International action against the LTTE
Sri Lanka
is now on hard-fought track to eliminate terrorism, with the
global assistance. Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha
Bogollagama emphasized the need of global assistance in a
speech delivered to members of European Parliament on
January 28. Excerpts. |
At a time Sri Lanka is engaged
in the arduous task of putting an end to terrorism in the North of the
country, it is vital to end the capacity of the LTTE terrorists to raise
funds and engage in propaganda in Western countries, particularly in
Europe.
Despite the application to the LTTE of the EU Framework Decision
2580/2001 in May 2006 which lists them as a terrorist entity, the LTTE
has effectively circumvented EU strictures through the activities of its
front organizations in Europe. These known front organizations of the
LTTE, collect funds at will ostensibly for charitable purposes, through
organization of various events claiming to be cultural, sports and
entertainment. The key LTTE front organizations in Europe include: Tamil
Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC),
and the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO).
These front organizations receive direct instructions from the LTTE’s
international secretariat in the Vanni and are an integral part of the
LTTE which act for, or on behalf of, or at the behest of the LTTE. This
has been amply demonstrated in recent action against the LTTE fronts in
the US and Canada.
It is in such context that in June 2008, Sri Lanka presented a
comprehensive dossier on the operations of key LTTE front organizations
particularly the TRO - an action already taken by the US, Canada and the
UK - requesting that the EU also list these front organizations as
terrorist entities. Sri Lanka looks towards urgent action by the EU in
this regard. Delay in such action overseas will sadly undermine the vast
strides that have been put in place in Sri Lanka to neutralize terrorism
and establish democratic governance in areas which remained
non-liberated previously.
Government approach
Failure of the EU to act now will also not be in its own
self-interest. Already many western countries, including several from
Europe, have approached the Government of Sri Lanka with grave
apprehension that the LTTE’s loss of ground in Sri Lanka would intensify
the level of LTTE presence and activity in Europe, which may include;
possible increase in asylum seekers through modalities such as family
re-union; the LTTE and its front organizations having to resort to even
harsher methods to force the Tamil diaspora to fund the group, now that
they cannot hold to ransom the lives of possible relatives in the Vanni
and attempts to provoke communal unrest in the West in order to portray
that Tamils as being persecuted by the Sinhalese.
Additionally, there is also bound to be an intensification of the
conflict within the diaspora itself, between those who seek to keep
militancy alive and those who opt for peace and reconciliation. Also,
networked and trained as they are, in order to survive, members of the
LTTE are likely to continue to engage in clandestine businesses or
engage in criminal activities in their host countries. I am advised that
these concerns were discussed at length at a recent Europol seminar,
organized within the framework of EU-US cooperation, held on December 9
and 10 in The Hague, Netherlands.
The seminar brought together representatives from 15 EU Member
States, as well as from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, USA,
Switzerland and Interpol, as well as representatives from other European
Institutions; Eurojust and the EU Joint Situation Centre SitCen, for an
assessment of the activities of the LTTE and its front organizations.
Sri Lanka welcomes this significant step taken by the Europol, and
salutes the further initiative being taken by Eurojust who will hold a
Tactical Meeting on the LTTE in March 2009. What these actions reflect
is the deep concern the law enforcement and criminal justice authorities
in Europe have about the danger posed to this region by the LTTE and its
numerous front organizations, and their commitment to deal effectively
with this phenomenon.
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The LTTE
women carders |
The Government of Sri Lanka hopes that the European Institutions,
including the Parliament will muster the necessary political will to act
in the face of these provocations and take concerted action against the
LTTE and its front organizations operating in Europe.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important that the EU as a collective entity, as
well as individual European States, many of whom have sadly for long
been misled into believing the propaganda lines dictated by the LTTE
through its numerous fronts, must individually, and as a collective
body, adjust to the new ground reality in Sri Lanka.
Acknowledging this should necessarily lead to three actions:
1. Need for a post-LTTE paradigm
The fixation of sections of the international community about the
LTTE must end. The LTTE’s terrorist course as well as the lack of a
political agenda was well known. Now it is clear that their military
prowess was also clearly over-rated.
As the Sri Lankan polity moves towards bringing to a conclusion to
the process of evolving a political settlement to the conflict in Sri
Lanka, a special responsibility is cast upon the international
community, including numerous INGOs that have previously championed the
LTTE’s political cause; they must work with those Tamil democratic
parties to further the interests of the Tamil community, both within and
outside Sri Lanka.
2. Support re-development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. We
all know the importance of socio-economic development in post conflict
development processes and the long term sustainability of peace. Many
Governments, including individual EU member countries, international
organizations and INGOs are involved in post-conflict development work
in the East. However, the EU is a noticeable absentee.
The EU institutions should not wait any longer to join other partners
in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process of the former conflict
areas so that the lives of the people in those areas will return to
normalcy faster. It is critical that economic development take place to
strengthen the restoration of democracy. It cannot wait until the last
LTTE cadre has been eliminated. It must begin in earnest, so that the
people enjoy the peace dividend.
post-conflict development
I have reiterated this to the European leaders I met and invited them
to become partners in Sri Lanka’s post-conflict development. I appeal to
the EU Parliament to give this matter your urgent attention and to join
this effort.
3 Act against the LTTE front organizations in Europe
I appeal to EU states not to permit their soil to be used by either
the LTTE or its numerous front organizations operating in Europe. It is
time to act, for if not you would be throwing a ‘lifeline’ to the LTTE,
at a time they are facing defeat on the ground and the tremendous
sacrifices made by over 70,000 who sacrificed their lives to stand up to
the LTTE and for this reason were assassinated - many innocent
by-standers, a host of Sri Lankan leaders including President Premadasa,
two generations of Tamil democrats, as well as international figures
such as Rajiv Gandhi, former PM of India, would be in vain. It is time
to act, and we must act now.
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