5/10/2007 7:10:27 AM
What the British MPs had to say about the LTTE ?
By: Kalana Senaratne
The debate on Sri Lanka in the British House of Commons came at a time
when the LTTE was being attacked and exposed from all fronts.
Arrests in Australia and indictments in India, amidst the commitment of
countries to help combat LTTE terrorism, made headlines during the past
few weeks and months. So, Britain debated while the LTTE was being
exposed. Now, unlike any other time in history, the LTTE stands naked -
with nowhere to run or no place to hide.
The United Kingdom, like many others in the international community, is
well aware of the nature of the Tamil Tiger terrorists, and this was
brought to the fore on May 2, 2007. The Members of Parliament raised
many poignant matters concerning the brutality of the LTTE. To put it
simply, the British Parliament bludgeoned the LTTE and condemned the
terrorist acts perpetrated by the Tiger rebels.
The statements of the British MPs have received little attention. The
castigation of the LTTE by some of the senior Members of Parliament is
ought to be highlighted.
Tiger terrorism
The Minister for the Middle East, Dr. Kim Howells, summarised the
position of the LTTE with remarkable clarity when he stated at the
outset of the debate that:
"The responsibility of the LTTE for violent acts over the years is well
documented. It is a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act
2000. The EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in May 2006. We
have repeatedly urged the LTTE to move away from the path of violence
... LTTE involvement in killings, torture, detention of civilians and
denial of freedom of speech is a reality. The LTTE does not tolerate any
expression of opposition..."
This statement covers many aspects which have been proven to be accurate.
Apart from the banning of the LTTE by the UK and the EU and many other
countries such as the US and India, the LTTE's involvement in killings
and torture is widely known. For instance, on the issue of torture, it
was recently reported that there is compelling evidence to prove that
the LTTE maintained torture chambers.
The Special Task Force uncovered torture chambers and lockups at the
LTTE's Madurakavi camp. It was reported that 'these torture chambers
were small and many of the LTTE child brigade', who had surrendered to
the Sri Lankan Forces, 'revealed the harassment meted out to them by the
LTTE if they caught trying to escape.'(The Island, 17th January 2007).
LTTE fundraising will not be tolerated
The fundraising activity of the LTTE was also another prominent topic
that received the attention of the MPs. The fundraising activity of the
LTTE, especially in the UK, is a popular phenomenon. It is the funds
collected through force, compulsion and intimidation, from Tamil
expatriates, that ensures the existence of the LTTE. Their ability to
procure arms is greatly enhanced due to the extortion of money.
Also, activities such as fundraising and money laundering manifest the
LTTE's lack of commitment to enter the democratic process and seek a
peaceful and negotiated settlement. Fundraising only encourages war. It
leaves no room to think of peace.
This was brought out clearly by Dr. Howells when he stated that "the
ability of the LTTE to raise funds overseas helps sustain its ability to
carry out violent acts and reduces the incentive to move away from the
path of violence.
LTTE fundraising activity in the United Kingdom encourages war, not
peace. It will not be tolerated." Dr. Howells also stated that he has
recently met the security authorities in the UK "to discuss how we can
counter the bullying, threats and acts of fraud that are used regularly
to extract money from the Tamil population and others in the country."
Dr. Howells's statement comes at a time when the British police are in
the process of investigating a global credit card scam, allegedly linked
to the LTTE. Thousands of motorists, using credit cards to buy petrol,
are said to have lost millions of pounds due to the covert operations of
the LTTE.
Scotland Yard officials have begun their hunt for suspected Tiger
operatives in Britain in the wake of the credit card scam. It was also
reported that bank statements relating to some of the filling station
owners who have been evading arrest have been gathered.
These owners are said to have donated thousands of pounds every year to
the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), the main pro-LTTE
organisation in London.
Another MP, Mr. Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow) (Lab) also stated that he has
no doubt and is convinced that "money is being raised in this country
which goes to the LTTE."
