14 May 2010 11:08 am
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxemburg and the EU Ravinatha Aryasinha said the LTTE’s initiative to forming a so called “Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam” (PTGTE), with “country working groups” at national and regional levels in western countries was a ruse to perpetuate its terrorist struggle.
Ambassador Aryasinha observed that these bodies constituted through pseudo elections and comprising largely of known LTTE members/activists, was being used by many Tamils who have entered western countries illegally, and who would in the normal course of events be sent back home given the restoration of normalcy in Sri Lanka, to keep the pot boiling and to seek to remain relevant in countries where they have sought asylum.
Ambassador Aryasinha made these observations when he addressed the “2010 Diplomatic Security Conference on the Terrorism Situation and Trends in the EU” held at the Colonial Palace in Brussels where the findings of Europol’s EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TESAT) 2010 was discussed.
The Conference, attended by politicians, diplomats, academics, and members of the law enforcement and criminal justice community, was co-hosted by the European Corporate Security Association (ECSA) and the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
“Sri Lanka’s story in fighting terrorism is instructive to this forum for two reasons. The phenomenal success of the ground battle with the LTTE is well known and that was won decisively exactly a year ago. But what we often pay little attention to, is the fact that the LTTE was not just a terrorist force, but also a very efficient network which spanned the globe and could fool a lot of people. Their organization was diversified, the assets were scattered, and they operated through numerous front organizations and operatives. Therefore, while their leaders may be gone and their central command disrupted, we must not lose sight of the fact that they still have a lot of money, expertise and contacts, particularly in your part of the world,” he said.
He noted that there is the mushrooming of the Madrassa type ‘Tamil Cholai’ schools that glorify terrorism and martyrdom– students of which were recently convicted in Norway for vandalizing the Sri Lanka Embassy. He also said that there is much activity connected with cyber terror going on. And the latest ruse being used to continue LTTE activity through other means is the LTTE’s initiative to form a “Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam” (PTGTE), with country working groups at national and regional levels in western countries. (Daily Mirror online)