Conscripts hated Prabhakaran and LTTE for destroying their lives:

Lanka’s rehabilitation approach a role model

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

Prof. Rohan Gunaratne, the international counter terrorism expert said Sri Lanka’s humane approach to rehabilitating ex-LTTE terrorists could be a role model to the world.

He said that majority of ex-LTTEers hate the LTTE and deplore violence. And that it was imperative that the government develop a state of the art security and intelligence service to ensure that the LTTE would not revive ever again.

Prof. Gunaratna, who is the Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said that the country’s business community could play a vital role in giving employment to the rehabilitated youth.

“Since 2003, the LTTE recruited a very large proportion of its rank and file by force. These conscripts disliked Prabhakaran and hated the LTTE for destroying their lives. It is paramount to train these conscripts in farming, agriculture and industry”, he said.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: Sri Lanka first faced the task of rehabilitating ex-militants after the JVP insurgency in 1971. Compared to that, how different is today’s rehabilitation process?

A: The ideology of JVP was to use violence to establish a leftist state. The ideology of the LTTE was to use violence to establish a mono-ethnic Tamil state. Today, the National Rehabilitation Program designed and developed by the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation is much more complex than the program that developed in 1971. The JVP ideology was not as uncompromising and ruthless as the LTTEs. As such engaging, the LTTE detainees requires more effort. The detainees selected for rehabilitation or the beneficiaries of the program should be rehabilitated on all its facets.

The rehabilitation effort after the 1971 insurrection was an immense success. Except for a handful of JVP members, none of the 1971 JVPers joined Wijeweera when he revived the group after 1977. Compared to 1971, we need a much more systematic approach both to rehabilitate and reintegrate the former LTTE members back to society.

Q: How seriously should we look into the process of rehabilitation because thousands of youth who took to arms are waiting to go back to the society?

A: Unless a terrorist is genuinely transformed before his release from custody, he will pose a security threat to the government and be a threat to the community upon his return. As his belief system did not undergo change, he is likely to contaminate others with his ideals and recruit them to advance his cause.

A successful program must recognize all modes of rehabilitation. Within each mode of rehabilitation, there are various styles.

The principal modes of rehabilitation are: spiritual rehabilitation, psychological rehabilitation, social and family rehabilitation, educational, vocational and occupational rehabilitation and creative arts in rehabilitation.

Through a combination of tools, a terrorist who needs help, can be reformed.

While psychological, vocational, and social and family rehabilitation can change one’s heart and mind, the most powerful is spiritual rehabilitation.

Spiritual rehabilitation has the power to unlock the mind of a detainee or an inmate. It has the power to make a beneficiary of rehabilitation repent, become remorseful and re-enter the mainstream.

Q: What are the differences that you see in rehabilitating these people?

A: Rehabilitation is not an exact science or art. Nonetheless, the starting point of rehabilitation is that no one is born a terrorist but nurtured by the operating environment and life’s circumstances. When engaged, the incarcerated terrorist starts to think. Over time, if guided in the right direction, he or she can recant, repent, and express remorse for personal thoughts and acts of violence. Nonetheless, not all terrorists can be rehabilitated. Some need to be detained for many years and some for life.

Q: According to world experience, to what extent can the ex-terrorists be corrected through rehabilitation?

A: Unlike economically motivated criminals, brief or prolonged incarceration is unlikely to change the belief system of ideologically driven terrorists.

Terrorist rehabilitation is different from criminal rehabilitation. Those terrorists or supporters released from custody have repeatedly offended after their release. This includes those detained and released from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Muslim world perceived Guantanamo Bay as revenge by the U.S. and not as justice by them! As such, many returnees received a heroes’ welcome in their own countries. Upon release, the terrorists, who were not transformed or experienced radicalization during detention, advocated, supported or committed acts of violence.

As those detained in Guantanamo Bay were not rehabilitated - they remained committed to the philosophy of Al Qaeda and its associated groups. As such, Sri Lanka’s rehabilitation program seeking to transform LTTE detainees should be a community centric effort. Tamil elite from government, business community, religious fraternity, service clubs (Jaycees, Lions, Rotary), sports, and entertainment industry must be encouraged to visit the rehabilitation centres. Such a Leaders of Influence Program can provide the detainees role models for them to emulate.

Q: What are your proposals to make sure that these people will not take up to arms when freed?

