Outlaw pro-LTTE global network - Prof. Rohan Guneratna

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

An expert on terrorism stressed the need to declare pro-LTTE organisations propped up in the guise of ‘Forums’ as terrorist outfits both in Lankan and foreign soils.

“Today the LTTE has reinvented itself as the Global Tamil Forum”, Prof. Rohan Gunaratna, the Singapore-based expert on terrorism said. Prof. Gunaratna in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa have managed to handle India brilliantly to crush the LTTE. He said that the Foreign Ministry and its missions, especially the Lankan missions in the West, need to take decisive actions to counter pro-LTTE fronts.

But, he cautioned that the LTTE international network had started to degenerate into a criminal network engaged in money laundering.

Prof. Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism at Nanyang University in Singapore, said the pro-LTTE fronts in Europe, Australia and Canada would try to invoke Prabhakaran’s dark legacy but Tamils tired of violence and suffered the most would reject the LTTE.

Following are the excerpts:

Q: Do you think it is the need of the hour to tell the world that a ‘change’ is taking place a year after defeating the LTTE?

A: Of Sri Lanka’s 60-years of post independence, the country has been at war for 30 years. There are certain things to do to convey a clear picture internationally. The Foreign Ministry has a huge role to play in this sphere.

The Foreign Ministry must communicate effectively that the government has not only ended the war but had created unparalleled conditions for peace and stability resulting in growth and development. This is the untold story that should be projected worldwide. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry should highlight the unprecedented economic development in the North and the East that has been under-reported.

To consolidate the victory in Sri Lanka, there is a need to make all Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers think and act as Sri Lankans as this is a country for all of them.

If the government can invest in programs to teach Tamil language in the South and Sinhala language in the North, the next generation will think as Sri Lankans. As the majority, the Sinhalese must be more considerate to its minorities. Today, any majority community will receive the respect by the way it treats minorities.

Misguided nationalists both Sinhalese and Tamils have nearly destroyed this country. The same way, the Rajapaksa government has defeated the armed Tamil fanatics, President Rajapaksa has to use his Sinhala credentials to contain ultra Sinhala nationalism and build a truly united Sri Lanka.

Within his term of office, the President should build a visionary plan and work towards making Sri Lanka a united country where every ethnic and religious community can live in harmony. The Rajapaksa legacy should be not only to defeat the most ruthless terrorist group but also to build a prosperous Sri Lanka. Otherwise, a segment of Tamils will cling on to the legacy of Prabhakaran.

Q: When you assess the LTTE’s historical defeat, what are the major factors that made the LTTE dig its own grave?

A: After the LTTE started to extort and forcibly recruit, the Tamil support for LTTE declined. Nonetheless, the LTTE remained strong overseas. By harnessing the presence of Sri Lankan Tamils overseas, the LTTE built a state of the art propaganda machine. By infiltrating Tamil community organisations, the LTTE prevented Western nations from selling weapons to Sri Lanka, campaigned against international aid, tourism and investment, and lobbied the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner to bring war crimes charges against the Sri Lankan government.

Much of international aid from the West has been disrupted due to either the environment created by the fighting or heavy LTTE lobbying internationally. Having successfully infiltrated Tamil Diaspora and migrant pockets, the LTTE exercised electoral pressure on a few Western politicians notably in Canada, UK and in Australia.

These politicians put pressure on their bureaucrats working on development assistance to Sri Lanka or made statements against Sri Lanka. The LTTE also contributed funds and provided material support to a handful of politicians in the U.S. and in continental Europe. The FBI investigated Illinois Democratic Congressman Danny Davis and his associates and uncovered a vast LTTE network in North America, Europe and Asia. The LTTE placed their sympathizers or recruited staffers in the US Congress and in other important offices.

When LTTE was on the verge of being defeated, the LTTE hoped that a few politicians in Tamil Nadu and Europe, where Tamil Diaspora and migrant constituencies exercised electoral pressure would be successful in getting their governments to intervene and stop Sri Lanka’s military advance. The LTTE overestimated its own lobbying power, the declining influence of the West in global politics, and underestimated the resilience of the Sri Lankan State.

Q: Other than the Tamil National Alliance, which declared a ‘Day of Mourning’ on May 17 at a time the country was to celebrate its first anniversary of the war victory, other Tamil political parties are with the government. Why?

A: Because, TNA is a LTTE front. LTTE was so destructive, almost all the Tamil parties decided to oppose it.

