Comprehensive security is not defence alone – Part
II:
Nation’s safety comes first
A viable National Security strategy needs to be aligned with the
aspirations of the people, and it must have public support. This will
ensure the safety of the nation. The government's prime duty is ensuring
the safety of the nation while guarding against various threats, states
Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The Defence Secretary was addressing students following the National
Interest Module of the inaugural MPhil/PhD Programme of the Kotelawala
Defence University. The speech was on the topic, ‘Sri Lanka’s National
Security Concerns’.
Text of the speech:
Continued from June 17(Monday)
Combating such an enemy that employed guerrilla tactics required the
Sri Lankan Armed Forces to grow significantly. Between the end of 2005
and the end of 2009, the number of Army personnel grew from 120,000 to
over 200,000; its 9 Divisions were increased to 20; its 44 Brigades
expanded to 71; and its 149 Battalions increased to 284. The Navy and
the Air Force were also expanded significantly, and given tasks beyond
their classic role. The upholding of security throughout the country
also required the Police and Special Task Force to be strengthened, and
the Civil Defence Force was revamped and significantly expanded.
Because of the internationalisation of the Sri Lankan situation
during the previous decades, there was a great deal of foreign scrutiny
on the progress of the Humanitarian Operation. By keeping the Indian
leaders constantly informed about what was happening on ground, and by
skilfully managing our relationships with other nations, it was possible
for the war effort to continue unimpeded. Nevertheless, towards the end
of the war in 2009, the Foreign Ministers of France and the United
Kingdom arrived in Sri Lanka and attempted to intervene in the military
campaign, although they did not succeed. Efforts by such parties to end
the Humanitarian Operation reflect the tremendous influence that the
LTTE's international network had on foreign capitals. Many in the
international community wilfully ignored the fact that the Government of
Sri Lanka was duty-bound to protect its citizens from the aggression of
the LTTE terrorists. Even after the war ended and peace dawned in 2009,
this bias against the Government led to Sri Lanka being taken up at the
United Nations Human Rights Council. Although the initial Resolution
against Sri Lanka was defeated that year, two more were sponsored by the
United States in 2012 and 2013, and successfully passed.
Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa |
Today, Sri Lanka is a country enjoying the full benefits of peace,
and it is engaged in a concerted push to accelerate its economic
development and bring prosperity to its citizens. The country has much
to catch up on. Three decades of conflict lost us countless
opportunities for growth: foreign and local investment suffered due to
fears about the war; tourists did not visit the country, and many of our
best and brightest went overseas to build better futures for themselves.
Countries such as Singapore, which were in a similar economic position
to Sri Lanka when we reached Independence in 1948, developed at a
tremendous rate during this period. This is because they did not have a
major conflict to contend with. Sri Lanka's prospects on the other hand
were greatly curtailed as a result of the war. This is why the biggest
responsibility of the Government of Sri Lanka even today, in the post
war situation, is to ensure the continued security of the country.
Without security and stability, there will be no economic development.
The maintenance of National Security is therefore of the utmost
importance.
The National Security of Sri Lanka needs to be addressed in context
of the history of this country and the realities of its present
situation, and most critically from the perspective of several
responsibilities of the state. The state must ensure that the
Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of the nation is maintained, and
that there are no threats to the safety of our population. Ensuring
economic growth so that the people of the country can uplift their
standard of living is also critical in order to prevent internal
problems recurring in the future. Creating a favourable environment for
Sri Lanka internationally is similarly of the utmost importance in
keeping adverse external influence at bay. Securing the safety of our
physical assets and safeguarding the nation's democracy are also
critical. Considering this overall context, it is clear that National
Security must be understood within a unified, single framework that
integrates the nation's Defence, Law and Order, Foreign Policy and
Economic Policy. These four areas need to come together in the creation
of a comprehensive National Security Strategy. This is essential if Sri
Lanka is to consolidate its present peace and stability and fulfil its
potential.
Present National Security Concerns
There are several potential threats in today's context that Sri Lanka
needs to be concerned about. These include:
• The possible re-emergence of terrorism
• The emergence of other extremist groups
• The creation of ethnic divisions and communal violence
• The challenges of maritime security and border control
• The growth of organised crime
• Foreign interference in domestic affairs
• Non-traditional threats through technology driven new media, including
social media.
