Govt to ban LTTE fronts?

by Manjula Fernando

Sri Lanka lately has gained more attention than the Gaza strip at successive UN Human Rights Council sessions after May 2009, surprisingly it is after the elimination of LTTE terrorism in the country. The Government and a number of other member states in the Council have termed the attention on Sri Lanka as highly selective, intrusive and unwarranted.

It is claimed that international politics is partly responsible for the spotlight being focussed on Sri Lanka while the actions of the LTTE rump has become apparent. The level of LTTE involvement in sprucing up the Human Rights campaign in Geneva was evident when a number of LTTE front organisations openly campaigned in Geneva making a mockery of human rights. They included Fr.Emmanuel of the Global Tamil Forum, Suren Surendran of the British Tamil Forum, Gary Anandasangaree of the Canadian Tamil Congress, Ranjan Sri Ranjan of the National Council of Canadian Tamils (Nediyawan Group), and others of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. They were joined by Ananthi Sasitharan, the widow of the LTTE leader Elilan and a few other politicians who are close to the LTTE international wing leaders who legitimised and funded terrorism and violence in Sri Lanka.

According to Defence sources, the LTTE overseas network has split into four LTTE branches after the defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka. Although they cooperate at times, on most occasions they rival each other internationally. Exploiting the freedom in the West, they function through various fronts. Some of these fronts with alleged close LTTE links are the Global Tamil Forum led by Father S. J. Emmanuel, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam led by V. Rudrakumaran, Tamil Eelam Peoples Assembly (TEPA: Makkal Peravai) led by Nediyawan and the Head Quarters Group led by Segarampillai Vinayagamoorthy alias Vinayagam.

Representing various front organisations in Geneva they campaigned against Sri Lanka, drumming up support in favour of resolutions. It is claimed that countries like Canada, UK, Mauritius and India with sizeable communities of Tamils are influenced and controlled by the LTTE rump. The host political leaders are susceptible to constituency and electoral pressure, often pressurising them to work against Sri Lanka. Although as many as 32 countries have banned the LTTE, their front organisations are still active spreading LTTE ideology and engaging in fund raising activity freely. Recent investigations following K.P. Selvanayagam alias Gopi, an LTTE cadre, shooting a police officer in Kilinochchi reveals that the LTTE international network operating through fronts has been funding a revival of the LTTE. A senior intelligence source said to prevent a revival of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the Government is tipped to ban these front organisations and seek help from governments to dismantle the LTTE overseas wing. The Government recognises that the fight against the LTTE shifted overseas after the LTTE was defeated in May 2009.

Sources said these fronts perform four functions - lobbying foreign governments against Sri Lanka through a campaign of misinformation and disinformation, exercise constituency, electoral and financial pressure on Western, Tamil Nadu, Mauritius, and other politicians and political parties, influence international organisations, NGOs especially human rights NGOs and the media against Sri Lanka and work directly and through select TNA, TNPF and other Sri Lankan Tamil politicians to radicalise Tamils in Sri Lanka.

In addition they recruit, motivate and fund Tamil youth in Sri Lanka including former Tamil Tigers to revive violence including terrorism. Although the LTTE was dismantled, the LTTE international wing had survived due to loop holes in law enforcement systems in foreign states and were working through the diaspora. The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has rejected the LTTE which is largely funded by LTTE fronts overseas.