Terrorism will never be legitimate
It is fact, universally acknowledged, that terrorism is illegal and
could never be justified. It is never recognised as a legitimate weapon
with which a group or organisation could express their views. The logic
is easily understood when one considers the nature of terrorism and the
means adopted by terrorist organisations.
Dr. Howells finds it impossible, like any other right minded person, to
fathom terrorism. He makes his point clear when he states: "I am very
much averse to recognising the legitimacy, if I could put it like that,
of suicide bombers, murderers, torturers and rapists."
In stating so, the Minister for the Middle East has explained the nature
of the composition of a terrorist group.
Similar sentiments were expressed during the debate by Mr. Peter Luff,
the Conservative MP for Mid-Worcestshire, when he stated that,
"The fact is that violence is always wrong morally, and also
politically, because it never produces the outcome that one seeks. When
we attack the LTTE for its violence, we are doing so for sound reasons.
It is in the Tamil people's own interests that the LTTE abandon its
violence."
LTTE: an inspiration to other terrorists
Mr. Peter Luff went on to state that "...there will be a danger that the
LTTE's techniques will act as an inspiration for other so-called freedom
fighters elsewhere in the world and other terrorist groups."
This then echoes the view held by many of the threat posed by the LTTE
to the region and the world.
The LTTE is a grave threat to India and the region. The seizure of arms
and ammunition across the Palk Strait and in Tamil Nadu, of LTTE vessels
engaged in smuggling arms during the last few months, has brought to
light the complex arms smuggling network of the LTTE.
Also, in a most dramatic disclosure, the Tamil Nadu police stated that
the LTTE's naval wing, the Sea Tigers, had killed five Indian fishermen
off the coast of Kanyakumari on 29th March, 2007.
This is the first time that the LTTE has been clearly blamed for
murdering Indian nationals in Indian territory, after the assassination
of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991.
Also, Tamil Nadu's Director General of Police D. Mukherjee, in a
statement issued on 27th April, 2007, accused the LTTE of abducting 12
Indian fishermen - 11 from Tamil Nadu and one from Kerala. The fishermen
went missing on April 4, 2007.
Most recently, the US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael G.
Mullen stated that the LTTE's naval wing, named the Sea Tigers, is a
serious threat to the region. Admiral Mullen also stressed that the US
Navy is trying to understand the ways to address the danger posed by the
Sea Tigers in the Indian Ocean region.
The threat posed to India and the region was heightened by the air raids
carried out by the LTTE. As Dr. Palitha Kohona (Secretary/Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Secretary General/Secretariat for Coordinating the
Peace Process) has highlighted, the LTTE could very well target India's
nuclear reactors situated in South India from the air.
All States should be mindful of these disturbing developments and take
necessary measures to enhance regional security and combat LTTE terrorism.
The global aspect of the threat posed by the LTTE is evident when one
considers the links established between the LTTE and other terrorist
groups, such as the al-Qaeda.
For instance, the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS),
the London based think-tank, has referred to links between the LTTE and
the al Qaeda in the latest issue of the Institute's 'Military Balance
2007' report.
The Institute also talks of possible commercial links between the two
terrorist organisations (Sunday Times, 4th Feb, 2007). Even before, in
its 'Military Balance 2005-2006' report, the IISS has stated, in a
chapter titled 'Non-State Armed Groups', that the LTTE has possible
links to al-Qaeda.
There are many others who have expressed the idea of such links. Glen
Jenvey, a specialist on international terrorism, has compared and
contrasted the tacticts adopted by the two terrorist organisations, and
states that the study reveals that there are glaring similarities
between the LTTE and the al-Qaeda.
On the nature of the global threat posed by the LTTE, Professor Peter
Chalk of Rand Corporation, the Washington-based think-tank, has said
that the LTTE threatens not only the domestic stability of Sri Lanka but
also the security of the international system as a whole.
In a study done for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and
published as Commentary No. 77, Prof Chalk has said that the activities
of the LTTE "octopus" include movement of refugees, arms transfers,
terrorism, money laundering and drug-trafficking - all "by-products" of
the LTTE's insurgency in Sri Lanka.