In discussing terrorism, it is first of all important to appreciate
the sheer scale of the problem that the Government of Sri Lanka was
confronted with as a result of the LTTE over the past three decades.
Since the 1970s, the LTTE grew from a small organisation of armed
individuals to a large, sophisticated terrorist outfit with very
advanced combat capabilities. At its height, the LTTE had more than
30,000 battle-hardened cadres; access to large stockpiles of modern
armaments, ammunition and equipment; a sophisticated naval wing and a
fledgling air wing. For a considerable period of the conflict, the LTTE
was able to maintain the illusion of a functional state apparatus in the
territories it dominated. It also had significant influence in foreign
capitals as a result of its extensive international network. Defeating
the LTTE required a concerted effort on the part of the Sri Lankan
Government. As a result of the unwavering leadership of His Excellency
the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, this task was achieved in May of 2009.
In the immediate aftermath of the war, there were a number of issues
that needed to be dealt with. First was the problem of nearly 300,000
internally displaced people who had been used as the LTTE's human shield
during the last phases of the war. Then there was the need to demine the
North and East so that those areas would be safe for human habitation.
This resulted in the recovery of hundreds of thousands of mines and
improvised explosive devices laid by the LTTE during its retreat.
Infrastructure development and reconstruction of those areas after years
of neglect under the LTTE's dominance was another significant issue that
had to be dealt with, after which it was possible to resettle the IDPs
in their places of origin. One of the most important issues was dealing
with the nearly twelve thousand surrendered LTTE cadres and four
thousand detained cadres. The Government took the bold step of
rehabilitating nearly all of them so that they could become productive
citizens in future. The vast majority of them have already been
reintegrated with society.
Amongst other post war achievements has been the disarming of other
armed groups that used to operate in the North and East, and the
encouragement these groups have been given to contribute to society
through democratic processes. The restrictions that used to be in force
on movement, fishing, high security zones etc., have all been removed.
Democracy has been completely restored, with free and fair elections
taking place. Economic growth in the North and East has been truly
remarkable in the recent past, and it is clear beyond doubt that
normalcy has been restored to the people.
Despite all of these very positive developments, however, the threat
of terrorism re-emerging still persists. One of the main reasons for the
LTTE's success during its heyday was its extensive international
network, which has been in operation for many decades. Following the
ambush and massacre of 13 soldiers in the North by the LTTE in 1983,
there was a major communal backlash against the Tamils in the rest of
the country. As a result of the July 1983 riots, a large number of Tamil
people left Sri Lanka and travelled to countries such as Canada, the
United Kingdom, Malaysia and parts of Europe. These countries granted
asylum to these immigrants, and later granted them citizenship. As such,
there is a large population of immigrant Sri Lankan Tamils in other
countries. A small minority of this population supports the LTTE even to
this day. Extremist elements within this community, together with LTTE
agents and operatives, including trained terrorists who fled Sri Lanka
at various times during the war, comprise the LTTE's international
network.
After the demise of Prabhakaran, the LTTE's former procurement chief
Kumaran Pathmanadan, better known as KP, took control over this network
and indicated that it would continue to work for the separatist cause
through peaceful means. However, a breakaway faction emerged almost
immediately, led by Nediyawan, who wanted to continue Prabhakaran's
ideology of violence. Nediyawan's group, was previously known as The
Tamil Eelam People's Assembly or the Tamil National Council and is now
known as the Tamil Coordinating Committee, Based in Norway, this group
has been working with other international groups to promote the LTTE's
separatist cause in many parts of the world. The Tamil Coordinating
Committee has control over most of the assets of the LTTE's
international organisation, including its media networks such as Tamil
Net.
Following the arrest of KP in August 2009, Rudrakumaran took over the
leadership of the main network and began working towards establishing a
"Government in Exile". This group now fashions itself as The
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. In the guise of fighting for
Tamil rights, its primary objective is to lobby foreign Governments for
the establishment of a separate state in the North and East of Sri
Lanka. The so-called "Transnational Government" has about twenty
"Ministers" and "Deputy Ministers", and was formed with assistance of an
advisory committee comprising prominent pro LTTE activists, including
foreigners who have been helping the LTTE for many years. There has
recently been a revolt within the TGTE, where one third of its members
loyal to Nediyawan, went against the leadership of Rudrakumaran because
they wished to engage in more radical action.
