September 14, 1997

Noose tightens round Tigers abroad

It must be noted when North American security officials from both the USA and Canada devised a blueprint to curb LTTE activities in the continent, there was awareness the organisation could not be perceived as a direct security threat to either country. Yet, the track record of LTTE did not rule out such a probability in future. More importantly, western antipathy towards terrorism, the perception LTTE was a terrorist organisation and the sympathy for the Kumaratunga administration in upper echelons of western nations were factors that propelled the USA and Canada.

There was also resentment on a very personal level in the bureaucracy the Tigers were making suckers out of the North American establishment that had hitherto treated Tamils with great concern and care. Utilising government grants given for the welfare of the community at large and siphoning off money from social assistance benefits for the LTTE by the people was looked at askance. Notwithstanding the `melting pot' of the USA and the `multi cultural mosaic' of Canada, the bulk of the security and intelligence officials in both countries are essentially white Anglo-Saxon Protestants sharing core WASP values. This kind of mindset was appalled and angry at what was seen as an attempt to exploit western systems for the promotion of terrorism.

US and Canadian officialdom also expected, unrealistically perhaps, the Tamils who had sought refuge in the safe haven of North America not to indulge in active politics concerning the land of their birth. The desire was that they should adapt themselves fully to the lifestyles and values of their new home rather than getting involved with the politics of the old country. `Leave that political baggage behind and make a fresh start,' was the credo. Given the fact a full scale civil war was raging in Sri Lanka, this kind of expectation remained unfulfilled generally.

Officials, especially Canadian, were also irked by the hypocrisy exhibited by many Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. Most of the post-1990 refugees stated in their claims seeking asylum one if not the only reason for their fleeing from Sri Lanka was the tyranny and persecution of the LTTE. Yet the same people who blamed LTTE to gain acceptance as refugees became visible and active supporters of the Tigers after being accepted. Some lawyers, interpreters and immigration consultants who appeared in immigration hearings for clients allegedly suffering oppression at the hands of the Tigers later appeared on LTTE platforms waxing eloquent about the progressive nature of Prabh- akaran and his `boys'.

The supreme insult to the Canadian system was the case of the imprisoned leader of LTTE in Canada, Suresh Manick- avasagam. This man in his refugee claim stated he was fleeing Sri Lanka because he was being pressurised by LTTE to join its ranks. He was accepted as a conventional refugee. The same man who claimed falsely he was fleeing LTTE persecution was in actual fact the chief of the LTTE in North America and had been handpicked by Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Souring political moods

The Canadian political mood began to sour further against the LTTE under successive liberal governments. In 1993, the LTTE and its branch-cum-front-organisations had supported the liberals. The LTTE found despite their support, these liberal MPs were reluctant to espouse the Tamil cause in the manner in which the Tigers wanted. While being sympathetic to the Tamil plight in Sri Lanka, these legislators steeped in liberal values were not going to back the Tigers who in their eyes were a deadly bunch of fanatics and nothing more. Some MPs began to distance themselves from the LTTE after being provided full details about the organisation from security and law-enforcement agencies.

The LTTE and its agents became progressively alienated from the Liberal Party. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was the national security certificate issued against LTTE chief Suresh Mani- ckavasagam by the Canadian liberal government. An embittered LTTE in Canada openly appealed to the Tamils to vote against the liberals and campaigned for the New Democratic Party in the 1997 federal elections.

Even if the Tamils in Canada had heeded the Tiger call, there could have been no impact as the numbers were not enough at all. The results indicated even in the few constituencies that had a sizable amount of Tamil voters, the liberal candidates romped home. Apparently the Tamils had supported the candidates of their choice rather than be dictated to by LTTE in this regard. So LTTE ended up with a lot of muttai on its face and also exposed to the newly re-elected liberal government its inability to control Tamil votes in Canada.

Once the liberal government under Jean Chretien was ensconced in power, the monitoring of LTTE became intensified. The Canadian authorities began to focus specifically on the money-raising activity of LTTE in Canada. This was in furtherance of clear directives issued by cabinet ministers concerned.

It must be emphasised in fairness to the present Canadian government the action against the LTTE was not merely a political vendetta. It was more an intensification of an ongoing exercise. The LTTE in Canada through some of its acts was also conveying danger signals to the Canadian establishment. This too necessitated a firmer grip on LTTE in Canada.