Professor Chalk correctly points out that activities of this sort,
conducted by various terrorist groups, have repeatedly demonstrated the
potential to disrupt national and international security, especially in
the globalized world of today.
Ban on the LTTE should remain
States should not lift the LTTE ban. There are many who try to argue
that by lifting the ban placed on the LTTE, much could be achieved in
the form of getting the LTTE to the negotiating table. This is wistful
thinking.
In the course of the debate, Stephen Pound, MP for Ealing North (Lab)
reminded the House that "face-to-face contact would be more important
than headlines about banning organisations." He reminded the House that
Conservative Home Secretaries met representatives of the Provisional
IRA, even when the organisation was banned.
More significantly, Dr. Howells, Minister for the Middle East,
categorically stated that, "in the absence of a full renunciation of
terrorism in deed and word, there can be no question of reconsidering
its proscribed status."
Peter Luff, MP, asserted his position on the matter as follows: " I have
to say that I support the Government in allowing the organisation to
remain proscribed. It is difficult to see how an organisation that takes
part in such abhorrently violent activities - for example, it uses child
soldiers as part of its campaign of violence - can be anything other
than proscribed."
Therefore, any debate on whether the LTTE should remain proscribed or
not could only take place if the LTTE genuinely decides to renounce
violence and lay down its arms. This, of course, has to be evidenced
through actual practice.
Also, it should be remembered that banning greatly assists in
pressurising an organisation such as the LTTE which is bent on
continuing with terrorist activity, to re-think and adopt peaceful means
in order to find a solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka. It would
compel the organisation to return to the negotiating table and continue
in the path of dialogue, rather than resort to the use of force.
Apart from being pressurised, it would help curb terrorism and more
importantly, assist in curtailing other nefarious activities carried out
by the LTTE, which have a direct and adverse impact upon the country and
its economy. These activities mostly include the smuggling of arms and
drugs - major sources of income for the LTTE.
The listing also creates space for the government to continue
negotiating with the LTTE. The listing encourages and exerts some
pressure on the Government as well, to continue negotiating with an
entity banned by the international community, until a permanent peace is
ushered in.
LTTE air raids intended to cripple economy
Members of the House of Commons did not forget to delve on the issue of
air raids carried out by the LTTE.
The Conservative MP for Cotswold, Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, remarked
that "Evidence suggests that some of the air raids were assisted by
Canadian-trained Tamil engineers. With an economy that is heavily
reliant on the tourist industry, the aims of the LTTE are obvious. It
seeks to cripple the island's economy with its acts, harming the entire
economic well-being."
The intention of the LTTE is manifest. It is to cripple the economy of
the country, which has seen remarkable growth under the Government of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
It is also the desire of the LTTE to stifle the tourism industry, which,
as Clifton-Brown suggests, is directly linked with the economy.
Also, the MP raises another issue that deserves attention, i.e., foreign
training of LTTE cadres. There have been several reports which indicate
that the Tiger rebels receive training in other countries. Every effort
should be made to stop this.
Talking on the nascent air capability of the LTTE, Peter Luff MP stated
that the LTTE "is a sophisticated and well equipped organisation
uniquely so for a terrorist organisation - and I regard it as a
terrorist organisation that can fight on land, on sea and in the air,
although it is wrong to describe it as having an air force..."
Peter Luff touches on another intention of the LTTE, viz. to show that
it has a destructive and forceful air force unit. The air capability of
the LTTE is greatly exaggerated, and is meant to please and infuse
confidence in LTTE sympathisers, at a time when their confidence is
taking a nose dive and more and more remain disillusioned due to the
barbarity of the LTTE.
LTTE's commitment to democracy: a grave doubt
Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire) had serious reservations about the
LTTE's commitment to democracy.
"I have serious reservations about whether the LTTE is seriously
committed to the democratic process. Its leader is on record as wanting
to establish a one-party independent Tamil state without democratic
elections. I see in the LTTE an organisation that is led by a very
dangerous individual whose techniques and ruthlessness have caused great
concern."