Another prominent LTTE-linked group emerged out of the British Tamils
Association, which was active since 2001 in supporting the terrorism of
the LTTE in Sri Lanka. In 2006, the leader of the BTA, Arunachalam
Krishanthakumar, alias Shanthan, was investigated on suspicion of
supporting terrorist activities. As a result of these suspicions about
the BTA, the British Tamils Forum was formed in 2006 to carry on the
same activities in a new guise. The BTF acted as an umbrella
organisation that mustered support from the immigrant Tamil community
and local British politicians for dividing Sri Lanka. With Shanthan's
arrest by British authorities in June 2007 for providing material
support to terrorism and his conviction in April 2009, as well as the
defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, the role played by the BTF needed to be
changed to suit the post-war environment.
Propaganda campaign
As a result of this, the Global Tamils Forum emerged in February
2010, with many of the same members as the BTF. The head of the GTF is
the so-called Father Emmanuel, a Priest who was once hailed by
Prabhakaran as "a freedom fighter who has given leadership to a movement
committed to setting up the homeland to Tamil Eelam". Father Emmanuel
has been engaged in a propaganda campaign against Sri Lanka for many
years, targeting Tamil expatriates, Foreign Governments and
International Organisations. He is known to have visited LTTE
strongholds in Sri Lanka in mid-2000 to conduct training for selected
youth who were earmarked to take up overseas appointments for
fundraising and propaganda for the LTTE.
Under Father Emmanuel's guidance, the GTF has successfully influenced
a number of politicians from various political parties in European
countries as well as the United States, Australia, Canada, and India to
support the separatist cause. In addition, the GTF has courted officials
within international organisations such as the United Nations, the
European Union and various international non-governmental organisations
to obtain their support. Part of the success of the GTF in these
activities can be attributed to the involvement of influential pro-LTTE
foreigners in it. These include Mrs. Joan Ryan, a former British
Parliamentarian who has become the Head of the GTF's Secretariat.
Yet another group that is active internationally in supporting the
separatist cause is the LTTE Headquarter Group, which is based in France
and headed by Vinayagam, a senior intelligence cadre who managed to
escape during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka. This is a group
that is known to engage in Human Smuggling, with some of its past
operations including the sending of the "Sun Sea" and "Ocean Lady"
vessels from South East Asia to Canada in 2009 and 2010. The members of
this group generally maintain a low profile and their movements are kept
to a minimum as most of them have been issued Red Notices by Interpol
for their involvement in criminal activities. They also keep their
distance from both Nediyawan's and Rudrakumaran's groups, but maintain
links with the GTF.
All of the LTTE-linked groups are coordinated by the GTF and united
by one overarching objective. Their unwavering intent is the division of
Sri Lanka and the establishment of a separate state for Tamil Eelam.
There are several strategies through which they will try to achieve
their objective. These include:
The winning of international opinion for the separatist cause,
• Increasing international pressure on Sri Lanka in various areas;
including pushing for international investigations into war crimes and
claims of genocide, and by encouraging international monitoring of the
national reconciliation process,
• Undermining all efforts of the democratically elected Government of
Sri Lanka to create a better future for its citizens through
reconciliation and economic development, and
• Continuing to push for the resumption of conflict through
reorganizing local pro-LTTE elements within Sri Lanka.
Internal affairs
Some of the efforts of these LTTE-linked groups have been successful
to a certain extent in that despite the war having ended four years ago,
the internal affairs of Sri Lanka have been kept at the forefront of the
UNHRC's Sessions as well as at the top of the agenda of several
prominent international NGOs even in the recent past. It has to be noted
that many of those who create this pressure by claiming to be human
rights activists and victims of state repression are actually trained
LTTE cadres and operatives who are now fully engaged in propaganda
activities. It is very important to understand that their attempts to
put pressure on the Government through international bodies such as the
UNHRC and non state actors such as international NGOs is designed to
strengthen those who work against Sri Lanka's interests.
In this context it is important to realise that there are groups even
within the democratic mainstream in Sri Lanka that obtain funding from
the LTTE's international network and pro-LTTE elements overseas, which
more or less openly talk about achieving the very same objectives that
the LTTE had. Though they appear to have a democratic face, their
actions and remarks clearly show that the extremist separatist ideology
has not yet disappeared. Their ultimate objective is achieving the
division of Sri Lanka. As a result of their actions and statements, it
is very much a possibility that certain radical elements will feel
empowered to once again attempt to take up arms in the name of
separation. This is a major National Security threat that needs to be
taken with the utmost seriousness.