Q: Though the LTTE is annihilated locally, LTTE remnants continue to propagate LTTE separatism ideologies. Can these activities pose a threat to peace in Sri Lanka?

A: There is a group of Tamils that live overseas that have a romantic notion of the LTTE and of Tamil Eelam. They have been exposed to high doses of terrorist and extremist propaganda, some false and others partly true. Living in foreign countries, a segment of the Diaspora hark back and look at the LTTE stragglers overseas as if they are going to solve all their problems.

Although the LTTE in Sri Lanka is dead, there will be efforts by the LTTE network overseas to revive violence. Much the same way, the Babar Khalsa International in Vancouver, Canada tried to revive the Khalistan movement after Bhindranwale, LTTE Europe, LTTE Australia and LTTE Canada will try to invoke Prabhakaran’s dark legacy. Like the people of Punjab were tired of violence, the Sri Lankans especially the Tamils who have suffered most are tired of fighting.

The LTTE international network has started to degenerate into a criminal network engaged in smuggling contraband; credit card, bank, and check fraud; and human smuggling. With the seizure of LTTE computers, the government is in possession of names and details of those who work and support the LTTE network overseas. Working with foreign governments, Sri Lanka should help foreign governments to investigate and prosecute those who support the LTTE.

Q: Can these remaining LTTEers make the outfit militarily powerful?

A: As long as overseas LTTE support persists, Sri Lanka will remain under threat. To meet these horizon threats, it is paramount for Sri Lanka to continue to invest in building a powerful security and intelligence service but not a military. By investing in recruiting and training the best minds to staff and operate a security and intelligence service, future governments will be able to detect threats and neutralize them before they manifest.

Although the military intelligence service played a vital role in supporting the army, navy, air force to militarily defeat the LTTE, there was a failure on the part of the Foreign Ministry to engage the Sri Lankan Tamils overseas. As the LTTE international network especially its propaganda hit Sri Lanka’s image very hard, the Sri Lankan foreign mission’s counter propaganda component was virtually absent.

As the LTTE manipulated countries key to Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry lost grip of the situation. Except for a few Sri Lankan Ambassadors, most Foreign Service officers were blind to the developments overseas - instead of pre-empting, they reacted to events. They could not explain even to the media that the “humanitarian catastrophe” was engineered by the LTTE to manipulate the international community. They failed in their duty in this crucial hour as many did not understand that countering the LTTE was an integral and an important function of their portfolio.

The Government should grant an amnesty to those former LTTE members and leaders in custody who have expressed remorse and repentance and willing to embrace peace and reject violence. Since the rendition of Tharmalingam Shanmugam Kumaran alias Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP to Sri Lanka, he has worked to build peace.

Q: LTTE sympathizers have formed various ‘Forums’ to deliver their pro-LTTE views. What are the differences you see between the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and British Tamil Forum (BTF)?

A: Today the LTTE has reinvented itself as the Global Tamil Forum. GTF grew out of BTF, the premier LTTE front in the UK. Through the GTF, LTTE’s premier front, the LTTE leaders overseas are lobbying in the West. They must be declared as terrorist fronts both at home and overseas. The BTF is a handmaiden of the GTF and Fr. Immanuel, who heads the BTF, is a puppet of Nediyavan. Fr.Immanuel preaches ethnic hatred not reconciliation.

Q: What action do you propose to prevent these ‘Forums’ posing a threat to the government’s efforts to suppress LTTE activities abroad?

A: The Sri Lankan Foreign Service, working together with the Information Ministry and the Defence Ministry, should build a robust counter terrorist propaganda capability.

If they do not move in this direction, LTTE propagandists will manipulate a few gullible Western politicians and get them to attend events organised by LTTE fronts like the GTF. Foreign Ministry and missions, especially Lankan missions in the West, should take decisive action to counter GTF and other LTTE fronts.

To counter false propaganda by the LTTE, it is essential to build a new or expand the foreign intelligence component and place it under the Foreign Ministry.

As the Foreign Ministry is the arm responsible for executing the foreign policy of Sri Lanka, it needs eyes and ears, meaning it needs a security and intelligence arm to both inform and guide it. Unless the foreign ministry responds to LTTE lobbying and counter lobbying productively, Sri Lanka will continue to suffer from the LTTEs international operations.

As the centre of gravity of LTTE operations have shifted overseas, the foreign ministry needs to work with foreign governments to monitor, detect, and mount operations to dismantle LTTE propaganda, finance, procurement and shipping operations. Furthermore, it needs to extradite three dozen LTTE operatives identified from Canada to New Zealand France to Japan, Zambia to South Africa and Norway to the U.K.

