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 Dr. Rohan Gunaratne Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and senior most terrorism analyst
Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and senior most terrorism analyst Dr. Rohan Gunaratne speaks to Hard Talk about the global implications to the terror outfit folowing the arrest of LTTE
Leader KP by Sri Lanka.
Prof. Gunaratne believes that KP was a cunning man who tried to deceive the international community. ‘After Prabhakaran, KP adapted to survive. Like Prabhakaran had different messages for different audiances, KP spoke about continuing LTTE's fight politically. The fact of the
matter is that the LTTE never stopped fighting. K.P. never adopted a pragmatic approach of trying to end Prabhakaran's campaign of hate and violence. Instead, K.P. continued with his clandestine activities to rebuild a gravely wounded LTTE with the hope of resurrecting it.
Overseas, where the LTTE infrastructure survived, LTTE propaganda, recruitment, fundraising, procurement and even shipping continued under KP.’
He asserts that with most within the LTTE having today realized that Prabhakaran presented to them an unrealistic dream, over time, the intelligence flow is likely to improve as they realize that their ‘young and beautiful lives have been destroyed by the LTTE culture of hate and
violence and there is much more to life than to spread fear and violence.’
Q: KP appointed himself the leader of the LTTE following the death of Prabhakaran and the Group’s defeat in Sri Lanka, and clearly seemed to have the support of the large majority of the Tamil Diaspora. Where do you see its future with his capture?
The LTTE projected that the majority of the Tamils supported the LTTE. In reality, only a tiny minority of the Tamils voluntarily supported the LTTE. Neither the LTTE nor K.P., enjoyed the support of the large majority of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora. It is an insult to the Tamils
to say that a majority of the Tamils supported a group that killed innocent men, women and children. Those who supported the LTTE were misguided. If the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka had a powerful counter propaganda unit that exposed LTTE atrocities on the Tamils in the Tamil
language, the voluntary support for the LTTE would have declined even more. Like the LTTE forcibly conscripted Tamils in-the country, the LTTE international network drew most support through coercion. Because the LTTE controlled territory in the homeland, LTTE fund collectors
overseas would remind reluctant donors of their relatives in the homeland. As opposed to collateral coercion, implicit coercion was to directly threaten the reluctant donors.
With the government forces rescuing of the Sri Lankan Tamils taken hostage by the LTTE in April and May 2009, the LTTE can no longer use collateral coercion to collect. In a few countries such as Switzerland, Canada and in Scandinavia where law enforcement is weak the LTTE will
continue to extort funds. This requires Sri Lankan foreign missions advising Tamils not to part with their funds to a proscribed terrorist group. Furthermore, police and military attaches of Sri Lankan missions should work with host law enforcement to nab the LTTE fund collectors
and ensure that they are either prosecuted on host soil or extradited to Sri Lanka for trial. With K.P.'s rendition to Sri Lanka, and the prospect of rendition of other LTTE activists such as V. Rudrakumaran, the entire LTTE international network can be brought down. With the
intelligence developed by debriefing K.P., Sri Lankan government should dismantle the entire international network of the LTTE. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry should have a state minister or a deputy minister of foreign affairs dedicated to the next phase of the campaign against
the LTTE.
Q: How would you assess the role played by KP following the defeat of the LTTE as opposed to the one he did with Prabhakaran both in connection with the many clandestine business ventures he manned for the Group as well as in keeping the Group together and continuing to
promote the idea of a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka?
As Prabhakaran's successor, K.P. continued to communicate with LTTE stragglers in Sri Lanka and globally. Had K.P. continued, the LTTE international would have given life to LTTE domestic. The LTTE would have returned in the long term. As such, it has become a paramount national
security priority to bring K.P. and anyone engaged in terrorist support and operational activity to justice. Against terrorism, the US has global jurisdiction. Every country, including Sri Lanka should move in this direction.
Q: The post Prabhakaran KP was doing his utmost to show himself; a man wanted by Interpol and facing serious charges of arms smuggling and drug dealing, as one now leading the newly democratized face of the LTTE. How committed would you say he was to such a process as
opposed to what was most likely to be an attempt to lessen the international pressures against him?
KP was a cunning man who tried to deceive the international community. After Prabhakaran, KP adapted to survive. Like Prabhakaran had different messages for different audiences, KP spoke about continuing LTTE's fight politically. The fact of the matter is that the LTTE never
stopped fighting. K.P. never adopted a pragmatic approach of trying to end Prabhakaran's campaign of hate and violence. Instead, K.P. continued with his clandestine activities to rebuild a gravely wounded LTTE with the hope of resurrecting it. Overseas, where the LTTE
infrastructure survived, LTTE propaganda, recruitment, fundraising, procurement and even shipping continued under KP.
Q: KP’s leadership was seen to be recognized indirectly in an official press release by the re-structured LTTE which said that the ‘Executive Committee of the LTTE, had appointed him as Head of International Relations and that he ‘will lead us into the next steps of our
freedom struggle according to the vision of our esteemed leader.’ What in your opinion was this next step of the freedom struggle that the group seemed to be concentrating on?