Some years ago, when former Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Chan visited Sri Lanka and in a press conference in Colombo used the term `terrorism' in response to a question, the LTTE brigades in Canada swung into action. They organised a massive demonstration opposite the Canadian parliament in Ottawa with pictures and flags of Prabhakaran and LTTE insignia. They compelled Chan to make a half-hearted retraction through this pressure tactic.

When the prestigious Canadian newsweekly Macleans published an article considered by LTTE as offensive, another demonstration was staged. Abusive phone calls and letters were sent to the magazine in a clearly orchestrated Tiger campaign. Similarly when Canada's largest daily The Toronto Star described Prabhakaran in an editorial as a `cowardly terrorist', a Tiger inspired hell broke loose. A campaign against the paper was launched. In a separate but related development the Tamil weekly Muncharie edited by D. B. S Jeyaraj was the target of an LTTE campaign of violence and intimidation. The paper was suspended, a rare occurrence of its kind for a newspaper in Canada.

All this demonstrated clearly to Canadian authorities LTTE in Canada was becoming a force with great potential for `trouble' in the future. The fact it could unleash such vicious campaigns against newspapers great and small for the `offence' of publishing something unpalatable to the Tiger palate suggested alarming developments for the future. Some control had to be exerted.

The climax came on June 17, 1995. The LTTE conducted a massive demonstration in Toronto which this correspondent had the opportunity of witnessing. More than 20,000 Tamils marched on the streets of the city. This was roughly one-sixth of the Tamil population in Greater Toronto. It was also the fourth largest assembly of a visible minority community in the history of Toronto. The first was the annual `Caribana' festival of the Caribbean black community in Canada. The second and third were Hindu and Sikh religious festivals. The crucial difference was whereas all three were cultural in content, the Tamil demonstration was entirely political. It was clear `Tiger power', if allowed to flourish, was likely to wreak havoc in Toronto.

It has been a routine practice of the LTTE to strike at the head or heads of organisations it sought to destroy or render ineffective. This is considered clinical and cost effective rather than striking at all and sundry. The Canadian authorities, too, took a leaf out of the Tiger book. In a symbolically strategic move, they chose to strike at LTTE chief in Canada, Suresh Manickavasagam. A national security certificate rendering him inadmissible in Canada was issued on September 11, 1995. In October, Suresh was arrested and detained at the Don jail. He has been in custody ever since. On August 29, Canadian Federal Court Judge Max Teitelbaum upheld the validity of that certificate and ruled Suresh be deported from Canada. Terrorist organisation

The significance of that ruling was the LTTE has been judicially termed an organisation engaged in terrorism. This has ominous consequences for that organisation in North America. It is because the LTTE realised the gravity of the situation that it spent a lot of money to conduct a first-class legal defence of Suresh. The LTTE wanted to avoid being branded `terrorists' by a Canadian court at all costs. It has now lost that battle. Canadian authorities were not making any move against other Tiger activists in Canada as they were awaiting the outcome of this case. It was, in a sense, a test case. A precedent has been set. Now the Canadian officials are in a position to move swiftly against alleged LTTE activists on this basis if and when they want.

This correspondent had the opportunity of obtaining an insight into the attitude of the US and Canadian law enforcement institutions towards LTTE during the course of a recent visit to North America. One was impressed greatly by the information obtained by these institutions into LTTE operations in the continent. When asked whether they had succeeded in infiltrating the LTTE, the reply with a wink was, `The top guys have all become our informants'.

According to the information available, LTTE functions as the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC) in USA and as the World Tamil Movement (WTM) in Canada. The World Tamil Organisation (WTO) in the USA is also another front cum branch.

In Canada, LTTE has taken control of the Tamil Eelam Society, the oldest and largest Sri Lankan Tamil organisation in Canada. This organisation has a working budget exceeding a million dollars. Funding comes from Canadian federal and provincial funding agencies. Employees attached to this institution get their salaries and work for the LTTE. Most demonstrations are planned here. Almost all correspondence and propaganda efforts are centred here. In addition, money allocated is siphoned off for the Tigers, too.

Other LTTE front organisations in Canada are the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) and the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT). Although FACT comprises innocuous outfits such as the Tamil Seniors Centre, the basic structure and functions are very much pro-LTTE.

In the USA, the oldest and largest Sri Lankan Tamil association, the New York Ilankai Tamil Sangam has been captured and is controlled by the LTTE as in the case of Canada. The LTTE also exerts dominating influence on the Federation of Tamil Sanghams of North America representing 32 associations in North America and the Tamil Nadu Foundation. A remarkable feature in USA as opposed to Canada is the involvement of non-brahmin professionals from Tamil Nadu in promoting the LTTE cause.