Q: How do you differentiate the LTTE propaganda activism by Norway based Nediyavan and US based Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran?

A: They are in two different directions. The GTF led by the Norway-based Nediyavan is the real reincarnation of the LTTE and US-based Forum led by V. Rudrakumaran is trying to establish a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). Rudrakumaran has a better understanding of politics but Nediyavan is a hardcore LTTE man.

Q: Is it possible for them to set up the TGTE?

A: Rudrakumaran will soon realize that TGTE is a pipedream like an independent Tamil Eelam and will come for a negotiated settlement with the government. Tamils in Sri Lanka are not interested in TGTW and all those Tamils who had voted for a TGTE have permanent residence abroad and 90 percent of these will not return to Sri Lanka.

Q: It is reported that the government is looking for a constructive dialogue with prominent pro-LTTE persons in the Tamil Diaspora. How far this attempt will be successful?

A: Yes, it is a good effort and the Sri Lankan government is ever ready for talks with anyone giving up violence and opting for negotiations. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a person with a mission and he knows when to use military means and when to talk peace.

If it is necessary to bring about lasting peace, the Government would negotiate even with remaining LTTE leaders. After all they too are Sri Lankans, though misguided. I think the doors for talks are open even for a man like Poniah Anandarajah. He is the LTTE’s key arms procurer, who had smuggled over 10,000 tonnes of armaments between 1996 and 2009.

Q: Amidst accusation of delaying the resettlement of IDPs, the government is successfully rehabilitating over 2,500 ex-LTTE cadres and still looking after over 8,000 of them who are still undergoing rehabilitation. How do you asses the present rehabilitation process?

A: It is sad that the West is still clueless that the government has given amnesty for over 10,000 ex-cadres including hardcore LTTEers. These LTTE cadres are in the process of being rehabilitated and integrated into society, and that is like getting an amnesty.

Q: Even the international community accepts the need of the government to screen the displaced people to identify Tiger cadres for rehabilitation. While it can take a long time it is important for long term reconciliation. Given that, what would be the best strategy that can be adopted to re-establish the normal life of the displaced people?

A: Rehabilitation is to help someone return to normal life by providing education, training and therapy. Those exposed to and convinced by terrorist ideology do not lead normal lives. They adopt the writings and speeches of ideologues that espouse hatred and transform themselves. Whether they are operational terrorists or extremist supporters, they believe that violence and other extreme measures are an acceptable means to bring about political change.

Terrorists and their supporters are not mainstream but are extreme. To facilitate their return to the mainstream from the extreme, they must be rehabilitated. Unless a terrorist is rehabilitated before his release from custody, he is likely to pose a security threat to the government and a societal threat to the community upon his return. As his belief system did not undergo a change, he is likely to contaminate others with his ideals and recruit them to advance his cause.

Q: Will the efforts to rehabilitate cadres benefit the country?

A: The global campaign against terrorism has been dominated by an overwhelming kinetic response. Lethal operations have temporarily blocked terrorist operational infrastructures but have not disrupted the conceptual infrastructures driving extremism and terrorism.

The modus operandi to catch, kill and disrupt terrorist organisations is having a boomerang effect. Although the operational capabilities of terrorist groups have been reduced in some theatres, the motives and intentions of the terrorists to fight back have grown, protracting the fight.

In some countries, soft power has been cast aside as hard powers are wielded. The combination - smart power - is used only by very few nations.

Whilst the use of operational measures should not be disregarded, an equal amount of attention has not been given to the strategic fight - the battle of ideas. The ideological and intellectual infrastructures form the foundations of the terrorist movement.

As the environment remains permissive, ideology remains the lifeblood of contemporary terrorist groups and movements. Terrorist ideologies can only be de-legitimised by ideological and theological refutation. To safeguard the next generation of youth from the lure of fighting and the appeal of extremist ideology, counter ideology must be incorporated into the counter terrorism tool box. Ideally, the two counter-ideology prongs of community engagement and terrorist rehabilitation should be used in parallel.

By building community-based programs that aim to the engage indoctrinated extremists and rehabilitate operational terrorists, regeneration of violence can be prevented.

These programs can be built in partnership with the government. Terrorist rehabilitation is a vital tool in the fight where, incarcerated terrorists are engaged to recant, repent, and express remorse for their thoughts and acts of violence.