The LTTE wanted to tarnish Sri Lanka's reputation and image and recommence its campaign of hate and violence. The use of the word freedom struggle by the LTTE is an insult to true freedom fighters and to freedom struggles. Freedom fighters do not kill innocent children, women and
men. The LTTE is a terrorist group that brought untold suffering especially to the Tamils. Under the guise of fighting for the Tamils, the LTTE articulated a philosophy of terror and fear. It gained nothing for the Tamils except pain and agony.
Q: Despite the appointment of KP as the senior most leader of the LTTE, Nediyavan in charge of administering overseas LTTE branches as chief of the Diaspora affairs department continued to oppose his appointment. Would you say he played any role in the capture of KP given
his very strong and very public resentment towards KP’s leadership?
The intelligence provided to the Sri Lankan government on the LTTE from within the LTTE was significant. Most within the LTTE have today realized that Prabhakaran presented to them an unrealistic dream!
Over time, the intelligence flow is likely to improve as they realize that their young and beautiful lives have been destroyed by the LTTE culture of hate and violence and there is much more to life than to spread fear and violence.
Q: What kind of recognition or support did you see him; who was clearly no Anton Balasingham, receiving from the international community, especially those governments that opposed the military action that the Sri Lankan government was taking against the LTTE?
Most governments that publicly criticized Colombo for the military offensive against the LTTE are now praising Colombo for its success. Colombo understands that under the Diaspora particularly electoral/constituency pressure Western politicians had to issue statements. Before his
death, Balasingham knew the fate of Prabhakaran and the LTTE. When Prabhakaran failed to accept a negotiated peace, Balasingham withdrew from the LTTE. The Norwegians know how difficult it was to convince Prabhakaran even to let the Tamil hostages free.
The Norwegians were used by the LTTE. Except the Norwegian government, no government supported KP. Even within the Norwegian government, many pragmatic leaders were unhappy that its officials and diplomats were hobnobbing with KP. The very romantic view of the LTTE held by some
Norwegians are slowly changing.
Q: What in your opinion are the implications if any in the international trade of arms following his exit from the network?
KP was the most experienced but the LTTE has other capable leaders who can illegally buy weapons and operate ships. The fight against the LTTE is a constant and a continuous challenge for Sri Lanka. The Government is aware of it and is laying the ground work to counter that threat
appropriately.
Q: Aside of the gun running he was the man behind arms piracy from ships, money-laundering as well as a very successful commercial shipping network for the LTTE. What is the future of these activities which brought in huge sums of monies for the outfit?
Most of KPs activities will persist but at a lower scale. Overtime, if the Sri Lankan government repairs the broken bridges between the Tamils and the Sinhalese and the Tamils and the Muslims, the need and support for such activity will end.
Q: Undoubtedly information from KP about frozen bank accounts, well known members of the international community connected to the LTTE, its secret bank accounts or how the arms procurements were done would provide invaluable information to the government of Sri Lanka but how
useful would you say this information is going to be in instituting any action against the LTTE in international courts of justice given the attitude adopted by the international community towards the LTTE?
There is no need for Sri Lanka to go to the International Court of Justice. Foreign governments are cooperating and collaborating with the Sri Lankan government. There will be a number of arrests of LTTE activists in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe and India in the coming year.
There will be arrests even in Scandinavia and very likely also in Norway. Governments are not foolish to be fooled by the LTTE or any other non state actor all the time.
Q: There is strong speculation that KP had the support of the intelligence agency of a global super power which had intervened in his safety at several occasions, including especially in his release after capture in 2007. Reports indicate that he no longer commanded the
significance he did before leading to the capture. How do you see such a situation?
No, the US has always supported Sri Lanka. Sometimes the US State Department under diaspora pressure made certain statements that appeared unfriendly to Sri Lanka. But in reality, the US is an invaluable partner in the fight against the LTTE. Without US intelligence, the LTTE could
not have been defeated. KP had ties to a few powerful individuals in Southeast Asia. With KP fully cooperating, what they could do, will be limited in the coming weeks and months.
Q: Certain Western governments have continued to endorse the KP led LTTE with Norwegian peace facilitator Solheim even meeting him in London despite the LTTE continuing to be a banned terror organization and KP himself having two warrants issued against him by Interpol. How
do you see such blatant violations of international justice? Would the international community be as tolerant of such meeting if it took place with a senior leader of the Taliban for instance do you think?
Many countries have double standards. We should make them realize that the LTTE killed ten times more civilians than al Qaeda!
Q: As the Chief Arms dealer KP under Prabhakaran was also in charge of setting up and coordinating the LTTE overseas branches. He was the man behind the raising of funds, buying up arms and shipping them so successfully for a large part of the Group’s military history. His
contribution therefore for the growth of the LTTE is by no means small. In your opinion how serious a crimes are these and what form of legal action would you ideally see taking place against such a man even in within the Sri Lankan context?
After Prabhakaran, KP is Asia's biggest human rights violator. The guns and explosives he purchased and millions of dollars he raised killed tens of thousands of men, women and children in Sri Lanka and in India. Sri Lanka's criminal justice and prisons system is fair and robust.
Although KP is a terrorist and not a prisoner of war, Sri Lanka should charge him, try him and sentence him.
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