Human smuggling, most lucrative business for LTTE rump - Prof. Rohan Gunaratna

By Manjula FERNANDO

Despite the dangers to its international outlook, LTTE will continue to invest in human smuggling since it is one of their most lucrative businesses, says an international counter terrorism expert.

Prof. Rohan Gunaratna who heads one of the largest counter terrorism research and training centres in the world, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore says the LTTE human smuggling operations are currently headed by a one-legged former sea Tiger S. Kanthaskaran who travels on a British passport.

He says the outfit has not only embarked on human smuggling on a major scale but they have pioneered the use of small ships for the highly risky voyage.

"This practice will follow unless like Australia, Canada closes the gaping gaps and loopholes in its asylum process to prevent terrorists and criminals from exploiting its system. Fortunately the Australian Federal police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forces have developed the best expertise on detecting and disrupting human smuggling. Stopping MV Alicia was a joint international operations."

Q: Another boatload of Sri Lankan Tamils were apprehended by the Indonesian state. The vessel MV Alicia was carrying some 80 illegal immigrants. Does this mean the LTTE has revived its human smuggling operations or was this meant to be their final human cargo transport? (You mentioned earlier that the LTTE had collected money from more people and that there is a promise to be fulfilled)

A: The LTTE has transformed from a terrorist group to a propaganda organisation funding their campaign using proceeds from criminal activity including human smuggling. LTTE leaders, cadres and employees arrested at home and overseas have provided compelling evidence and proof of this transformation. Sri Lankan diplomatic missions overseas must work closely with their counterparts to assist foreign law enforcement and intelligence personnel to investigate these cross border human smuggling operations. After the LTTE was defeated and democracy established in the North and East of Sri Lanka, most Tamils do not wish to contribute funds to the LTTE. The LTTE will continue to invest in human smuggling because it is a lucrative business.

Q: If the LTTE human smuggling operations network is still intact, who is heading the 'wing' now?

A: The LTTE human smuggling operations are led by Shanmugasundaram Kanthaskaran, a former Sea Tiger leader who later headed procurement for the LTTE in the UK. Also known as Shankar, he is one legged and travels on a British passport. After he lost a leg in the EPS attack, he joined the Sea Tigers and was apprehended after he attempted a suicide attack. Although arrested and rehabilitated, he was re-recruited by the LTTE after he relocated to the UK. There is an Interpol Red Notice or an international arrest warrant out for him. It is a question of time that he will be arrested together with his associates in Canada, UK, France and elsewhere.

Q: What is the main source of funding for LTTE now ?

A: The LTTE sources of finances and methods of transfer have dramatically changed after the war. Before the war, the LTTE funds largely raised in Canada and Europe were diverted to Southeast Asia and China to North Korea for procurement of arms, ammunition and explosives for the LTTE. The LTTE fronts operating as humanitarian, human rights, social, cultural, educational, community, commercial, charity and non profit organisations raised most of the funds.

Most Tamils did not know that the funds were going to kill, maim and injure both Security Forces personnel and civilians - sometimes their own people. On many occasions LTTE exercised implicit and explicit coercion to compel Tamils overseas to contribute. With the dismantling of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, most Tamils do not wish to contribute to the LTTE fronts. The LTTE relies on crime from bank, credit card and cheque fraud to human smuggling to raise funds. The LTTE uses these funds raised illegally to support its vicious campaign against Sri Lanka. It is ironic that a ruthless terrorist group that invented and popularised trade craft such as land and maritime suicide attacks is suddenly interested in human rights!

Q: The Canadian Immigration Minister has claimed this ship was heading there? But the boat people in MV Alicia demand asylum in New Zealand ? From where did it take off?

A: The human smugglers always target countries that have weak laws. The Canadian law is exceptionally weak. As a result Canada has emerged as the most favoured destination of the LTTE human smugglers. The smugglers were seriously considering New Zealand with the intention of re-infiltrating Australia.

Q: The arrival of Ocean Lady and MV Sun Sea was tipped off. But there were no reports of MV Alicia until it was intercepted?

A: The LTTE built expertise in using its own ships as well as purchased and chartered ships for its operations. The tracking of these ships and sinking them helped dismantle the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

Today the LTTE has pioneered the use of ships for human smuggling. The mastermind in Canada is Ravishankar Kanagarajah, a former LTTE ship captain who worked with Shanmugasundaram Kanthaskaran to bring the first ship MV princess Easwary disguised as MV Ocean Lady to Canada in 2009 with the human cargo. This was followed by MV Sun Sea in 2010.

