Summary
Despite the LTTE being militarily defeated in Sri Lanka, Europe should continue to worry about the LTTE for three important sets of reasons. First, because understanding the ‘modus operandi’ used by the LTTE at its peak, as well as those the remnant LTTE terrorist/front organization/criminal elements continue to adopt, will help understand the strategies and tactics of similar groups, who might more specifically be the focus of their attention. Second, because the remnant cadres of the LTTE and its front organizations constitute a ready army of ‘mercenaries for hire’ who possess a wide spectrum of skills that can be obtained for a price and in this day and age of self inspired terrorism, there are many including the numerous single issue terrorist groups looking for such skills. These skills include arms procurement and smuggling, passport fraud and human trafficking, skimming, extortion and money laundering, threat to corporate interests, propaganda broadcasts and cyber terror, as well as the radicalization and indoctrination of youth. Third, since the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka in May 2009, Europe has become the preferred location for concentration of assets, personnel and activity of the LTTE. Besides the radicalized activism of LTTE front organizations in several European capitals, and the arrest of 32 LTTE activists in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland and conviction of a further 21 in France over the past 15 months, the 'in-charge' of the LTTE’s assets and network of front organizations Nadiyavan, the LTTE's senior most surviving intelligence leader Vinayakam, Propagandist-in-Chief Jeyachandran and Global Tamil Forum chief Fr. Emmanuel were all located in Europe, to which also the centre of gravity of the so-called "Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam has shifted following the formation of the breakaway TGTE (Democrats) group recently. Sri Lanka’s quest for reconciliation and development will be helped, to the extent that foreign governments maintain a watchful eye, concerning the activities of pro-LTTE elements. While the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora communities which convert themselves into vote banks in Europe no doubt is a complicating factor host governments will have to grapple with, given that there can no longer be a dichotomy in the manner terrorist and criminality related issues are treated across the globe between the law enforcement /criminal justice community on the one hand, and the political community on the other, there should not be a disconnect between these respective institutions of Governance on how to deal with this growing problem. It is important that European States and institutions do not provide any political or symbolic support, nor should they be fooled by the false pretences of those continuing to advocate mono-ethnic separatism in Sri Lanka “through peaceful means”, while espousing the ideology of the LTTE, using its money and being manipulated by its surviving military leaders.
