Hidden Dangers Highlighted In Defence Seminar

(Courtesy of Sunday Leadere)

The Sri Lanka Army flagship Defence Seminar 2014 held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from August 18-20, 2014 attracted 450 delegates including 200 foreign participants from 66 countries. The LTTE fronts in Tamil Nadu attempted but failed to prevent high level Indian political and military participation in the Defence Seminar. After the Indian authorities ignored the LTTE fronts, the actor turned director Seeman, leader Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), conducted a protest in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate in Chennai on August 17, 2014. Many questioned the decision to protest Indian participation in front of the Sri Lankan consulate! Despite the calls to boycott, the Defence Seminar was successfully held in Colombo and many of the participating nations praised Sri Lanka’s comprehensive defeat of the LTTE.

The defense seminar itself praised Modi, who claimed that that India’s foreign policy will not be dictated by Tamil Nadu domestic politics. As Modi wished to improve India’s relations with its neighbours, Sri Lankan and other South Asian delegations overwhelmingly supported Modi, BJP and its new foreign policy of engagement and not confrontation.

The Defence Seminar recognized that the protests against Sri Lanka were funded by remnants of the LTTE that had reorganized themselves into diaspora groups. In addition to enforcing a travel ban, the Sri Lankan government had initiated the process to freeze the assets of these organizations and their directing figures. Furthermore, the assets of nearly 400 LTTE activists will be frozen under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373. Since the designation of entities and persons in March 2014, nearly 100 persons have written to the Sri Lankan government admitting to their role and requesting for a delisting.

In keeping with the theme, ‘Sri Lanka: Challenges to a Rising Nation’, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ravinatha Ariyasinghe identified the continuing threat of the LTTE. Ambassador Ariyasinghe said:

“While we have defeated the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the organization, its ideology and its operations are very much alive in a number of western countries. Immediately, this remains a challenge to speeding up the pace of reconciliation in Sri Lanka, and eventually, a potent danger to Sri Lanka as a rising nation.” In his opening remarks to the Session Three on Day 2 (Aug 19), Ambassador Ariyasinghe added, “It is noteworthy that even while the political establishments in key western countries, where the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora provide an important vote base in marginal constituencies, have in recent years turned somewhat of a blind eye to activities of diaspora organizations, drawing superficial lines between known LTTE terrorists and Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora LTTE front organizations and activists engaging in similar activity. It is clear that the law and order and criminal justice systems in these countries however, have not been fooled.”

Ambassador Ariyasinghe alerted both governmental and non-governmental organizations to LTTE infiltration when he said: “Working with a plethora of international non-governmental organizations, interest based groups and sections of the media, these front organizations bearing a multitude of pseudonyms, seek to provide the interface between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora community. Under the guidance of paid international political and legal advisers, they are carefully adjusting to stay below the counter terrorism radar by distancing themselves from the terrorist past of the LTTE and instead focusing on humanitarian and political causes, thereby are seeking to perpetuate the ideology of the LTTE and to rehabilitate the image of struggle, while providing via media propaganda and fund raising to continue unabated, in order to be able to keep the pot boiling in Sri Lanka. An integral part of this activity is also the mushrooming of the extremist Madrassa type  ‘Tamil Cholai’ (language schools) that are fermenting radicalization of youth and the glorification of terrorism and martyrdom across key Western countries. An estimated 20,000 Tamil students between the ages of 4 and 21 years study in more than 300 ‘Tamil Cholai’ (language) schools functioning in Europe under different names, which receive host government funding in some cases, but in actuality are directly or indirectly administered by the LTTE and generates their own funds. In addition, students of these schools are forced to participate in propaganda events organized by the LTTE and its front organizations.”

Ambassador Ariyasinghe concluded by calling attention of western nations who are vigilant to attempts by LTTE fronts to revive the LTTE. Referring to funding provided by LTTE fronts to terrorist cells in Tamil Nadu, he referred to the recent operations to disrupt the LTTE reorganization. Ambassador Ariyasinghe said: “Though nipped in the bud as a result of Sri Lanka’s good intelligence coordination within and outside the country, the vulnerability such actions could pose was made clear when in March 2014, investigations confirmed that a series of activities aimed at enabling a resurgence of terrorism in Sri Lanka were coordinated by a broader network of LTTE operatives functioning from overseas. Three LTTE operatives who were overseas and had returned to Sri Lanka were found to have been actively involved in the reorganization of the terrorist organization in the North. They were involved in the recovery of arms caches, planning to assassinate high profile targets in Colombo, re-establishing the intelligence network, recruiting unemployed youth and rehabilitated ex-combatants and collecting information on potential targets including in other provinces, with the intention and attempts to carry out terrorist acts in the country. Investigations revealed that funding for such activities came from Europe and were being transferred using an illegal system of money transfer widely used in the subcontinent. It was also revealed that many safe houses, vehicles and other resources required for resurgence of the terrorist group had been procured by them using this money. That this plot was unearthed and dealt with effectively is to the credit of the defence establishment of Sri Lanka, but we must all remain vigilant of the next such attempt.” There have been several actions by the law enforcement authorities, both in Sri Lanka and abroad before, as well as after the recent military action, under UNSC Resolution 1373. In May 2014, the Malaysian authorities immediately took action, at the request of the government of Sri Lanka, to extradite 3 key LTTE operatives arrested by them who are wanted in relation to terrorism related offences in Sri Lanka, and more deportations have followed. Given that these operatives had been designated as refugees by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, it is imperative to ensure that the UN system does not fall prey to manipulations by terrorist groups.”

The fourth in sequel of annual defence seminars which began in year 2011, concluded followed by a trajectory of intellectual interaction that brought to the fore issues ranging from defeat of terrorism and post conflict recovery to national stability and its effects on regional security. The origins of this forum of regional and international significance could be traced back to the successful outcome of the campaign to defeat terrorism in Sri Lanka. The first seminar organized in year 2010 and guided by the theme ‘defeating terrorism; the Sri Lankan experience’ aimed at sharing the Sri Lankan Government’s ‘know-how’ and experience of fighting terrorism for over three decades. Although Military heavy, the seminar attended by over 94 delegates from 41 countries conveyed the Sri Lankan inspiration to nations that terrorism could be defeated.

Subsequently, inspired by the overwhelming response to Defence Seminar 2011, Defence Seminar 2012 under the theme, ‘towards lasting peace and stability’ extended the discourse to the post conflict experience of the nation. This forum took to the region and the world, Sri Lanka’s post conflict efforts based on the 5 R concept of Reconstruction, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Reconciliation. The forum provided the environment for learning and sharing of experience and knowledge through the candid exchange of ideas.

In Defence Seminar 2013, the narrative of a nation successfully emerging from conflict and adding to regional stability was examined under the theme ‘Post conflict Sri Lanka; challenges and regional stability’. Continuing along the trajectory of conflict to peace, Defence Seminar 2013 expanded the discussion from national peace to the stability of the region. Another astonishing success, Defence Seminar 2013 was attended by a 113 delegates from 44 countries.

Defence Seminar 2014, aimed at inspiring discourse on the rise of nations after conflict. The central discussion is to be inspired by the theme ‘Sri Lanka; challenges to a rising nation’ which will shift focus towards development and prosperity. The strategic path of rising after conflict, which nations adopt and adapt and lessons in relation to Sri Lanka will be pursued to a gainful end.

 By Camelia Nathaniel

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