The LTTE shadow over India

The LTTE shadow over India published in The Hindu dt 19.09.05 The LTTE shadow over India  Subramanian Swamy  THE ASSASSINATION of Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has exposed the fault lines in India's policy towards the internationally proclaimed terrorist organisation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. On the one side, the Indian Government has banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. On the other side, despite the continuing assassinations, India does not oppose the "peace dialogue" of the Sri Lankan Government with the LTTE, talks that could end up legitimising the terrorist outfit and making the ban meaningless.  Although the LTTE has officially denied any involvement in the Kadirgamar assassination, such a denial cannot be taken seriously. The organisation has always denied its involvement in terrorist activity — murder, arson, extortion, drug trafficking, and so on. The LTTE denied any part in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. However, the Supreme Court of India, in its 400-page judgment delivered on May 12, 1999, laid bare what a huge lie that was.  `Stockholm Syndrome'  That security failed to secure the neighbourhood of the Foreign Minister's residence despite his being high on the LTTE's hit list is clear evidence that the Sri Lankan authorities are suffering from the `Stockholm Syndrome' of capitulating to tormentors. They are wholly incompetent to deal with the murderous LTTE. The Sri Lankan President's first reaction was that the island government, despite the assassination of the Foreign Minister at his residence in the capital, would not suspend the so-called peace talks with the killers — a further indication of the tragic syndrome at work. Sri Lanka seems to have lost its collective nerve to combat and confront terror.  India needs to consider what to do to remove the fault line in its policy towards the LTTE — and thus secure its geographical neighbourhood. The LTTE, which could be legitimised through the agency of an inane Norwegian facilitation, is a menace not only to Sri Lanka's integrity, but also to India's national security. The Tigers have links with India's terrorists such as the Maoists and ULFA, and with the ISI of Pakistan and even Al Qaeda and with separatist Indian political parties. Even if the Congress shows scant interest in bringing Velupillai Prabakaran to justice, patriotic Indians cannot forget either Rajiv's martyrdom or the LTTE's unforgivable perfidy. India has to fix Prabakaran some day by bringing him to justice for his lack of respect for India's sovereignty.  India has a national security imperative and an unavoidable moral obligation to get involved to help free the island nation of the LTTE's treacherous terror. I thus see four specific reasons behind this obligation:  First, India trained the LTTE in the 1980s. The country has to atone for this by actions to disband and unravel the Frankenstein monster it helped create. Secondly, despite enjoying India's hospitality for years, and after welcoming the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement in 1987, the Tigers betrayed India by killing more than 1000 personnel of the Indian Peace Keeping Force sent to the island to enforce the accord. The betrayal and loss of lives of our valiant jawans have to be avenged to keep up the morale of the Indian armed forces.  Thirdly, as the Home Ministry's 2005 Annual Report to Parliament points out, the LTTE has been targeting pro-Indian Sri Lanka politicians and assassinating them. The latest is of course Kadirgamar. For India, the most heinous act is the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. A trial court has declared Accused No.1 Prabakaran a proclaimed offender, and the Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice for apprehending him. India is thus obligated to search for Prabakaran — and to immobilise the LTTE and deter it from engaging in any murderous and terrorist activities against India and Indian interests.  Fourthly, the LTTE interferes in the internal affairs of India by financing certain Indian politicians, providing training to Indian militant and extremist organisations, and extending insurgency infrastructure to bandits such as Veerappan. It also launders black money from India through its illegal Eelam Bank in the Jaffna area. India cannot allow such erosion of law and order within its own borders.  To discharge these obligations, what must India do? Obviously, it cannot depend on Sri Lankan governments of today or the near future to bring the LTTE to book. Sri Lankan political parties are either capitulationist or chauvinist. The recent pact of Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister and presidential candidate, with the JVP that if voted to power he will defend the present failed unitary constitution is a retrograde step. This shows the Tamils are squeezed between the devil and the deep sea.  India's first move should be to initiate action to revive the hunt for those of the LTTE who need to be prosecuted under Indian law. This includes Prabakaran and his intelligence chief Pottu Amman — and whoever has tried to help them to escape the arm of India's law enforcement.  In 1998, Parliament set up under the Central Bureau of Investigation a multidisciplinary monitoring agency (MDMA) to hunt for these wanted persons. But the National Democratic Alliance Government waffled and failed to pursue the matter. The present United Progressive Alliance Government has done even worse. When President Chandrika Kumaratunga came to India recently, India went along with the proposal to take on board the LTTE as a party in the tsunami relief work and have its share in the $ 3 billion international aid commitment.  The time has come to energise the MDMA, to get it moving to apprehend the wanted criminals, in unconventional ways if necessary. Further, India must assist and nurture the democratic elements in the Sri Lankan Tamil population.  These include those who have demonstrated the capacity to stand up to the LTTE (such as S.C. Chandrahasan, and the breakaway LTTE group that opposed Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, namely, the Karuna group), to form a non-violent and democratic alternative to work out with the Sinhala majority a federal constitution that would serve the purpose of power sharing. Thirdly, LTTE sleeper cells in Indian cities need to be identified and put out of action. At present, terrorists of various hues are active in several States and Union Territories.  One day, these terrorists and the LTTE sleeper cells may coordinate and cause a huge bloody incident. India must guard against such contingencies through pre-emptive action.  The time has come for India effectively to contribute to the war against terrorism and in the promotion of democracy by targeting the LTTE sincerely and effectively in the larger interest of security and national integrity.  (The writer is a former Union Law Minister.)