He further questioned, on the topic of the LTTE accepting the path of
peaceful dialogue, whether "the LTTE is an organisation that is capable
of holding such dialogue."
This then is bludgeoning at its best! Peter Luff's doubts and queries
are well understood, for such doubts, questions and queries have been
lingering in the minds of many for decades.
Unfortunately there is nothing to suggest that the LTTE could reverse
all this. Its past, as well as the present, exemplify in no uncertain
terms, the true barbarity espoused by the LTTE. One does not have to be
an Einstein to guess as to what its future motives and its modus
operandi are going to be.
LTTE should enter the political process
Yet, the appeal is often made and the LTTE is being often asked to enter
the democratic process. But to no avail. Even the Conservative MP
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold) stressed this, when he stated that
"The LTTE ... should involve themselves in the political process.
The simple reality is that no Government can or should give in to
demands of those who would kill and maim innocent civilians. The use of
violence to make one's voice heard is unacceptable in a civilised society."
This is what Sri Lanka has been asking the LTTE to do for decades. And
in the absence of any favourable response, the Government can never be
asked to give in to the demands of a terrorist group. The present
Government has, on a number of occasions, stressed the need for a
political solution.
The Government has reiterated that a military solution is impossible,
and that it is only a political and peaceful solution that would be long
lasting and acceptable to all the communities in the country. Instead of
accepting this, the LTTE has continued, and continue, unabashedly, with
its violent terrorist campaign.
Tamil community doesn't support the LTTE
The LTTE claims to be the sole representative of the Tamil speaking
people. This then, is yet another farce. The Tamil people have
overwhelmingly denied the status of the LTTE as their sole representative.
One obvious reason is that the peace loving Tamil people abhor the
terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE and to say that such a peace loving
people would be represented by an internationally reputed terrorist
organisation would be an absolute mockery.
Edward Davey, the Lib Dem MP for Kingston and Surbiton did not forget to
mention that: "Most of the Tamils to whom I speak do not support the
LTTE ... many of them are fleeing violence that the LTTE perpetrated
against them, their families and communities."
Talking of the monopoly created by the LTTE, he further states that "Let
us be honest and say that that is partly because the LTTE has stamped
out some of the alternative Tamil political organisations, again with
acts of terror. The LTTE has therefore almost created a monopoly."
The way in which the LTTE brutally assassinated many Tamil leaders, such
as Lakshman Kadirgamar, and Kethesh Loganathan of the Peace Secretariat
during the recent past, and the subtle, but yet so brutal and forceful,
way in which many Tamil political parties were stamped out from the
political stage, especially in the late 1970s, is encapsulated in the
words of Edward Davey.
GoSL's responsibility to defend the country
So what is a democratically elected Government expected to do when it is
faced with a terrorist threat?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International
Development, Gareth Thomas, made it perfectly clear by stating that:
"All Governments, and especially democratically elected Governments,
have the responsibility for defending their countries against terrorism.
The Sri Lankan Government are no exception..."
As a sovereign State, Sri Lanka has the responsibility of defending the
nation against any terrorist threat. It has to protect its people, for
what is a State without its people?
These, then, were some of the statements made by the British MPs. It is
heartening to note that the world is beginning to understand more fully
the nature of the LTTE.
One hopes that the LTTE would realise, sooner than later, that violence
and terrorism should be renounced if permanent peace is to be achieved.
Courtesy: Daily News
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For genuine Situation Report visit:
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk
http://www.defence.lk/
http://www.army.lk/index1.php
http://www.nmatnet.com/
Worth to look following to see how brutal Tamil Tiger Terrorists are
Child Soldiers of LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists in Sri Lanka
http://www.spur.asn.au/childwar.htm
Ethnic Cleansing in Sri Lanka
http://www.spur.asn.au/ethnic_cleansing_in_sri_lanka.htm
LTTE TAMIL TIGER ATROCITIES
http://www.spur.asn.au/ltteatrp.htm
