Indian Lashkar-e-Toiba trained by LTTE -Terrorism expert

By Manjula Fernando

The Madras High Court on July 1 upheld a ban imposed by the Central Government on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2010, the Indian media reported.

A Division Bench of HC comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and M Venugopal dismissed writ petitions filed by MDMK founder-leader Vaiko and Prisoners Rights Forum, who challenged the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal’s order naming the LTTE as an unlawful Association (banned outfit), on November 12, 2010.

The Tribunal, appointed when the Home Ministry decision was challenged, confirmed the notification issued by the Home Ministry banning the LTTE on May 14, 2010. Dismissing the petitions, the bench in their ruling given last week observed that the petitioners did not have any ‘locus standi’ to challenge the notification as they were neither office bearers nor members of the LTTE.

The Sunday Observer spoke to international Terrorism Expert Prof. Rohan Gunaratna who is the Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to find out the pros and cons of this Tamil Nadu High Court ruling.

Excerpts of the interview:

Question: What is the significance of the recent ruling by the Madras High Court to uphold the Centre’s ban on the LTTE? If somehow Vaiko succeeded in getting the ban lifted, what would have been the consequences?

Answer: The Central Government of India is aware of the LTTE threat and its implications to Indian security. The Indian security and intelligence services are concerned about the developments in Tamil Nadu. They are aware that the LTTE network overseas is today funding over a dozen organisations in Tamil Nadu to advance LTTE aims and objectives in the State. Today, LTTE interests are represented in Tamil Nadu by MDMK leader Vaiko, Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam’s Pazha Nedumaran and Prisoners Rights Forum director and advocate P Pugalenthi.

Together they challenged the Indian government decision to renew the ban on the LTTE so that the LTTE can rebuild their infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. The LTTE intention is not only to politically harness Tamil Nadu but also militarily exploit Tamil Nadu. If the ban was removed in Tamil Nadu, the LTTE will recreate the training and operational infrastructure in Tamil Nadu and once again mount attacks in Sri Lanka.

Already Q branch, the state intelligence service disrupted a LTTE cell training clean skins in bomb making. Furthermore, the dozen extremist Tamil Nadu groups, some inspired and trained by the LTTE, will start activities for a Dravidastan, an Independent Tamil State in India.

Q: “Though the object for which the LTTE had been floated was highly laudable, with the passage of time, it had taken an ugly path, leading to many heinous crimes in our land also,” the judgement by a bench comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and M Venugopal had observed. Your comments?

A: The comment by a group of Indian judges that the floating of the LTTE was highly laudable is a reflection of the romanticism some Indian elite share of terrorist groups until it kills their own. Will they say the same about a Sikh, Kashmiri or Maoist terrorist group? Judges who rule on terrorism cases should have a better knowledge and understanding of terrorism. Even if the judges were driven by a sense of Tamil nationalism, one must never forget that since its formation in 1974 until 1983, the Tigers primarily killed Tamils.

Even afterwards, the entire Tamil intellectual leadership was eliminated by the LTTE. There is nothing laudable about any political group that kills civilians to achieve their political ends.

Like today, geopolitics and international strategic alignments dictated Indian foreign policy. The Indian government’s sponsorship of terrorism in Sri Lanka began when Sri Lanka was within the US sphere of influence and India was within the Soviet sphere of influence. Indian support for terrorism was to advance the aims and objectives of their foreign policy and this will always be a black mark in India’s history.

The Central government of India and the State government of Tamil Nadu were the primary sponsors of the LTTE and other terrorist groups from August 1983 to May 1987. The LTTE first batch was trained in Chakrata, north of Dehra Dun, Uttara Pradesh and the second batch was trained in Himachal Pradesh by the Indian security and intelligence services.

The LTTE leaders who graduated from these two batches trained other batches in Tamil Nadu including Dhanu who killed Rajiv Gandhi and Sivarajan who planned the killing. There is nothing laudable either about the formation or operation of the LTTE.

Q:The new Indian Express reported, “voluminous material containing sensitive information, produced by the government side proved the involvement of the LTTE in various crimes on Indian said, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’. Why was India so anxious to ensure that the LTTE ban stayed and Vaiko did not succeed?

A: The Indian security and intelligence services know about the LTTE. Not only was their image and reputation gravely damaged by the Rajiv Gandhi killing, but their own operatives and agents who tried to kill Prabhakaran suffered at the hands of the LTTE.

It is the most ruthless terrorist group the Indians too faced and will most likely face. They know the danger of the revival of a neo-LTTE group in Tamil Nadu.

The Sri Lankan security and intelligence services and their elite forces are trained and oriented to fight terrorism while their Indian counterparts are not. The Indians saw what happened when ten suicide terrorists attacked Mumbai from November 26-29, 2008. The maritime wing of Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Allah Tigers was trained by the LTTE and they adopted classic LTTE-style tactics.

Q: What is the LTTE’s current strength overseas, has it diminished or grown? - What could have contributed to this?

A: The LTTE has transformed from a terrorist organisation to a propaganda organisation that is funding its act ivities through criminal means. In addition to a few hundred Tamils contributing to the LTTE, its sources of funding are increasingly from human smuggling, credit card, bank and cheque fraud.

While the bulk of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and overseas want to live in harmony, a tiny segment of radicalised Tamils overseas remain active.

The capabilities of this recalcitrant group is limited. Nonetheless, the Sri Lankan government should engage them and invite them to visit the north and east and participate in socio-economic development activities.

The LTTE will never ever re-emerge in Sri Lanka because the Sri Lankan Tamils on the island are bitterly opposed to it. However, the LTTE will remain a political and a criminal feature in Tamil Nadu. The presence of the LTTE will contribute to the terrorist-criminal-political nexus in Tamil Nadu.

As such, the Sri Lankan government must remain vigilant and ensure that travellers from Tamil Nadu are properly screened and appropriate measures taken.

Q: Recently two military personnel undergoing training in Chennai returned to Sri Lanka following violent protests by pro LTTE factions against their presence and training within the region. Do you think the LTTE support base in India is growing? Should India or the TN government bow down to these pressure groups?

A: After having defeated a terrorist group of the class of the LTTE, Sri Lanka does not need its military personnel to be trained in Tamil Nadu. Sri Lanka’s relationship with Tamil Nadu has never brought anything positive to Sri Lanka except terrorism and crime.

That is why it is important for Sri Lanka never to model itself on Tamil Nadu, an ethno-linguistic state. If attacks and harassment of Sri Lankan visitors to Tamil Nadu continue, the Sri Lankan government should issue a travel warning against travel to Tamil Nadu.

Although most Tamils in Tamil Nadu do not regard the LTTE as a laudable group, the Government of Sri Lanka should work closely with the Tamil Nadu State government and the Tamil public to correct certain misperceptions.

The Sri Lankan government has failed to respond appropriately to the developments in Tamil Nadu. First, the Sri Lankan government must appoint its most capable diplomat and the most competent staff to its mission in Chennai and also create within the Ministry of External Affairs a dedicated division to handle Tamil Nadu.

The Government must engage the Tamil Nadu politicians, bureaucrats, and other influential leaders through its mission in Chennai and from Colombo.

They must counter the false propaganda and correct the misperceptions they have of Sri Lanka by inviting the leaders of Tamil Nadu to visit Sri Lanka to witness the renaissance in Sri Lanka.

These Indian leaders should be taken on a tour to see for themselves how Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims coexist in the south; the unprecedented economic development of Sri Lanka’s north and the east; and restoration of democracy and the freedom of movement after the defeat of the LTTE.