US avows need to focus on LTTE financing

by Manjula FERNANDO

A report analysing the situation of global terrorism by the US Department of State has recognised the need for Sri Lanka to focus on countering LTTE financing in the international front, although the terror outfit has been defeated within the country’s boundaries.

The report ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2010, released on Thursday, said” despite its military defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan government in 2009, the LTTE’s international network of financial support still persists.”

Identifying LTTE still as a US government designated foreign terrorist organisation, the report said “In 2010, LTTE members reportedly fled Sri Lanka and have since attempted to reorganise in India,” adding that a railway attack in June in Tamil Nadu may have been the work of this remnants.

The report compiled by Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism said, “This network (LTTE) continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, where there were reports that some of these contributions were coerced by locally-based LTTE sympathisers.

The LTTE also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fund-raising.”

Within 2010, the report said, the LTTE members in the West continued to procure weapons while the LTTE diaspora continued to support the organization financially. It has cited as an example the arrests of six Tamil migrants by the German police in March 2010, on charges of using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the LTTE.

According to the report the United States has provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants.

In the overview on Sri Lanka the Report identified the efforts the Government has taken to counter radicalisation and violent extremism among the communities, especially the North and the East where the LTTE presence was intense.

It said, “In order to address lingering resentment in areas that were formerly held by LTTE combatants, the Sri Lankan government was working to restore civil administration, resettle Internally Displaced Persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encourage private sector participation, and promote the development of industries,” under the sub topic ‘Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism’.

The report was prepared for the Secretary of State who is mandated by law to table a full and complete report on terrorism to the Congress.

But the report said there were no reported terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 2010.

The Report has also recognised the action the country has initiated and the commitment shown to counter crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing through joint cooperation with the US as well as Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, South Korea and Indonesia to share financial intelligence.