IndiaPost.com - LTTE's global network suffers setback

A global onslaught against the international network of front organizations of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appears to be coinciding with the domestic reverses the rebels are suffering within Sri Lanka.

Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, France and the United States (US), which account for the major chunk of the roughly 750,000 strong Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora, and from where the outfit accrues its greatest financial and propaganda support, have taken stern action against LTTE proxies, severely affecting the Tigers capacities in their 'final war of liberation'.

The LTTE, which opened its first overseas office in London in 1984, has its front organizations now operating from countries that also include India, Botswana, Burma, Cambodia, Denmark, Germany, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Qatar, South Africa, Switzerland and Thailand, to name a few.

The Washington Times, on April 7 reported that the LTTE's political wing had established its branches in at least 12 countries, including the US. The LTTE's global activities can broadly be summarized into three principal categories: fundraising; arms procurement and shipping, and publicity and propaganda.

Though each of these tasks invariably overlaps, there is a significant autonomy of operation in each. The LTTE has created front organizations in about 50 countries across the globe, and most significant among these organizations include the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations; the Swiss Federation of Tamil Associations; the French Federation of Tamil Associations; the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils; the Illankai Tamil Sangam in the US; the Tamil Coordinating Committee in Norway and the International Federation of Tamils in the UK.

These fronts also form sympathetic pressure groups and media units to harness political and economic support for the outfit from the politicians and human rights activists in the respective countries. They bring out or operate numerous magazines, radio and TV stations; carry out public demonstrations, display LTTE flags and emblems as well as photographs of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other leaders, sell and distribute literature glorifying the LTTE struggle and suicide attacks.

Over the years, the LTTE's international support network has ensured that the Tigers became the only terrorist organization with its own military - an army, navy and air force - and clear control over a large swathe of land. Things, however, started to change after the declaration of the 'war on terror' in the wake of the September 2001 incidents in the US, with international attitudes hardening against the LTTE. Despite this, the 25-nation European Union only banned the LTTE in May 2006.

Earlier, Canada proscribed the outfit on April 10, 2006. India was the first country to ban the LTTE in 1992. The LTTE is also on a list of proscribed terrorist organizations in the US, and is currently banned in as many as 31 countries.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (United States) went to the extent describing the organization as one of the most dangerous and deadly extremist outfits in the world, as they had 'inspired' networks worldwide, including the al-Qaeda in Iraq. Corroborating linkages with the al Qaeda, a March 25, 2007, report indicated that the LTTE had supplied forged passports to Ramzi Yousef, who bombed the World Trade Center.

Earlier, on March 10, 2007, Falk Rovik, chief spokesperson of Norwegians Against Terrorism, stated in Toronto that the LTTE had stolen hundreds of Norwegian passports and sold them to al Qaeda to earn money. According to a July 7, 2007, report, the UK declared the LTTE the 'second most dangerous terrorist group' in the world, after al Qaeda.

Nevertheless, the LTTE's international networks have suffered major reverses in the recent past, with many instances in which leaders/cadres of the LTTE or their front organizations have arrested, sentenced to prison, or otherwise restrained, for a variety of subversive activity across the world.

The latest crackdown appears to be part of an international operation aimed at neutralizing the LTTE's operations worldwide. However, proscribing the LTTE has tended to have only limited success, since the organization simply sets up new fronts that continue activities earlier carried out directly by LTTE offices, or by other fronts that come afoul of the law.

Even the limited successes against the LTTE's international operations in the recent past have had tremendous impact on LTTE capacities on the ground. Nevertheless, the LTTE's global network is far from defunct, and the intelligence communities in the many countries in which the Tamil rebels operate fronts will have to keep pace with the constant adaptation and inventiveness that remains a hallmark of the LTTE's operations, both domestically and abroad.

The writer is Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management.