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CONFLICT
IN SRI LANKA
DIASPORA
AND THE TAMIL TIGER MOVEMENT [PDF]
By Tejal Chandan
June
18, 2007
A
critical factor accounting for the sustenance of the
Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the world's
most dreaded separatist organisation proscribed in
several countries, has been the international support
infrastructure it has established over the years.
This support base includes not only fund raising but
also wide ranging propaganda and publicity, thus becoming
a source of both financial and political support for
the Tamil cause. It is no surprise that the LTTE enjoys
unquestioned support in certain sections of the vast
and vocal Tamil Diaspora. These supporters believe
that LTTE is the only chance for a Tamil Eelam and
the only answer to Sinhalese chauvinism. At the same
time, there are others in the Diaspora who desire
an independent nation but do not approve of the violent
and terrorist methods of LTTE. Then, there are those
who nurse nothing but hatred for the LTTE and blame
the leadership for the unending suffering of the Tamils
in their homeland. This widespread Tamil Diaspora
established itself in countries such as the United
Kingdom, France, Scandinavia (Norway, Finland and
Sweden), Switzerland, the United States, Canada and
Australia in the midst of a spiralling conflict between
1983 and 2002.
The
LTTE leadership had realised the importance of developing
an overseas network much before some of the other
Tamil militant groups. As early as 1978, Prabhakaran
had a dedicated group of supporters in London. However
it was only after having lost considerable Indian
support in the aftermath of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination
that Prabhakaran turned to the world Sri Lankan Tamil
community and gradually integrated certain sections
of the Diaspora into a strong support structure.
The
LTTE publicity and propaganda has targeted the Tamil
expatriates and host governments mainly in western
countries and harnessed support through front organisations
such as the United Tamil Organisation (UTO) in the
United Kingdom, the Federation of Associations of
Canadian Tamils (FACT) in Canada, The Australasian
Federation of Tamil Associations in Australia, the
French Federation of Tamil Associations in France,
the World Tamil Movement (WTM) and the Swiss Federation
of Tamil Associations in Switzerland.1 In the late
90s, the FACT and WTM among other organisations were
declared as Tiger fronts and brought under anti-terrorism
legislations in the US and Canada. Altogether the
publicity mechanism integrates sympathetic pressure
groups, media units, charities and benevolent non-governmental
organisations which galvanise support through publicising
Tamils as innocent victims of Sinhalese discrimination
and the government's military repression. The single
and most important message of these activities is
that the LTTE is the only capable Tamil force to fight
for an independent nation without which the rights
of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka cannot be obtained.
The LTTE also runs a sophisticated fund raising operation
which includes voluntary contributions from the Diaspora,
funds diverted from non-governmental organisations
and other charities, investments in legitimate businesses
of Tamil expatriates and human trafficking. Money
from the Diaspora is procured through a 'tax' on all
families. Funds are also procured through non-governmental
organizations where money is collected for the development
and rehabilitation of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Tigers
usually collect these funds voluntarily relying on
the effectiveness of their propaganda. But when this
fails, intimidation, coercion and threats are resorted
to. Details of the extortion drive were brought out
in an in-depth report by the Human Right Watch. Influential
people among the Diaspora live in a constant fear
for their lives. According to the report, "In
Sri Lanka, there is nothing scarier than being a Tamil
person of influence-whether you are a teacher, a school
principal, a doctor, a journalist, a politician, or
a successful businessman. Ordinary Tamils have learned
to keep their heads down, do exactly what their neighbors
do, and not make waves. These lessons traveled with
them to Toronto and London and Paris-where the LTTE
and its supporters continued to take over and monopolize
social structures, from refugee relief in the 1980s
to newspapers, shops and temples. A few threats, a
few smear campaigns, a murder or two, and the lesson
is reinforced" 2
Actions
against LTTE activities have most prominently included
the banning of the organisation in several countries.
India banned the LTTE in 1991 followed by the US in
1997. The United Kingdom, Canada and the 27 Member-States
of the European Union followed suit in declaring the
LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Inspite of these
actions Diaspora support, both political as well as
financial, continues to remain strong.
Recent
Activities
As
armed violence escalated since late 2005, the fund
raising drive gained momentum around the globe and
LTTE activities once again came under the scanner
in several countries. French Police raided several
Tiger offices and shops and arrested 19 Tamil Tiger
agents; police in Germany began discreet investigations
into the activities of suspected LTTE activists in
Germany; the Australian Federal Police arrested two
Sri Lankan Tamils with terrorism related charges and
accused them of being LTTE members. Similar crackdowns
have been carried out in Canada and Italy has also
reassured the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister that it
will continue to keep a close tab on the flow of funds
and weapons to LTTE. In the wake of these events,
the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Washington alleged that
the LTTE sold nearly 1,30,000 Norwegian passports,
stolen over a period of time, to the highest bidders
and also to Al-Qaeda operatives. The Ambassador also
indicated narcotic sales and credit card frauds as
some of the other methods used to earn money. The
Norwegian Police have however denied the reports on
passport thefts.
Taking stock of the international activities of the
LTTE over decades, one must be careful to not overstate
the effect of recent arrests. Inspite of sophisticated
intelligence and monitoring of LTTE activities it
is difficult to differentiate the LTTE run businesses
from the other legitimate establishments. It is also
difficult to draw a line between funds collected for
humanitarian purposes and the funds being siphoned
off to LTTE coffers. Interestingly, the funds accrued
from these activities are at times used to fight costly
legal battles for those being prosecuted. The motivation
of the Diaspora is something that cannot be measured
either. Usually success is followed by more voluntary
support while failures may amount to reduced support.
The reported increase in the flow of funds to LTTE
after the fall of Elephant Pass is just one example
supporting this success-failure relationship. The
recent air strikes probably have had the same impact.
Similarly, the recent eviction of Tamils from Colombo
may prove to be another powerful propaganda tool in
the hands of the LTTE.
With around 7,00,000 refugees from the current conflict
now among the Diaspora and with growing dissent against
the policies of the Sri Lankan government mobilisation
of support may become easier. Even in Sri Lanka, the
Tamil moderates, having given little to hope for from
the Government and having no reason to love Prabhakaran,
may end up either supporting him or otherwise tolerating
his activities. Eventually, for the people in the
North and East of Sri Lanka, the crackdown on LTTE
activities abroad may mean the discontinuation of
funds even for genuine humanitarian purposes while
for the Diaspora, demands for support to the LTTE
may not come to an end as yet.
End
Notes
1. Daniel Byman and Peter Chalk et.al, "Trends
in Outside Support for Insurgent Movements" RAND
Monograph Report, 2001, URL: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR1405.pdf
2. "Funding the Final War: LTTE Intimidation
and Extortion in the Tamil Diaspora", Human Rights
Watch, Volume 18. No.1 (C), March 15, 2006, URL: http://hrw.org/reports/2006/ltte0306/1.htm
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