Global Tamil Forum (GTF) revives the terrorist threat to Sri Lanka?

By Senaka Senaviratne

(March 19, New York, Sri Lanka Guardian) Global Tamil Forum (GTF) was created in 2010 to continue the fight to a mono ethnic separate state in Sri Lanka after the defeat of the LTTE in 2009. Although Father S.J. Emmanuel is the front man, its de jure leader is Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan in Oslo, who now leads the most dominant
faction of the LTTE. Operating through GTF, the LTTE has been using electoral votes to pressure politicians and funds to persuade serving and former nationals in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia to advance their aims and objectives. Among those recruited to work for the LTTE and GTF are Bruce Fein, an American lawyer, and Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat. In addition to these "useful idiots" the campaign contributions and votes of GTF has also lured a few politicians especially from Britain.

What is Global Tamil Forum ?

Global Tamil Forum (GTF) is formed by uniting 15 LTTE controlled Tamil Diaspora organizations around the world from 15 countries. Two of its member organizations, House of Eelam Tamils and Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils directly have the word “Ealam” in their organizational names. Tamil Ealam means the a separate state in Sri Lanka for the Tamil speaking Sri Lankan citizens, who are mostly concentrated in the Northern part of Sri Lanka. In comparison, creating a separate state was also the main motive of the internationally banned brutal organization LTTE, which fought to achieve this goal with three decades of bloodshed that brought death to more than 80,000 Sri Lankans in the 30 years. The word “Liberation” in the terror group’s name of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam didn’t mean much to those 80,000 Sri Lankans and hundreds of thousand of their family members who silently suffered for decades. Once that was a vibrant economy of Jaffna peninsula of the northern part of Sri Lanka became ruins of a war, due to three decades of terrorism.

Before the emergence of LTTE terrorism, the Tamil people who were living in the affected areas not only were self sufficient, but also distributed their products to the other parts of the Island nation. With the so called “liberation” that was brought to them by the LTTE, these one self sufficient Tamil people became refugees in their own towns and villages who had to rely on food rations distributed by the Sri Lankan government. So was the plight brought to them by the Liberation group. Schools were closed for months, Hospitals didn’t get medical staff or adequate medicine, curfews were imposed frequently and as a result fishermen whose main income was fishing could not support their families, University education was severely disrupted, the north-south commerce came to a virtual standstill. Thousands of innocent people of all ethnicities Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim lost lives and livelihoods. Children were malnourished. nce a busy vibrant economy of the northern Sri Lanka became shambles and was shattered into pieces. Many prominent politicians who saw answers in ballet rather than bullet were brutally assassinated. All what was available for newborns to witnesses was a bloody war which they had to grow up for thirty years. The socio-economic background provided a perfecr opportunity for terror leaders to recruit innocent Tamil youth to be trained as suicide bombers of the “liberation” organization.

Ray of Hope

A new era of hope and prosperity dawned on the Northern Tamil people of Sri Lanka on May 19th, 2009, who were living with such severe hardships. As a result of nearly a two year long military operation launched by the Sri Lankan government to eliminate terrorism in Sri Lanka, the psychopathic leader of the “liberation” organization, Velupillai Prabhakaran and many of his deputies were killed by the Sri Lankan security forces. Almost all of the remaining senior and middle level leaders of the terror group were captured. Thousands of brainwashed cadres of the terror group were also captured and routed to many rehabilitation programs where they learned vocation skills to start a new life. They started becoming useful citizens, instead of terrorizing an entire region or becoming suicide bombers. Access roads that linked the Northern peninsula to the rest of the island nation was re-opened after decades. De-mining activities were underway in the Northern areas. The mammoth task of re-settling nearly 300,000 displaced citizens began. These families that had lost everything they once owned due to the death and destruction of the “liberation” organization brought to them. A long but promising journey began to re-settle the internally displaced people in areas where they once lived with their businesses, agriculture and fishing activities. Schools and universities were renovated and quick re-opened. Hospitals were staffed with adequate medical staff and supplies. Road blocks that had been setup by the military forces were removed. Public transportation lines were re-established. Roads maintenance that were neglected for decades were quick re-started. Places of worship were also renovated and re-opened. Bridges over bodies of water that were blown apart by the Terrorists to retard the advancement of government security forces, were re-constructed. Most of all, a breath of Freedom was in the air for both Tamils and well as non Tamil people in the country. Ethnic harmony was new order to the day. Sinhalese people who make the majority of 75% of the total population of Sri Lankans started going on pilgrimages to re-visit their Tamil brothers and sisters in the North, who they could not visit for decades. Instead of suicides bombers and explosives that were once covertly transported from the North to the south of Sril Lanka, harvest of the Tamil farmers of the north, fresh fruits, fresh vegetable, fresh fish, and many other local produce began arriving in southern markets. This inter-state commerce drove down the exorbitant prices of such items. Instead of ”relief rations” that were provided earlier by the Sri Lankan government to the Tamil people in the north for decades, building materials, hardware, fertilizer, fuel, bicycles, motor cycles, tractors began to be delivered along the A9 main trunk road that connects the north and south of the island nation. The local economies in the North were rapidly booming, children were going back to school, their parents had means of income to support their families again. People were once again able to afford meals on their own for a change ! North Tamils were overjoyed to meet and greet their southern brothers and sisters with tears in every eye. Sri Lankan stock market became the fastest growing stock market in the world. Sri Lankan was named as the No. 1 tourist destination of the world by the New York Times. Local hotels in the North as well as the rest of the country were overflowing with both local and foreign tourists. The dark could of terrorism was fast clearing and a new ear of development was rapidly rising in Sri Lanka.