In addition to the threat of terrorism, Sri Lanka also faces a
potential threat from other extremist groups. These are the remnants of
the radical groups that were involved in previous insurgencies. Some of
these groups are trying to reorganise within Sri Lanka and mobilise
people to once again take up their extreme left wing causes. There is
information that some of these groups have started to link up with the
LTTE-linked groups to create further problems in Sri Lanka. Some of
their activities include radicalising students and encouraging them to
take to the streets in various protests. Though such activities are
still in their early stages, they pose another serious National Security
concern that we need to be vigilant of.
Another growing concern in the post-war environment is the increasing
communalism amongst ethnic groups, which if left unaddressed, could
result in the rise of ethnic tensions in the future. During the period
of the war, it was not only the Sinhalese and Tamil communities that
were affected by the terrorist separatism of the LTTE, but also the
Muslims. After the LTTE started engaging in ethnic cleansing in the
North in the early 1980s, it expelled the Sinhalese community from
Jaffna and soon after turned its attention to the Muslims. Several
massacres were carried out at Mosques in the East, and in October 1990,
the LTTE expelled more than 75,000 Muslim residents from the North. This
was followed by further brutal attacks on Muslims in vulnerable villages
near the territory dominated by the LTTE. In this environment, the
Muslims also started to organise themselves for their own protection
against the LTTE. After the LTTE's defeat, some of these groups have
begun to engage in activities that stem far beyond self-protection.
There is some information that some of these groups have even tried to
link up with the global Islamic terrorist movement. This is a situation
that requires careful monitoring.
On a broader scale, it also has to be acknowledged that one of the
consequences of the terrorist conflict Sri Lanka endured for thirty
years has been the increased insularity of ethnic groups. Rather than
identifying themselves on the basis of nationality, the communities of
Sri Lanka have begun to identify themselves on the basis of their
ethnicity or their religion. Instead of calling themselves Sri Lankan,
they identify themselves as Sinhalese or Tamils or Muslims or Buddhists
or Christians. This fragmentation of the Sri Lankan identity is most
unfortunate, because activists within these communal groups seek
minority rights or ethnic rights rather than working within the
framework of a common national identity.
The cross-border links that can arise as a result of such insular
ethnic or religious identification is also very troublesome. It is clear
that there are some in the Tamil community who identify themselves more
with the Tamil community of Tamil Nadu than with their fellow Sri
Lankans. This has been encouraged by some parties overseas who wish to
promote the idea of a greater Tamil Nation. Similarly, it has been
observed that there are some foreign groups that wish to encourage Sri
Lankan Muslims to identify themselves more with the global Muslim
community, thereby reducing their integration within Sri Lanka. This
trend has been particularly prevalent in the post September 11 world, in
which there has been a tendency among certain groups to try and
influence the global Muslim community towards religious extremism has
become visible.
The increasing insularity and cohesion amongst minority ethnic groups
has also led to the emergence of hard line groups from the majority
community: the popularity of certain political groups and movements can
be viewed as being largely a response to this trend. In turn, the
emergence of hard line groups in the majority community causes further
tensions amongst other communities, which leads to a vicious cycle of
greater fragmentation of the Sri Lankan identity. Sri Lanka had enough
divisions in the past that ultimately led to conflict; we must learn the
lessons from our past and ensure that history is not repeated. This is
therefore a very serious National Security concern at the present
moment.
Maritime security
The maintenance of maritime security is another serious National
Security Concern that the Government needs to be vigilant about. As an
island, Sri Lanka does not have land borders to worry about, but
maintaining maritime security is a serious challenge. In the past, the
only maritime security issues that had to be dealt with was the illegal
movement of Indians into Sri Lanka and the smuggling that took place
between Sri Lanka and South India. Preventing these threats was one of
the foremost duties of the military in the 1950s and the 1960s. However,
with the development of the LTTE and other terrorist groups in the 1970s
and beyond, maritime security became a major concern to Sri Lanka.
