.

A success story in countering terrorism

In the long and arduous struggle against terrorism, not withstanding some impediments and setbacks, Sri Lanka can in several respects count itself as having been a success story in the battle against terrorism.

First, while we have constantly upheld that the present conflict in Sri Lanka must be resolved through political means and are presently engaged in building a consensus through the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC), Sri Lanka has never compromised on, or condoned with terrorism.

The recent efforts of the Government in restoring normalcy in the Eastern Province, is a clear message that terrorism can be defeated with coordinated political will.

I am sure those of you, who are familiar with the difficulties faced in carrying out military as well as ‘hearts and mind’ operations in areas dominated by terrorists, would better appreciate the magnitude of the challenge we faced.

Having done so, today, the Government has embarked on a programme to bring about sustainable development in the area and to hold elections at the earliest. It is our hope that this exercise will serve as a model in post conflict development. This is worthy of emulation in other situations as well.

A second lesson Sri Lanka provides is the vital necessity of international cooperation in overcoming terrorist challenges, particularly in developing countries.

We have come a long way from the time when Sri Lanka’s pleas to the international community not to harbour terrorists, to stem money flows and to apprehend those conniving to continue to cause mayhem in Sri Lanka, fell on deaf ears.

A compilation of published reports of the genesis and growth of LTTE activity in countries and the action taken by foreign governments, has been documented by the Foreign Ministry and is being made available to you.

It should serve as a reminder to all countries facing terrorism as well as those wittingly or unwittingly permitting their soil to be used to nurture and nourish terrorists, that condoning terrorism today leaves us to face a greater challenge tomorrow.

One must be conscious that in taking action against the LTTE foreign governments are not merely helping Sri Lanka, but they are also acting in their self-interest, for it is well-known that the LTTE’s global terror network which has links to other terrorist organizations such as United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the Afghan Mujahideen, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), the Maoists, Abu Sayaf, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and to the Al-Qaeda, has the ability to contribute to copy-cat terrorism through its suicide bomb technology, acts of maritime terrorism, and nascent air strike capability.

This has rightfully alarmed the intelligence communities across the world, because given its global network of offices, operatives and vessels, the possibility that the LTTE could offer its services as mercenaries to other groups, should not be discounted.

Thirdly, given that the chief weapon of terrorists is to terrorise governments and people, Sri Lanka has also shown remarkable resistance and resilience in facing up to these challenges. Our people have not only shown courage in the face of terror, but normalcy has been restored within a short period of time when Sri Lanka has faced crisis situations.

Also importantly, notwithstanding the difficulties we face, our socio-economic indicators remain impressive. We maintained a growth rate of 7.4% in GDP terms in 2006. Foreign direct investments in 2006 amounted to US$ 640 million, while exports increased by 8.4% to US$ 6.8883 billion. These figures too are expected to rise in the current year.

Following an increase in per capita income, Sri Lanka is now categorized as a middle income status country.

These successes should give other democracies hope, that terrorism can be fought and overcome, by ensuring the sustenance of the will of our peoples and the support and assistance of the international community.

I am hopeful that in your deliberations you will focus on the need for all states to go beyond subscribing and ratifying the international conventions relating to countering terrorism, and convert these into tangible form by developing the necessary enabling legislation that will give effect to their international pledges. Without this element our success against terrorists, whether in Sri Lanka or elsewhere in the world, would remain futile.

Another aspect I commend to your consideration is that increasing attention be paid to confront terrorism in the oceans.

In recent weeks and months, not only Sri Lanka but even the Maldives have been confronted with challenges in this respect and have overcome them.

However, given that a bulk of maritime traffic passes through the Indian Ocean region, developing robust modalities to arrest the growing threat that faces Indian Ocean states, requires your reflection.

I trust that this Conference would provide an opportunity for you to contribute, in a meaningful way to the body of knowledge, on how democracies face up to the challenge of terrorism in all its manifestations.