Maintaining political stability of post war Sri Lanka

So what’s wrong with this picture ? What’s wrong with a sovereign nation defeating terrorism in it’s entirety and re-embarking on the road to harmony and rapid development ?.If it looked like a victory against terrorist, and it if smelled like a victory against terrorist and separatism, then why not the western powers call is a victory against terrorist and separatism? Well, not so fast. Not just yet. Although it appeared to be sweet deal on the surface, there came many hidden but expected issues with the newly achieved Peace in Sri Lanka. One of the main challenges was the selective approach to terrorism by the western world. Following the local defeat of the Tamil Tiger outfit within Lanka, the war of Tamil tigers reached the internationally arena where powerful forces began operating with different front organizations. These fronts were fed by the same core Tamil tiger outfit operates to destabilize and seek regime change in the island nation. Although it was hard to fathom, defeating terrorism was sometimes classified as a “crime” by certain western powers The theory of not negotiating with terrorism sometimes did not apply across the board. While it was the unanimously accepted approach of the west, it had a different flavors of this policy applied to the third world or some of their former colonies. The economies of scale were somewhat unhappy and troubled to see terrorism defeated in emerging economies, which directly threatened the economic hegemony of them. The leverage that these nations once had in influencing internal affairs of the terror torn countries was now diminished. This new phenomenon could not be taken lightly by these western powers. Something had to be done fast. In fact, many campaigns appeared to be swiftly planned and carried out. Some were covertly and some were overtly. Sometimes within Parliament buildings itself and when questioned by the grossly undiplomatic nature of such actions, the governments even went to the extent of defending their actions. Out of many recent uncalled for and unwarranted actions from a few nations, the most recent act is the the inauguration meeting the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) within the British parliament complex. The key player again is none other than all too familiar British foreign secretary Mr. Milliband under the attendance of British premier Gordon Brown. When inquired by the Sri Lankan government for a rational explanation for granting permission to use the British parliament building for this event, the British government swiftly defended its Foreign Secretary David Miliband's decision to address the meeting of the Global Tamil Forum by saying that Britain would “engage'' with all members of the Sri Lankan community who shared its view that a peaceful political solution was the only way to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka. In the world summit where the Foreign Secretary of the British Government, Miliband gave the keynote address and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown graced the occasion, it can be reasonable concluded that the British government would like to send a clear signal to the Sri Lankan government and its people they they (British government ) not only approve the political agenda of the GTF, but also endorse separatism in Sri Lanka. The oxy moron in this scenario is that Britain itself has suffered heavily from IRA guerillas

I give a lot of credit to British foreign secretary, Mr. David Milliband for his persistence in getting involved in Sri Lankan internal matters. In spite of the continued criticism for getting unnecessarily entangled in internal politics of Sri Lanka, he has the guts to repeat his actions time and time again. This menace has reached a point where moderate Sri Lankans are starting to wonder if he is an elected official of the Sri Lankan government. Either due to his lack of knowledge in Sri Lankan politics, or due to strategic guidance and pressure exerted on him by the British government, or due to the constant lobbying from his Tamil voter base in the UK, or due to any other cause, Mr. Milliband has a tendency of constantly trespassing Sri Lankan politics, creating news. Mostly unpleasant news. The latest drama unfolded when Mr. Milliband delivered a speech at the GTF held in the British Parliament complex. In the absence of their much worshipped leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the defeated leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) the organizers of the GTF had found the next best match for their cause, Mr. Milliband, who has a long history of getting involved with the internal politics of Sri Lanka. For Milliband, this has become a second nature for his politics.

