Tuesday, 20 February 2007

http://www.spur.asn.au/SPUR_20070220_Balkanise_India.htm

Tamil Tiger Terrorists execute its plan to Balkanise India  

S. Mukherji, Area Commander, South, Naval detachment with the seized raw materials for making improvised explosive devices at Rameswaram, South India . Photo:C. Jaisankar

SPUR urges the Indian Government to take decisive actions to patch the porous boarder with Sri Lanka across the Palk Straight and the Gulf of Mannar to starve the Tamil Tiger terrorists of weapons of destruction.

The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lankan (SPUR) reminded the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a letter dated 2 February 2007 that as a friendly nation and a member of SARC committed to peace in Sri Lanka, India is obligated to take all possible steps to prevent terrorist organisations like the LTTE operating freely across the Palk Straight. SPUR also urged India to commence joint patrolling of the Palk Strait and implement any other actions necessary to stop further smuggling of arms and ammunitions from the Indian soil to destabilise Sri Lanka .

SPUR makes a repeat call to India to actively initiate joint patrolling of the Palk Straight and the coastal belt facing the Gulf of Mannar immediately, given further developments on 14 February 2007 . A boat was intercepted whilst it was on its way from Sri Lanka to Cuddalore in South India transporting AK-56 assault rifles, 124 rounds of ammunition, huge quantities of hand grenades and detonators. There were also eight barrels containing a white coloured amonia-based chemical used to make explosives. A LTTE signature belt worn by suicide bombers was also found in the intercepted consignment. 

This is a worrying development for India as the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, rather than smuggling arms to Sri Lanka from India , were on a mission to deliver suicide jackets and explosives to their terrorist cohorts in India . Perhaps it may be the first occasion where trafficking of arms and explosives were apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard from Sri Lanka to India .

The Indian Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Rusi Contractor was convinced that the boat carrying five persons including two Indian fishermen was moving towards the Tamil Nadu coast. There were feeble attempts made by the Tamil Nadu police to whitewash the incident as another failed attempt by the LTTE to smuggle armaments to Sri Lanka from India , disputing the Coast Guard version and claiming that the Coast Guard intercepted the LTTE boat while it was trying to avoid a Sri Lankan Navy sea patrol. Meanwhile, the Inspector General Coast Guard (East) Rajendra Singh has told the Hindustan Times that the evidence that the sized consignment was for India and not for Sri Lanka is irrefutable.

The prophecy that SPUR has been repeating for many years warning India of the dangers of holding the Tamil Tiger terrorists by the Tail has come true. The LTTE has found refuge in the wavering political leadership of the Tamil Nadu and has decided to re-establish once again a beachhead in South India . From their base in Tamil Nadu, they will be free to ply their terror trade regionally, pandering to the highest bidder. The LTTE will be involved with all separatist movements in India ranging from the Laskar-e-Toiba in the East to the Maoists in the West covering the whole continent leading to a string of strong separatist terrorist movements.

Just last week, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta had warned in New Delhi that the Indian Ocean Region had emerged as a hub of global terrorism. Furthermore, Dr M.K.Narayanan, National Security Advisor, Republic of India at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy delivered a speech on 11 February 2007 titled International Terrorism and Asymmetric Warfare clearly articulating the LTTE’s leading involvement in the global terror network.

We urge the Indian Government to partner with President Rajapaksa to neutralise LTTE’s threat to India and Sri Lanka once and for all and plug the porus boarder. An effective start would be to:

1.       Place interceptor boats and hovercrafts on high alert at Coast Guard stations in Mandapam and Tuticorin

2.       Solicit the support of the fishing community in coastal areas in Sri Lanka and India to strengthen intelligence

3.       Deploy additional inshore patrol vessels and step up daily aerial surveillance with unmanned aerial reconnaissance crafts flying more and longer sorties

4.       Coordinate joint patrolling and naval exercises with Sri Lanka ’s Navy

5.       Strengthen Sri Lanka ’s Navy by sharing intelligence information and enhancing its patrolling capability

6         To impose very heavy punishment on the offenders and to launch an effective campaign in South India to educate the community about the dangerous long-term objectives of the LTTE.

India must show leadership against global terrorism and sign the Draft Defence pact with Sri Lanka as a matter of urgency. Vacillating on this issue is no longer an option. India is obligated as a fellow SARC member to battle Tamil Tiger terrorism threatening to Balkanize India and to protect democracy in South Asia . Procrastination on acting decisively against the LTTE or pandering to the whims and fancies of Tamil Nadu politicians only embolden the LTTE and accelerate the Balkanising of India. Honourable Rajiv Gandi was assassinated in the 1980’s as he confronted the LTTE head-on. As evidenced by the smuggling saga here in, the LTTE is gearing up to reboot its dwindling potency by possibly assassinating important Indian political leaders, perhaps in an environment of lax security. Otherwise why would they smuggle explosives and a jacket worn by a suicide bomber to India ?

The LTTE, strengthened with the Tamil Nadu link will be a dangerous proposition to Sri Lanka as well as to India . It is indeed an extremely difficult task to ring fence the LTTE ‘s activities to Sri Lanka while ignoring the covert assistance provided to the LTTE by anti nationalistic Indian anarchists with separatist territorial dreams.

The Indian Government must be decisive at this moment and ruthless in its endeavours to remove the LTTE cancer from Tamil Nadu.

Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya

President (SPUR Victoria)

Society for Peace, Unity & Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)
Reg No. A 003 07777 M
P.O. Box 4066
Mulgrave, Victoria, VIC 3170
Australia

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