Thwarting LTTE's designs in Europe

Growing terrorist propaganda network:

Final part of the text of the speech by Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU Ravinatha Aryasinha, at the European Corporate Security Association (ECSA), Brussels on March 23, 2011

This is regarded as the most significant judicial action related to terrorist financing that has taken place in Europe. In Norway, in January 2010, eight LTTE activists including five youth, were indicted for 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka Embassy in Oslo. In Germany, eight LTTE activists from front organizations including the TCC were arrested on three occasions in March and May 2010 and three of them have already been indicted.

In the Netherlands, in April 2010, six LTTE activists from front organizations including the TCC, TRO and the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) were arrested. The most recent action was in Switzerland, where in January 2011, when 10 LTTE activists including from the TYO were arrested.

This is of course in addition to earlier action in Europe, which includes the conviction in the UK of former LTTE UK leader and President of the British Tamil Forum A C Shanthan in 2009 for seeking to purchase duel use technology for the LTTE, in Italy arrest warrants issued in June 2008 on some 30 LTTE activists, in Denmark the freezing since 2008 of the assets of TRO-Denmark for support of the LTTE terrorism and the conviction in France of nine including V Manoharan who was later to be the head of the CCTF-France on drug smuggling charges.

LTTE leaders

If the more recent actions which are but a mere symptom of the extent to which LTTE tentacles might be spread throughout Europe was not sufficient to alert one of the danger that lies ahead, the known presence at large within Europe of a number of prominent LTTE leaders who continue to owe allegiance to the LTTE, should be sufficient cause for concern. Among them are:

* Perinpanayagam Sivaparan, alias Nediyavan, who even preceding the military defeat of the LTTE controlled its overseas assets and network including front organizations and continues to operate from Norway.

* Vinayakamoorthi Sekarapillai, alias Vinayakam, senior-most surviving cadre of the LTTE intelligence wing that was formerly led by Pottu Amman, who planned and led the attack on the Colombo International airport in 2001. He was smuggled out of Sri Lanka during the final phase of the conflict and has an INTERPOL red corner notice against him, but is presently operating in Europe.

* Jeyachandran Gopinath, alias Jeya Annai, LTTE propagandist-in-chief and Editor of the LTTE website 'Tamilnet', who also operates from Norway.

* Fr S J Emmanuel, a former Vicar-General of Jaffna, who since the late 1990s has been a key proponent of the LTTE network, who heads the more populist LTTE umbrella front organization Global Tamil Forum (GTF) headquartered in London, is in Germany.

* The centre of gravity of the so-called 'Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam' (TGTE) also appears to be shifting to Europe, with the creation within its so-called 'Parliament' of a sub group TGTE (Democrats), mainly comprising Tamil youth from the UK, Germany and France, who seek to gain control of the self styled 'Government in Exile', from the New York based long standing Legal Advisor to LTTE leader Prabhakaran and the LTTE Visvanathan Rudrakumaran, who claims to be the TGTE's so-called 'Prime Minister'.

All this tells a simple story. That the LTTE challenge has moved to Europe, as the LTTE has possibly concluded that they have greater latitude to operate here. By its actions, the LTTE and its front organizations are no doubt testing the political will that prevails among the establishment in concerned European States, as much as they are the resolve of the European law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

Sri Lanka's concerns

The Government of Sri Lanka remains acutely conscious, that as Sri Lanka moves forward healing the wounds from 30 years of conflict through reconciliation and development, that it needs to be watchful of elements that might be intent on queering the pitch and particularly seeking to thwart Sri Lanka's rapid economic progress. Judging from recent trends it would be fair to expect that it will come from diasporic quarters.

However, it is abundantly clear that today the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora is no monolith, and the Government of Sri Lanka has already shown itself to be adept at differentiating between these categories.

The Government has made clear that it does not intend to demonize or isolate the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora and as it has the Sri Lanka based Tamil leadership across party lines, it has shown keenness to engage in a dialogue with the Diaspora Tamils in the changed atmosphere, with a view to harnessing their talents and resources towards the betterment of Sri Lanka. At the same time, it will press for action against those in the Diaspora, whose actions are bound to seek to perpetuate terrorism in whatever guise, including through front organizations.

In such context, Western governments too will soon have to come to a conclusion as to who speaks for the Tamils of Sri Lanka? Whether it is those in the Diaspora who are unrepentant, militant and continue to seek an independent 'Tamil Eelam', or whether it should be those peace loving Tamils living both in Sri Lanka, as well as abroad, who are ready to move forward with other communities in Sri Lanka in solidarity.

LTTE Front Organizations and future

Historically speaking, Europe has been relatively slow in tangibly responding to the activities of the LTTE and its front organizations. While India proscribed the group in 1992 and the US followed in 1997, it was in 2001 that the UK did so, while the listing of the LTTE by the EU was done only in 2006. Similarly, while the US proscribed the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization in 2008 and the Tamil Foundation in 2009, Canada the World Tamil Movement (WTM) in 2008, and France banned the CCTF in 2009, LTTE front organizations are yet to be listed by the EU, notwithstanding police and judicial action being taken against front organization activists in at least eight European States.

However, in the more recent actions, one witnesses increased sensitivity on the part of European Governments through their law enforcement and criminal justice establishments, to the continuing danger posed by the LTTE and its front organization activists to the peace and security of this region.

European Council

It is also significant that at a time when the pro-LTTE Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora activists are pressurizing the EU and member states to revoke the listing of the LTTE as a 'terrorist entity', that following what has been described as a "complete review of the list of persons, groups and entities to which the regulation applies", the European Council on January 31, 2011 announced the re-listing of the LTTE as a 'terrorist entity', in terms of the European Council Common Position 2001/931/CFSP of 27 December 2001 on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism.

Sri Lanka's quest for reconciliation and development will no doubt be helped, to the extent that foreign governments maintain a watchful eye, concerning the activities of pro-LTTE elements who have been operating in your countries for many years. Many of them, some who have even succeeded in gaining entry into your local administrative/legislative structures, are abusing your laws for a racially motivated agenda, and are sowing seeds of disharmony among the Sri Lankan Diaspora communities that live peacefully in your countries, while at the same time radicalising the second and third generation Tamil youth who are citizens of your countries.

It is for this reason that Sri Lanka continues to call for the inclusion of all LTTE front organizations operating on European soil within the EU's 'listing' regime, in order that the freedom they presently enjoy to function and to maintain bank accounts will be denied to them, as has happened particularly in the US and Canada.

The recent arrests and convictions across Europe have provided a litmus test in this regard, as most of those arrested belonged to prominent front organizations which were integrally linked to the LTTE, and acted for or on behalf of, or at the behest of the LTTE.

Political community

No doubt a complicating factor host governments will have to grapple with, is that particularly as the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora communities convert themselves into vote banks and could have a political bearing in marginal constituencies in Europe, that the political establishments in these countries will invariably come under greater pressure, to ignore the activities of the LTTE/ its front organizations operating on European soil.

Given that there can no longer be a dichotomy in the manner terrorist and criminality related issues are treated across the globe between the law enforcement/criminal justice community on the one hand, and the political community on the other, there should not be a disconnect between these respective institutions of Governance on how to deal with this growing problem. It is important that European States and Institutions do not provide any political or symbolic support, nor should they be fooled by the false pretences of those continuing to advocate mono-ethnic separatism in Sri Lanka "through peaceful means", while espousing the ideology of the LTTE, using its money and being manipulated by its surviving military leaders.