A: After their release the Sri Lankan government working with the business community should continue to care for the beneficiaries of the rehabilitation program.

Furthermore, Sri Lanka should win over the Tamil community that suffered at the hands of the LTTE and protect them from efforts by LTTE pockets overseas to revive the group. Almost all the detainees are tired of violence and sick of the LTTE. Nonetheless, Sri Lanka should monitor each rehabilitated detainee periodically. Sri Lanka should develop a state of the art security and intelligence service to ensure that the LTTE will not revive ever again.

Q: There are hard-core terrorists like suicide bombers, motivated to die for a cause among the lot. So, how best can they be motivated to lead a normal life? What is the time frame that these youth should undergo rehabilitation?

A: Prabhakaran made a group of youth that would have become teachers, engineers, doctors, accountants and businessmen to kill and die.

We have to transform them. After extricating the negative ideology and concepts there is a need to replace them with the accurate mainstream religious concepts of peace, harmony and love. Both Christian and Hindu priests should visit the rehabilitation centres and preach every day. Government should not set a deadline for releasing a detainee - it depends on the progress he or she makes while in rehabilitation. The starting point of rehabilitation is to assess the degree of radicalization and develop programs to rehabilitate them. Not all detainees present a high level of risk. Since 2003, the LTTE recruited a very large proportion of its rank and file by force. These conscripts dislike Prabhakaran and hate the LTTE for destroying their lives. It is paramount to train these conscripts in farming, agriculture and industry. Thereafter, in partnership, to provide them job opportunities. After careful review, Government of Sri Lanka should release those detainees who were forcibly recruited.

Q: In this hi-tech world most of those who are under rehabilitation including the prison inmates are given outdated vocational training like masonry and carpentry. What do you propose the government to offer them as standard vocational training that fits to the present world?

A: Designed to provide necessary skills for a job, vocational and occupational rehabilitation impart skills useful to detainees and inmates upon release.

This ranges from teaching them metal and wood work, carpentry and masonry, dairy farming and agriculture, computer and language skills and self study and distance education. I was impressed by the ability both of Minister Moragoda and General Ratnayake to reach out to the business community and enlist their support. The business community, eager to help, already offered jobs for all the detainees. After the interest of the detainee is ascertained, the rehabilitation authority needs to match the detainee with a compatible speciality that they can offer.

Q: Are you satisfied with the present program and the progress made to rehabilitate the ex-cadres? Do you see any lapses in the program?

A: Sri Lanka is building an outstanding program. In partnership with community organizations, the business community, the religious fraternity, civil society organizations, and the international community, the Rehabilitation Authority is doing a remarkable job. The Sri Lankan effort spearheaded by the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Daya Ratnayake and supported by Minister Moragoda could serve as a model for other countries suffering from ideologically motivated terrorist groups. To succeed, the Rehabilitation Authority should publicize the program to demonstrate Sri Lanka’s humane approach to detained terrorists.

Q: How do you propose to get their share of responsibilities towards the national economy in future?

A: If we train the detainees properly, guide them and care for them, they will contribute to Sri Lanka’s future political stability and economic future.

Q: The government has a plan to send them abroad for foreign employment. Will this assist them to re-group on international soils?

A: Government should not send them overseas unless they want to travel to join with their parents, brothers and sisters or children overseas. LTTE is reviving overseas. If they were to rejoin the LTTE their lives will be wasted again.

The Sri Lankan business community has pledged more jobs than the current number of detainees. The opportunity for the transformed beneficiaries to prosper in Sri Lanka should be made so attractive that they will remain in Sri Lanka. The government must create such an environment where the rehabilitated will excel.

Q: Just six-months back only the military had defeated the LTTE and how do you see the activities in the post LTTE era and what is your comment about the steps taken by the government to keep the LTTE at bay.

A: Sri Lanka must develop a post-Prabhakaran strategy: It should be done in a comprehensive manner. With the biggest obstacle to national unity and economic progress removed our best minds in every sector should be forced to think how to move Sri Lanka from the third to the first world.

It should involve Sri Lanka rebuilding ties and working with the international community, which the LTTE had partially poisoned, working with the Western media, that the LTTE desperately failed to win over, and building partnerships with civil society groups that must be reinvited to develop the northeast. Mostly it involves appointing a Tamil as Prime Minister or Vice President, developing the north and east in par with the rest of the country and building bridges to the Tamil community that had suffered under Prabhakaran.

