New role for Tamil Diaspora

No terror group can exist without a substantial quantum of foreign funding.

Such funds are vital for arms, logistics, food supplies, training facilities, propaganda and recruitment.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, now in their death throes deep in the Wanni, are no exception to this rule. Over the years, the Tigers, one of the most internationally networked terror groups in the world, have formed a worldwide funding mechanism for their terror operations.

One of the most vital components of that fund-raising mechanism is the Tamil Diaspora around the world. Nearly one million Tamil civilians migrated to Canada, Australia, US, UK, France, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and several other countries following the Black July of 1983.

The Tigers found a goldmine in these expatriates. While sections of the Tamil Diaspora voluntarily funded the Tigers, the others who were reluctant to open their wallets for the terror coffers faced "intimidation, extortion and even violence to ensure a steady flow of funds for operations in Sri Lanka and to suppress criticism of human rights abuses". (Human Rights Watch Report on Funding the Final War, 2006).

Those who had relatives back home in Sri Lanka were especially vulnerable.

People were told that if they did not pay the requested sum, they would not be able to return to Sri Lanka to visit family members. Others were warned that they would be dealt with or "taught a lesson." The LTTE also operated several front organisations that masqueraded as cultural entities to collect funds from the diaspora. So-called Heroes Day events were also used to raise funds. In fact, it has been estimated that the LTTE raised 90 percent of its funds outside Sri Lanka.

Nevertheless, there are still misguided members of the Tamil Diaspora who seem to believe in the LTTE's elusive Eelam dream, which has now been shattered by the Security Forces. The recent spate of demonstrations in certain world capitals by sections of the Tamil Diaspora against the Sri Lankan Government and the Security Forces is ample proof that the LTTE continues to dupe the expatriates despite the dire situation they are facing in the North.

It is ironic that these members of the diaspora could call on the Government to stop what they called the `genocide' against the Tamil civilians, while ignoring the Tigers' use of civilians in the Safe Zone as a human shield.

The Tigers continue to kill and maim civilians who try to escape their shackles and they even exploded suicide bombs among civilians who had crossed over to Government lines. The present humanitarian operation would have been over much sooner if the Tigers had agreed to let the civilians go earlier.

These misguided elements of the Tamil Diaspora, now safely ensconced in the West, should realise the suffering and agony of their brethren held hostage by the LTTE. For years, their children have been conscripted by the LTTE for use as canon fodder, their fundamental freedoms have been curtailed and their food supplies have been pilfered by Tiger cadres. They are living virtually with guns pointed at their heads. And the LTTE has had no qualms about killing the very civilians who they claimed to 'liberate'.

It is thus in the interest of the Tamil Diaspora to distance themselves from the LTTE and to stop equating all Tamils with the LTTE.

After all, the majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka live outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces with their Sinhala and Muslim brethren. Better still, the Diaspora could become a veritable force to effect change in the Tigers' mindset. Stopping funding and morally supporting the Tigers should be a first step for these expatriates. Members of the Tamil Diaspora who blindly support the Tigers must realise that their's is a lost cause. The LTTE has been convincingly and comprehensively defeated in the Wanni and it is desperately holding onto the Safe Zone and firing from within it to prolong the Forces' advance. It is a matter of time before the Forces regain all territory in the Wanni and annihilate the Tigers.

This means that Sri Lanka has a golden opportunity, after more than 25 years, to restore normality and peace not only to the North and the East but also to all other areas. The return of democracy and development will essentially follow the imminent defeat of the forces of terror. This is where Sri Lanka needs the commitment and services of all Sri Lankans domiciled abroad, including the Tamil Diaspora.

It is time that members of the Tamil Diaspora, many of whom still have ties to Sri Lanka through family, to join the movement for a `New Sri Lanka'. The North will see a massive reconstruction drive, for which many expatriates can contribute their expertise and even funds. Such funds earlier went to a terror group that terrorised the Tamils themselves. Now they can really be diverted for the civilians' uplift. Now is the time for the Tamil Diaspora to raise their voice firmly against the LTTE and for the unity and prosperity of their Motherland.