This practice will follow until like Australia, Canada closes the gaping gaps and loopholes in its asylum process to prevent terrorists and criminals from exploiting its system. Fortunately the Australian Federal police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forces have developed the best expertise on detecting and disrupting human smuggling. Stopping MV Alicia was a joint international operation. I am confident that they will bring these smugglers and their masterminds to justice.

Report - The Dutch Public Prosecutor says four Dutch Tamils who were arrested last year, have direct links with the LTTE.

The Tamils who are currently on trial in the Netherlands, are accused of extorting money from other Dutch Tamils in court in the Hague, the Public Prosecutor said the four men were also charged with organising illegal lotteries (with all proceeds going to the LTTE) and for being members of a criminal and terrorist organisation.

Q: What impact will this have on Sri Lanka's fight against the LTTE-international?

A: The arrests in Holland are significant because Sana Chandran, the LTTE chief accountant lives in Holland. Sana Chandran financed the LTTE procurement from North Korea that supplied over 95 per cent of weaponry to the LTTE. The western nations are very concerned about the presence of LTTE activists because some of them are determined to start the fight in Sri Lanka. Unlike most LTTE cadres that fought in the war and saw the suffering, the LTTE activists overseas never experienced or understood the suffering of the Tamils and others. The arrest of LTTE activists overseas should continue until their network is dismantled.

Q: The LTTE's military fight is long since over. What is the need for LTTE to accumulate finances now, especially through illegal means that compromise their overseas status?

A: The LTTE needs funds to pay rent for its offices, travel for its activists, maintain their families and hire lawyers, lobbyists, former politicians, former diplomats and others that advance their aims and objectives. The LTTE superstructure overseas that supported the LTTE in Sri Lanka is determined to continue the fight by other means. The tools they use include constituency (electorate) pressure, financial inducements, dissemination of disinformation and misinformation and lobbying and campaigning Western politicians, officials, journalists and human rights activists. Without money and other assets, the LTTE will cease to exist.

Q: CTC has filed a lawsuit against you - against some allegedly defamatory statement you made in a local Sinhala newspaper. How do you view this development?

A: As the LTTE is a proscribed group in most Western countries, it operates trough front organisations. In Canada, the CTC is advancing the aims and objectives of the LTTE. Rather than mainstream the Tamil community, CTC has been spreading propaganda to politicise, radicalise and mobilise both the host and Tamil community against a multiethnic Sri Lanka. The CTC has been identified as a LTTE front base on its links to the LTTE as well as its activities.

Q: They have denied that the Canadian law enforcing authorities were investigating them. They claim they represent the 300,000 strong Sri Lankan Tamil population in Canada?

A:Like the LTTE that claimed to represent the Tamil speaking people, the CTC claims to represent 300,000 Tamils in Canada. As community, the Tamils do not wish to be part of neither the LTTE at home nor CTC in Canada. They are tired of violence and they reject extremism. They want to live peacefully and do not wish to return to violence. There is huge responsibility on the part of the Government of Sri Lanka and other foreign governments to proscribe any group spreading intolerance and hatred. Terrorism is a vicious byproduct of ideological extremism and no individual or organisation should be permitted to engage in such activity.

Q: The LTTE seems to have identified you as a threat to their operations and resolved that some action is needed to stop you?

A: The LTTE and its fronts through its publications have constantly targeted those who have spoken against their divisive ideology and ruthless methods. This never prevented Lakshman Kadirgamar, Neelan Thiruchelvam or many others who were brutally assassinated.

They are our true champions of peace and heroes. Compared to them my contribution has been negligible. If the LTTE and its fronts believe that through threats and intimidation,everyone can be silenced, they are sadly mistaken.

Q: What is the current position of the court case? If they win - how will it affect your work and CTC's status in Canada?

A: I have sought legal advice on how to proceed. It is a question of time that the fronts that supported the LTTE will be dismantled or they will dissolve. The Sri Lankan Government should work with their counterparts to create a system to extradite those still working to revive the LTTE.

I have at all times worked in good faith towards the creation of a terrorism free world. I have based my statements, writings and conduct based on research findings. I am aware that my work hurts and damages terrorist groups, their front organisations and sympathisers of terrorism. I will not bow down to this type of tactic. I will obtain legal advice and respond to the purported court action, if there is any need to do so.