Q: Throughout Prabahakaran’s struggle, the Tamil diaspora was the livewire to keep the outfit going. How vital is the Tamil diaspora’s contribution to bring these youth on to the correct track? What kind of contribution you propose to rehabilitate these ex-terrorists?

A: The Tamil diaspora just like the Tamil community in Sri Lanka are not with the LTTE. They work hard and they resented the LTTE forcing them to give money. Sri Lankan government must reach out to them and work with them to develop the north and east.

They must be invited to actively participate in the development of the rehabilitation and reintegration program of former LTTE members. Those who engaged in LTTE activity in the past and are willing to give up support for terrorism should be given an amnesty.

Q: Though the government’s plans on resettlement of IDPs are subjected to criticism, nearly 100,000 displaced people have been resettled at the moment. According to defence experts, there are sleeping LTTEers among the people. What are your suggestions to maintain security so that they cannot destabilize the normality in these areas?

A:During the past six months the LTTE members among the IDPs have been identified and separated to follow the rehabilitation track.

We should release all the IDPs as soon as possible. Otherwise, the IDPs will develop an anger against the government. Initially, when the IDPs came out of the NFZ, they spotted LTTE cadres voluntarily and gave them a severe beating for killing their family members.

Government delayed the process of release because it had legitimate security concerns. Government is still detecting the arms caches hidden by the LTTE. Government should very clearly explain these challenges both to the IDPs and to the international community. In the areas cleared for mines, government is now resettling IDPs. Government should be financially supported not verbally attacked for screening IDPs and now responsibly resettling them.

Q: According to your assessment of the LTTE activities abroad, do you see any possibility for them to re-emerge. Will they get the support internationally to re-build the LTTE? Are there any notable people identified as those who would lead the LTTE?

A: As long as LTTE is operating overseas, Sri Lanka will be at the risk of terrorism. Although no foreign government is supporting the LTTE actively, there are a few LTTE sympathizers in western governments. Today, there are two LTTE factions.

The Nethiyawara faction and the Rudrakumaran faction. Although both these factions were committed to a separate state, their methods and motivations are differed.

While Nethiyawaran faction remained committed to a continuity of violence, Rudrakumaran faction abandoned violence. The Nethiyawaran faction, supported by Castro, use LTTE flags and Prabhakaran as a rallying point. Rudrakumaran faction was sensitive to international opinion about Prabhakaran. While the Nethiyawaran faction was supported by the less educated Tamils - mostly labour workers in continent, Rudrakumaran faction was supported by the educated Tamils living in the US and elsewhere. The Nethiyawaran faction’s motive was to raise funds. He realized that there was a segment of Tamils radicalized by the LTTE that still believed that Prabhakaran was alive. In fact some prayed and waited in hope for Prabhakaran to emerge on Nov 26, his birthday.

Although Nethiyawaran himself knew that Prabhakaran is dead, they never acknowledged it as their main aim was to keep the money flow.

Sri Lankan foreign ministry working with the ministry of defence should dismantle all LTTE structures overseas. Working with their foreign counterparts, the Sri Lankan government should carefully plan for the next phase of this fight.

Q: According to your predictions what are the LTTE hot-spots in the world that should come under the government’s microscope?

A:The centre of gravity of the LTTE is Western capitals from Norway to Sydney. When defeat was imminent, Prabhakaran dispatched a group of LTTE cadres to reconstruct the LTTE overseas.

Q: It is apparent that pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora is once again active with the statement made by Rudrakumaran about the elections. Will the LTTE be able to get its leadership back and what steps should the government take to prevent a comeback?

A: Sri Lankan government should work with foreign governments to ensure that their soil is not used, misused and abused to initiate another murderous terrorist campaign in Sri Lanka. Would Norway be happy if Sri Lanka permitted a group of Norwegians to plan attacks against Norway from Sri Lankan soil? Sri Lankan foreign ministry should play a much more active role in advancing Sri Lanka’s national interests.

The Tamils have suffered enough under Prabhakaran. Rudrakumaran should reach out to the Sri Lankan government without trying to destroy what is remaining of the Tamils. Rudrakumaran should abandon his pet project to resurrect Prabhakaran’s dream and come to the ground to rebuild the lives of the Tamils shattered by LTTE’s Tamil Eelam Project.