Old wine in a new bottle ?

What is this GTF? It is a conglomeration of multiple LTTE fronts around the world, who strive to achieve one and only one common goal. That is to create a separate state within Sri Lanka for the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. Today most Tamils do not want a separate state and certainly do not want the LTTE return. The separate state the LTTE supporters living overseas want is something they couldn’t achieve for three decades of violence, communal disharmony and bloodshed through terrorism. Some sections of the Tamil Diaspora are still using new tactics and engaging in an international political campaign to achieve the same end state that LTTE once strived to achive. In other words, they are essentially trying to resurrect the defunct LTTE to further their agenda of creating a separate State within Sri Lanka for minority Tamils. They envision the resurrection of the defeated LTTE by political means. A new stage has essentially emerged for them. In other words, GTF would like to see the west provide the means for them to carry out the movement. How can someone resurrect a defeated terrorist organization, especially the organization has been listed as a banned terror organization by multiple law enforcement authorities of the world ? That’s where the creativity comes into play. LTTE itself was a banned as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in almost all parts of the world. This means GTF is now faced with finding a suitable medium to deliver the venom in a new bottle under a new label. For those who are striving to create a separate state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, coming up with names is not a challenge at all. As a matter of fact, they have proven that they are the world class masters of this act in having obtaining 21 different passports for its infamous arms dealer Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) who is now in Sri Lankan government custody. Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) had operated over 1100 bank accounts using the names of many different LTTE front organizations. Creation of yet another front was not a challenge at all. Considering the many other fronts of the LTTE such as Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) whose funds have been seized by both Canadian and Sri Lankan authorities after establishing direct links between the LTTE, Tamils for Obama, Tamils against Genocide, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are a few examples of the many ugly faces of the same venom. At the conclusion of its inaugural meeting of the then titled “World Tamil Forum”, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in London on 26 March 2009, a resolution was adopted which said “Recognizes that the Tamil people have mandated the establishment of a free, sovereign state of Tamil Eelam (in Sri Lanka) as the only enduring solution and that this conference Recognizes that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are the authentic representatives of the Tamil people”. The cat is already out of the bag. In addition, the official website of the GTF clearly describes its mission as “To use all resources available to the Tamil Diaspora to establish the Tamil people’s right to self-determination and their right to re-establish their nationhood which was taken away by force from them by the succeeding colonial powers including the Sri Lankan government”. What better evidence that GTF is none other than a LTTE front? It is also said that The GTF is “furthering the cause for Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam” – a concept created by the New York based Ealam activist and the ex legal advisor to the LTTE, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran. With the help of the United States Tamil Political Action Committee (USTPAC), Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran ans his Diaspora followers who maintain a close relationship with the US State Department officials, are trying to achieve their end goal of a separate state in Sri Lanka. What they seem to envision is a ‘Kosovo type” separate, independent and sovereign state for the 12% minority Tamils in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, where 54% of the minority Tamils live in harmony with their Sinhalese majority districts outside the north and east of the nation. What GTF tries to accomplish in Sri Lanka is the establishment of a separate nation in the northern and eastern provinces which includes one third of the land mass and two thirds of the coastal belt. This is an achievement that now-defeated LTTE couldn’t accomplish for 26 years of bloodshed. Following is the statement released by Ganeshalingam, secretary general of the Global Tamil Forum: “The political journey of the Tamil community has never been a bed of roses. Yet, despite the road to our freedom being thorny and strewn with roadblocks, we have never failed to persevere”. Although the container is brand new, its contents are crystal clear. The separate state in Sri Lanka that could not be achieved with 30 years of violence is now being tried in a different frame work, funded by the same international Tamil Diaspora. These activities of the GTF to resurrect separatism in Sri Lanka also send a clear signal to the powerful Indian government as well. Sri Lana’s Tamil population is relatively very small compared to the millions of Tamils in Tamilnadu, the southern province of India, the real Tamil homeland. The question for both Sri Lankan and Indian governments is what would be what the long term goal of GTF? Is it only to have a separate State for the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, or if they envision a greater Tamil homeland that includes the State of Tamil Nadu as well ?

