Impact of LTTE Re-emergence on Sri Lankan Government

The Sri Lankan Government proudly claims that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been vanquished. However, it is still plagued with the fear whether the rebel movement would rear its head once again.

The president of the Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore had recently warned that Sri Lanka might face the threat from the LTTE again. He said:"LTTE members active in different countries continue to operate in unison. If the Sri Lankan Government fails to control their activities in collaboration with the international community, the impending threat to Sri Lanka is inevitable."

Meanwhile, defense spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella too had recently stated that the Government could not be certain whether the LTTE has been rooted out, never to reemerge.

In the mid of all these, an alarming statement relating to the LTTE was released recently. The statement read "the dispute that prevailed among the members of the LTTE has now been sorted out and a common front has been formed."

Confrontation with Security Forces
LTTE leader Prabhakaran was killed in a confrontation with the security forces when he attempted to escape via the northern part of Nandikadal during the final phase of the military operation at Mullivaikal. The Armed Forces, who recovered his body, had burned it later. However, the LTTE offices overseas continued to claim that Prabhakaran was not killed and he was still alive. The overseas operational offices of the LTTE were under the control of Manivannan alias Castro, one of the key cadres of the rebels.

Meanwhile, Selvarajah Pathmanathan alias K.P., who was appointed director of the LTTE Foreign Secretariat, announced on May 22 that Prabhakaran was not alive. This announcement led the overseas activists to a state of confusion and there were two different views put forth by these groups about the death of Prabhakaran.

The two groups were disputing with each other through their statements reported in newspapers and websites.

Role of Tamil Diaspora
At some stage one of the two groups described K.P. as a traitor, but it has to be stated that he was the only high ranking LTTE member who had been in touch with the LTTE leader until his final moments.

This led to the inability to confirm the death of Prabhakaran while the statements released relating to his death could not be verified either.

As a result of this, the Tamil diaspora was not able to carry forward their struggle. The various efforts were made to amicably settle the disputing stances adopted by these two groups, it is learned.

A statement was released by Suresh (Amuthan) and Ram at the LTTE Foreign Secretariat last week, on behalf of their executive committee.

It needs to be reminded here that Ram, who had been the commanding officer of the LTTE in Amparai District, had fled the island to reach foreign countries recently along with Dayamohan.

The statement released by Ram read that Selarajah Pathmanathan alias K.P. would formulate the next course of action of the LTTE and that a new secretariat has also been established. According to the statement, several new divisions have been established in the Secretariat.

The news that the LTTE has resumed functioning having opened new divisions may have shocked the Government of Sri Lanka.

Strength of Government
Sri Lanka was glad that the LTTE was divided into two factions abroad at a time when the organization was completely destroyed in the country. Sri Lanka also believed that it had no more headaches.

It is learnt that the two groups now merged together will engage in the anti-Sri Lankan Government activities in unison. The most important question is: How they are planning to pose problems to the Sri Lankan Government? They have categorically stated that they would not wage an armed struggle in future, but wage only a diplomatic struggle. This announcement would definitely be annoying to the Government.

The military strength of the Government is enough to quell any armed uprising. However, it has become difficult for the Government to guess as to how the LTTE would handle its future course of action; politically or diplomatically.

At the same time Government is determine to have K.P. arrested through international intervention. Further it has requested the EU to help eradicate the LTTE. Although the LTTE had suffered a debacle in Sri Lanka the organization it continues its operations overseas.

Pressure on International Community
If the European Union (EU) does not cooperate to eliminate the overseas network of the LTTE the situation might take a critical turn. Ravinath Ariyasighe, Sri Lanka's permanent representative for EU, has called on the EU to exert heavy pressure on Sri Lankan diaspora living in European countries. Similarly, the Government is also involved in propaganda to arrest K.P. through Interpol.

However, recent reports reveal that K.P. still maintains links with foreign nations. At a time when the LTTE had declared that it would continue its struggle diplomatically, another key question before us is how the international community would handle the activities carried out by these LTTE groups.

Even the United States has extended its ban on the LTTE recently. India and the EU too have still not lifted their ban on the outfit. The ban on them in Canada also continues.

Still nobody knows as to whether the LTTE would get involved in activities only in foreign lands or they would be allowed to carryout their political activities in Sri Lanka.

There is no signal to indicate that the Government is prepared to permit the LTTE to get involved in the political activities as it permitted the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to operate politically despite its involvement in two bloody rebellions in the past.

Obviously, the Government would certainly not permit the LTTE to operate politically because it had a great influence on the Tamil community for the last 30 years. However, only time will tell whether the decision of the Government is correct or not. Another vital factor is, wiping the LTTE out or erasing the image of the organization from the minds of the Tamils is really going to be a tedious task.