A serious threat

Nearly all terror groups have a worldwide presence, although their primary base of operations could be a single country. The LTTE is a prime example for a truly global terror outfit, with activities in a number of countries.

Next to Sri Lanka, the LTTE is most active in Tamil Nadu, given that State’s linguistic and geographical ties with the Northern region of Sri Lanka.

It is no secret that there still are Tiger cells in Tamil Nadu, where training camps of the group existed decades ago. The Q Branch of the Tamil Nadu Police regularly nabs both Sri Lankan and Indian LTTE supporters from various parts of the State. Indian law enforcement officials are well aware that the LTTE poses a threat to Tamil Nadu as well.

Memories of the LTTE’s assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 are still vivid in the Indian psyche. The killing evaporated whatever sympathy the people of Tamil Nadu had for the outfit and prompted a crackdown on the group by the Centre. The LTTE later indirectly apologized for the assassination, but old habits die in the LTTE. Intelligence reports indicate that the Gandhi family still faces a threat from the Tigers. Gandhi family members themselves have admitted this fact.

There is also evidence that the LTTE is looking beyond Tamil Nadu in a quest to expand its terror network. A recent Indian newspaper editorial drew attention to intelligence reports on the possibility of LTTE elements looting a bank in the adjacent state of Kerala and raising finances for terrorist activities.

Indian law enforcement officials should take these warnings seriously, especially in the context of remarks made by several openly-pro LTTE politicians in Tamil Nadu. MDMK Chief Vaiko had warned of a ‘bloodbath’ in Tamil Nadu if LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was harmed during the ongoing military operations. Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv’s son, has pointed out that the law would take its course regarding this statement.

Many in Tamil Nadu now believe that only the LTTE itself could be blamed for its present predicament. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi has also blamed the LTTE for the failure to find a solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil problem so far.

Writing in his column in Murasoli, a Tamil newspaper owned by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Karunanidhi said: “A solution to the Sri Lankan Tamils’ problem could not be found yet because the LTTE acted in wrong ways, heeding the wrong advice of wrong people in Tamil Nadu.” Right now, the only advice that they should give the LTTE is to lay down arms and surrender. In the meantime, Indian authorities should crack down hard on LTTE activists in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.

Protect the mangroves

The tsunami of December 26, 2004, devastated many coastal areas in Sri Lanka. Curiously, the tsunami spared several areas which had mangroves - dense forests of salt-resistant trees and shrubs that grow in brackish, low-lying coastal swamps in the tropics and subtropics.

This clearly manifested in Bangladesh, which recorded very low casualties thanks to an extensive network of mangroves in all coastal areas. Just four years on, we seem to have forgotten this fact. A recent UNDP study in Pakistan has reaffirmed that mangroves play a vital role in minimizing the damage caused by tsunamis.

We reported yesterday that commercial considerations are taking a heavy toll on the mangrove swamps in Sri Lanka. Although the tsunami is an extreme example, Mangrove plants generally help in water flow and enhancing the possession of sediments in the water system. Mangroves prevent sea erosion as well and provide a livelihood to fishermen and other coastal dwellers.

Protecting the mangroves is also environmentally important as they contain very rare plant species. Evidence has also surfaced that villages shielded by mangrove forests fare better than other areas in cyclones and storms. A study in Orissa, India has revealed that areas protected by mangrove forests experienced significantly fewer deaths in a super-cyclone than did less-protected villages.

The destruction of the mangroves, unauthorized constructions and land reclamation in coastal areas pose a grave threat. Discharging domestic and industrial effluents to the sea also affects the mangroves.

Stringent laws must be passed to stop such activities if the present laws are inadequate. Better still, the Environment Ministry and the Coastal Conservation Department should launch an awareness program over the electronic and print media to highlight the importance of the mangrove forests.

Their officers should also visit the coastal areas to educate coastal dwellers. The tsunami of 2004 was a bitter lesson that should spur us to protect and nurture the mangroves instead of destroying it. That should not be the responsibility of the authorities alone. All nature loving citizens should speak up against the destruction of the mangroves and lend a hand to stop it.