Waging a Proxy war in Sri Lanka

It is interesting to note that some sections of the Tamil Diaspora who live comfortably in western countries, who enjoy a decent education and wealth , who strive to provide a world class education, health care facilities and other comforts to their own children, are trying to fund a terrorist front which in turn will manipulate those living in Sri Lanka. Brainwashing the poor rural youth of Sri Lanka’s Northern region to become armed cadres and suicide bombers was always the name of the game. Ultimately it is the local rural youth who were lectured and trained to take up arms will suffer the consequences and not their master who live comfortably in western countries. It is the innocent Tamil youth who are just trying to recover from the consequences of 30 years of bloodshed, that these blood hounds are trying to take for a ride again. While the puppeteers of the international Tamil Diaspora continue to use innocent Tamil youth in rural northern parts of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka will need to provide solutions that are geared and viable to the Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka. An overwhelmingly vast majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka do not envision a divided Sri Lanka. What they simply expect is a united Sri Lanka where they can live peacefully and respectfully with their Sinhala and Muslim brothers and sisters. In the post war Sri Lanka, this is exactly what seem to be happening. A long but promising journey began to re-settle them in areas where they once lived with business, agriculture and fishing. Schools and universities were renovated and quickly re-opened. Hospitals were staffed with adequate medical staff and supplies. Road blocks manned by the military were removed. Transportation lines were established. Roads that were neglected for decades were quick reconstructed and re-opened. Place of worship were also renovated and re-opened. Bridges that were blown up by the Terrorists to retard the advancement of government security forces were re-constructed. Most of all, a breath of Freedom was in the air for both Tamils and on Tamils in the country. Ethnic harmony is taking a visible prominence.

Western influence in post war Sri Lanka

According to a British foreign office spokesman, “The U.K. firmly believes that the only way to achieve lasting and equitable peace in Sri Lanka is through genuine national reconciliation. The U.K. will engage with all members of the Sri Lankan community who share this goal, whether overseas or in Sri Lanka. Foreign Office officials regularly meet members of the Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil communities in the U.K. to discuss this and other developments in Sri Lanka.'' While GTF has openly declared its separatist motives and agenda, UK has opened up its own backyard to harbor separatism in Sri Lanka. This reminds me of the LTTE camps in Tamilnadu in the 80’s during the Indira Gandhi administration. Soon after LTTE assassinated her own son, then Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Didn’t Britain see the alarming similarities between GTF and LTTE ? Britain went to Iraq with its war ally United States to counter terrorism as it was Britain’s policy not to negotiate with terrorists. Did they not know that GTF is none other than just a front of the banned LTTE, whose ultimate goal is the same as of LTTE goal ? and if they are knowledgeable of the nature of the beast that they are dealing with, why do they openly flirt with them ? Why are they lending various type of support to these global separatists who have a clear political agenda to create a Kosovo-type separate state in Sri Lanka? Is the British government not aware of the motives and agenda of GTF ? How could they not ? In 2009 when the Sri Lankan military assault against the LTTE terrorist was on its peak, London police department had to allocate millions of pounds of additional funding to maintain law and order in London due to the Tamil demonstrators who pressured the Sri Lankan government to abandon its military offensive against LTTE, thus throw a life line to the terrorists who were on the verge of defeat. Is the British government not ware that the they are now harboring the same Tamil Diaspora who were once contributing to the LTTE to emerge as a strong terrorist organization comprising three armed wings ? When several successive elected Sri Lankan governments in the past attempted to militarily defeat the LTTE organization, it was the Tamil Diaspora that was in the forefront to disrupt such attempts by staging powerful demonstrations and rallies around the world, including many protests held in London. Then why on earth would the British foreign secretary called upon the Sri Lankan government to make constitutional changes aimed at power sharing ? The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and its Ealam supporters are try to paint a picture to the world that they have received endorsement and blessing from the USA, UK, Norway, and many other European countries to create a separate a state in Sri Lanka. The livelihood of many Sri Lankan garment workers have been directly impacted with the announcement of the cancellation of GSP+ concession granted to clothing made in Sri Lanka. Does the British government still consider that Sri Lanka is one of its colonies ? During the 150 years of British colonial rule in Sri Lanka, how much of its wealth was looted by the British ? How many youth were massaged in Sri Lanka under the British colonial rule ? Wellassa massage in Sri Lanka is one of many examples. Wasn’t Sri Lanka’s self-sufficient economy totally converted into a dependant economy during this colonial era ? The direct support extended to the GTF by the British governments and certain US officials raises many red flags as to what the intentions of the west, by assisting any separatist movement that will inevitably destabilize an elected government. The Sri Lankan government had protested against Foreign Secretary Miliband 's decision to address the Tamil Diaspora gathering describing it as a pro LTTE organization that poses a ‘direct threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and lends credibility to an organization which is propagating the separatist agenda of the LTTE and his participation will slur the reputation of Britain’s support and commitment to counter terrorism.