The annual conference of the Tamil Nadu Foundation in the USA devotes one day and an exhibition to the promotion of LTTE cause. This association is controlled by people sympathetic to the Dravidian Kazhagham of Tamil Nadu. In Canada, LTTE has been unable to infiltrate or influence the Bharathi Kala Mandram, the oldest and largest South Indian organisation in Canada. The Bharathi Kala Mandram is virtually controlled by brahmins who are intrinsically opposed to LTTE and Eelam demand.

The North American law enforcement and security autho- rities have identified a number of LTTE activists and supporters on both sides of the Niagara falls. They have drawn up an action plan to crack down on these persons in stages if and when the go ahead signal is given. They seem to feel a few swift and sharp surgical strikes will do the trick and bring the LTTE to heel. If the respective governments feel that a major eradication exercise is necessary and allocate enough manpower and funds, then these officials are quite confident of success too. Identified activists In the USA, the chief LTTE activists and active supporters have been identified as follows.

The head of LTTE in USA, Karuna, a native of Mathagal in Jaffna has a tigerish appearance as his eyes resemble that of a green eyed cat. Ruthra or Visvanathan Ruthrakumaran, the New York based lawyer who has been coordinating the Suresh legal defence in Canada. Son of a former TULF mayor in Jaffna, the Harvard educated Ruthrak- umaran is the legal adviser to the international secretariat of LTTE. Other activists include former Carnegie Mellon professor Selvakumar, now in California. He was in Sri Lanka some years ago as an LTTE emissary during the IPKF operations.

Jayantha Gnanakone, a former Sri Lankan shipping magnate now based in California, Thomas Amalathas, an ex-seminarian from Ampitiya, Anan- darajan, an accountant now in charge of the overseas LTTE accounts, Jeyakumar, Kamal and Yogan etc. are some of the other LTTE activists.

Active supporters include medical doctors Sri Skandara-jah, Jeyalingam, Shanmugasu- ndaram, Sivalingam, Arula- nandam, Jegatheesan and Satchi, lawyer Wakeley Paul, accountant Sridharan, businessman Shanmugalingam and former Singers Corporation Executive J. M Rajaratnam.

In Canada, the current Head, WTM, Perin Inbanayagam tops the list. Next in line is Sri Ranjan, the treasurer of LTTE finances in Canada. Kunabalasingham alias Kunam the chief Tiger fund collector is another. Other important LTTE activists taken note of by the authorities are Ratnakumar alias Mathagal Kannan, Pathmanathan alias Pathan, Udayakumar alias Uthayan, Kamalavasan alias Kamal, Chandrakumar alias Chandru, Gnanapandithan alias Pandithan.

Other active supporters are the Vice President, WTM, Velupillai Thangavelu, Sam Duraiswamy, a former aide to M. H Mohammed, Rajaratnam, an ex-hatchet man of K.Vinothan, President, Tamil Eelam Society, Sittambalam, former Catholic Priests Francis Xavier and Anton Sinnarasa Philips. Sinnarasa was an escapee from Batticaloa during the infamous prison break.

Lawyer I. F Xavier along with Tamil Eelam Society employees Sivasekeram, Devasagayam, Suresh (junior or sinna) Nehru Gunaratnam, Selvarajah, Srithas etc. are some of the other targeted LTTE activists. Along with these are the editors of pro-LTTE Tamil newspapers and Tiger activists Paramu Sivasubramaniam, Ranjan and Sri Skantharasa alias Thirumurukaventhan.

The current Canadian line of thought seems to be that a major all-out onslaught against the LTTE is unnecessary and limited and piecemeal action against selected LTTE activists would do the trick. They feel except perhaps for a few committed people, the bulk of the present `LTTE people' are hypocrites without any deep conviction who would desert the sinking ship like rats. Already the impact of the Suresh Manickavasagam trial has demoralised the LTTE outfit greatly. So some more selective action against the identified activists would reduce the LTTE in North America to a negligible and from a security perspective manageable quantity.

So they wait after tightening the noose around the LTTE neck in North America. To use a `wild west' metaphor, the situation is something like this. The tiger is all trussed up and sitting on a mustang under a tree. The executioner's finger is on the trigger of the gun. If the trigger is pulled the horse will bolt and truss up tiger with the noose around its neck. The question is when the signal to pull the trigger will be given.