Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said though there was no more terrorism in Sri Lanka, the terrorists’ global network continued to function largely unhindered and that some nations seemed to have chosen to turn a blind eye to these front organisations.

“The network continues to sustain an international propaganda campaign against Sri Lanka through front organisations that have now put on a democratic face,” he said when speaking at the 14th Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference held in Puthrajaya.  

“Some nations seem to have chosen to turn a blind eye to these front organisations and their activities because they claim to support political activism or humanitarian relief. At the same time, the network’s operatives, most of whom are trained terrorists, remain involved in various illegal activities, and are constantly seeking ways to revive terrorist activities in Sri Lanka,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.

Indicating the close relations that Sri Lanka has with Malaysia especially because of the joint efforts in curbing LTTE operatives residing there, Mr. Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of the defence conference.

The visit would pave way for more collaborated efforts with Malaysia, where a joint effort had successfully led to the cutting down of most of the activities carried out by the now defunct LTTE.

The Exhibition and Conference was organized jointly by the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security (MiDAS) and the Ministry of Defence Malaysia.

Both the governments have been working closely to hunt down key LTTE operatives residing in Malaysia and the most notable breakthrough in such collaborated efforts came when they arrested Selvarasa Pathmanathana alias KP.

Recently Nandagopan-the second in command of the Nediyawan group based in Norway was arrested upon his arrival at the Katunayake International Airport after been deported by Malaysian authorities when he attempted to fly to Britain.

The government has also taken steps to issue red notices to Nediyawan and Vinayagam through the Interpol after it was revealed that the two men were behind advising and giving orders to ‘Gobi’ (Supun Dias)