For example, it is a well-known fact that the LTTE acquired a vast
arsenal of weapons and equipment including artillery, missiles, mortars,
armoured vehicles and even light aircraft. None of these items were
produced in Sri Lanka, but were brought into Sri Lanka through the sea.
In addition to military supplies, the LTTE's cadres were initially
trained at bases in Tamil Nadu. Given the recent activities of
LTTE-linked organisations outside Sri Lanka and particularly in Tamil
Nadu, this is very much a current threat even today.
The organised trafficking of persons or human smuggling is another
significant maritime security issue. Organised groups, some of which are
connected to LTTE-linked organisations, have lured many people seeking
better economic prospects into this lucrative illegal operation. During
this year alone, more than 440 such people have attempted to leave Sri
Lanka illegally. Having sold their properties and handed over all their
wealth to the operators of these schemes, the victims of human
trafficking find themselves trapped on board unsafe vessels along with
hundreds of others, travelling to countries that will most often refuse
them entry. In order to make a compelling case for their acceptance by
border control authorities abroad, such economic refugees often concoct
stories about being persecuted in Sri Lanka, thereby damaging the
country's reputation. Furthermore, the mechanisms of human trafficking
have enabled trained terrorists to escape justice in Sri Lanka and flee
abroad to safe havens, from which they may once again attempt to cause
problems to the country through other means.
A further consideration with regard to maritime security is the
protection of our maritime assets. One of the problems Sri Lanka has
faced in the maritime domain after the defeat of the LTTE has been the
increasing incidence of pirate fishing in Sri Lankan waters by South
Indian fishermen. These fishermen use illegal practices such as bottom
trawling to maximise their catch. This causes serious damage to the
healthy fish stocks in Sri Lankan waters, and also adversely affects the
livelihoods of our own fishermen. These fishing boats that enter Sri
Lankan waters illegally have also been known to engage in other criminal
activities including drug smuggling. Protecting our waters from these
fishermen, as well as from others who might seek to exploit our other
oceanic resources including oil and gas, will be one of the key maritime
security challenges for Sri Lanka in the future.
Somewhat farther afield, the threat of international piracy is also a
concern for Sri Lanka's maritime security. Many of the world's most
important Sea Lanes of Communications are located in close proximity to
Sri Lanka, and both the newly built Hambantota Port as well as the
Colombo port are ideally situated to service the hundreds of vessels
that cross these lanes on a daily basis. The reach and sophistication of
the pirates originating mostly from East Africa has been increasing in
recent years. This factor undermines the security of these Sea Lanes and
could pose a serious problem to shipping in the region in the future.
This will have an impact on the country's economic security as well, and
is therefore another challenge that needs to be monitored.
Border security
With regard to border security, one of the concerns Sri Lanka has is
the possibility of the country being used as a transit point for
transnational crime. The arrest of certain elements connected with
extremist regional terrorist groups in India and Pakistan have shown
that they have used Sri Lanka as a transit point from which to
coordinate their activities. Some who are known to have been temporarily
sheltered in Sri Lanka by an International Organisation after claiming
refugee status in the west, are known criminals who engaged in illegal
activities such as credit card fraud, drug smuggling and counterfeit
currency printing abroad.
Organised crime in Sri Lanka is another issue that needs to be
addressed. As a result of the rise of terrorism and the insurrections
Sri Lanka experienced over the last forty years, and the response
required from the state, a considerable amount of arms and ammunition
inadvertently fell into the hands of criminals. This led to the rise of
the underworld, which is now engaged in a number of organised criminal
activities including drugs, armed robberies, kidnappings for ransom and
financial frauds.
There are also groups that engage in seizing land illegally. Tackling
the challenges posed by organised criminal groups is another priority
for the state.
In today's environment, the possibility of foreign interference in
our internal affairs remains a significant National Security concern.
With the involvement of countries like India, Norway, and the United
States of America in Sri Lanka as a result of the terrorist conflict,
matters relating to this country's internal affairs have gained
increased visibility within the international community.
India in particular is very sensitive to what is going on in Sri
Lanka because of the large Tamil population in its influential southern
state of Tamil Nadu.
Especially during the elections cycle, Sri Lanka figures large in its
power politics. In the recent past, we have seen even the Chief Minister
of Tamil Nadu attempting to pressurise the central government into
opposing Sri Lanka internationally. This is a serious threat to Sri
Lanka's security, and perhaps even its sovereignty.
To be continued
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