TN dealings with LTTE will harm democracy:
Indian Government warns in submissions to Court
The Indian Government has described the LTTE as a lethal terrorist
outfit more dangerous than Al-Qaeda and warned Tamil Nadu politician
that any dealings with such a terrorist groups could be deadly
counterproductive to democracy.
The Indian Government in an important submission made to a Delhi
Tribunal regarding LTTE terrorist activities, said Tamil Nadu
politicians should be mindful of the LTTE killing machine.
It had committed an international crime as terrible as the killing of
the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi while the two main accused
were still leading arrest and leading a deadly terrorist group
threatening this democratically elected Government of Sri Lanka. There
is also the threat of the increasing complexity of “extremism” and
“terrorism” in India which the Indian media had highlighted recently.
Many editorials in the leading Indian English dailies had repeatedly
warned of this dangerous trend threatening the very foundations of the
Indian union, it said.
The Tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on
May 14, 2008 extended the ban imposed on the LTTE terrorists
organisation for another two years after giving consideration to the
facts placed before it. The LTTE was first banned on May 14, 1992 for
assassinating former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Indian
State of Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.
Since then the ban was extended every two years although on each
occasion interested groups attempted to get the ban lifted.
LTTE leaders and supporters in the Tamil Diaspora including Tamil
Nadu do not seem to have given this years effort to get the ban lifted
although they have levelled allegations recently regarding the
“genocide” of “innocent Sri Lankan Tamils”.
However a fact that stands out refuting any such erroneous and
misguided claims is that the Tamils prefer to live among the majority
community than live under the ‘jackboot’ of the LTTE.
In extending the ban, the Delhi Tribunal led by Justice Vikramjit Sen
made a critical observation which has for some reason seem to gone
“unnoticed”. The Government submitted important material to the Tribunal
regarding LTTE terrorist activities when stating the case to extend the
ban.
It stated: “The LTTE continues to use Tamil Nadu as the base for
carrying out smuggling of essential items, like petrol and diesel,
beside drugs to Sri Lanka”. These facts were known to authorities in Sri
Lanka and should have been known to the political leaders in Tamil Nadu
and the majority of people in Tamil Nadu.
But what was perhaps the most important was that the Government
submitted “that Kalpakkam and Kudankulam” contained “nuclear plants”
which “were proximate to LTTE bases in Sri Lanka”.
It may be reminded that the former Indian Prime Minster was also
killed in Tamil Nadu and investigations reveal that the plot was
launched and undertaken by LTTE activists in Tamil Nadu. Counsel for the
Government submitted that “the Government of India is apprehensive that
unless the ban on the LTTE continues, acts of aggression on India soil
are likely to occur”.
They also pointed out that “the LTTE leaders had been cynical of
India’s policy on their organisation and action of the State machinery
in curbing its activities”.
They also emphasised that the “activities of the LTTE cadres/dropouts
who had recently been traced in Tamil Nadu suggest that they would
ultimately be used by the outfit for unlawful activities”.
This too amounts to a serious warning regarding security regarding
unity. They also noted that LTTE leader Prabhakaran and his Intelligence
Chief Pottu Amman who are wanted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, were
still absconding and declared “proclaimed offenders”.
It may be added that there is warrant on them issued by Interpol.
Some former LTTE sympathisers and supporters of the Tamil Retrieval Army
(TRA) and other extremists groups sympathetic are still alive. There
exists substantial evidence regarding the infiltration and the training
of TRA members by the LTTE who supported the notorious “Sandalwood”
bandit Verrappan who was finally tracked down and killed by the Indian
Police almost a decade earlier.
There are also instances of the LTTE providing ‘expertise’ to the
‘Naxalites’ and extremist groups in the sub continent as well as their
hand in the narcotics trade.
Serious note should also be taken to the observations as stated by
the Delhi Tribunal on matters regarding nuclear facilities located in
Tamil Nadu- Kalpakkam and Kudankulam.
Tamil Nadu has a special obligation to combat terrorism with the
construction of Sethusamudra across the Palk Straits at a time of
growing sea piracy in the Arabian sea to prevent a real humanitarian
disaster. Good sense, not emotion should finally prevail as both India
and Sri Lanka have been at the receiving end of terrorism in the past
two decades.
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