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TO AVERT A MAJOR CRISIS INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS HAVE RECOMMENDED A JOINT INSPECTION OF THE SOUTH INDIAN COAST BY INDIAN AND LANKAN NAVIESBy Walter JayawardhanaIndias largest selling news magazine the Frontline, published
in Chennai said a senior intelligence bureau official on review has
strongly recommended a joint inspection of the South Indian coast
should be undertaken by the Indian and Sri Lankan navies to face the
situation arisen after the killings and abduction of Indian fishermen
by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to avert a major crisis. Quoting the unnamed intelligence official the news magazine said
, New Delhi must extend logistical and technical assistance
to Sri Lanka to meet the heightened threat from the LTTE's sea and
air wings. Further quoting the official as saying the magazine said, "The
State police, with the assistance of the Central Intelligence agencies,
the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the Coastal Security Group, should
launch a determined crackdown on the LTTE, its support groups and
all their clandestine activities in Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas. Remembering decades long association of the LTTE and the Tamil Nadu
fishermen the Frontline quoted a Research and Analysis (intelligence
branch) official as saying about the murder and abductions "If
the Tamil Tigers can do this to the coastal fishermen, who have been
their allies for over two decades, what will they not do to India?"
says a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer, who has worked
for years on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and studied the functioning
of the LTTE. The following is the full text of the Front Line item: THE recent developments relating to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have raised serious security concerns on both sides of Palk Straits - in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan ethnic issue has always cast a shadow in Tamil Nadu. The people of this southern State have not forgotten the violence let loose by the LTTE between 1989 and 1991. The recent spate of seizures of arms, weapons, ammunition, explosives
and umpteen consignments of deadly raw materials for the manufacture
of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the Tigers have added to
their fears. The Union government is also under pressure as Indian
shores are being used by a terrorist organisation to continue an armed
struggle in a neighbouring country. Perhaps the most important seizure in recent months was an
explosives-laden boat captured by the Coast Guard off Point Calimere
on February 13. Its booty included an AK-56 assault rifle and an explosives-packed
jacket that reminded people of the LTTE suicide bomber who assassinated
former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.
Where was this boat headed? What was it doing off the Cuddalore-Nagapattinam
coast? Was another suicide mission in the offing? If so, where? Was
the LTTE only using Tamil Nadu to source its requirements or was it
also planning to perform another major operation on Indian soil? Such
questions remain unanswered. It was only after six full weeks after the mid-sea murders that Director-General of Police D. Mukherjee revealed that the Sea Tigers were behind both incidents. "If the Tamil Tigers can do this to the coastal fishermen, who have been their allies for over two decades, what will they not do to India?" says a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer, who has worked for years on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and studied the functioning of the LTTE. In his opinion, the LTTE is "quite desperate" and is collecting arms, ammunition and materials vigorously for another offensive. The display of its air wing, albeit with light aircraft, may be another
signal of what lies in store. Godowns stocked with ball bearings, scrap metal, aluminium
ingots, rocket shells, boosters, explosives, arms and ammunition and
trucks carrying these materials were seized in a matter of months
from different parts of Tamil Nadu - notably from Madurai and the
other southern districts. According to the State Police, seven cases
were registered on these incidents and the `Q' branch has begun a
detailed investigation. At least 64 persons were taken into custody
at various stages and a network of operatives was unearthed. This
network includes Sri Lankan Tamils (suspected militants) and fishermen
in Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and neighbouring coastal districts
who have links with the Sea Tigers and the LTTE transport system.
The nexus between coastal fishermen and the LTTE is more than two decades old. Pre-1983, the link was between Sri Lankan and Tamil fishing communities through inter-community marriages and cultural ties. But after the genocide of 1983 and the LTTE's "liberation struggle", smuggling and commercial operation started. Hundreds of fishermen fell into the dragnet of the Tigers and indulged in smuggling provisions, clothes and medicines, transporting injured cadres, and even storing weapons, arms and ammunition meant for the LTTE. It was only after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated that a determined effort was made to cleanse Tamil Nadu of the LTTE and end the smuggling activities. With the passage of time, the smuggling of provisions, clothes, diesel
and petrol resumed. During the attempts to initiate a peace process
and "talks about talks" in the island, these activities
ceased to some extent. But the Sri Lanka armed forces' drive in the
past two years to contain the LTTE's military prowess has obviously
forced the terrorist group to revive its activities in Tamil Nadu.
The end of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
rule in Tamil Nadu, during which efforts were made to contain pro-LTTE
elements and their activities in the State by invoking the Prevention
of Terrorism Act (POTA) against a host of people, including political
leaders, marked the beginning of the glorification of the LTTE and
a propaganda campaign in its favour. Fringe groups that were previously
under the scanner began a pro-LTTE campaign calling upon the Indian
government to stop all assistance to the Sri Lankan government, and
intervene to restore peace in the island nation. Central Intelligence officials are worried that some Tamil Nadu political parties that are part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre are strong supporters of the LTTE. In addition to the vocal and influential Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and its close ally, the Viduthalai Siruthaigal (the Dalit Panthers of India), which have openly supported the LTTE, sections in the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) took a soft line on the LTTE until recently. Vaiko, whose Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) was part of the UPA until recently, is a votary of Tamil Eelam. Only after veteran politician and five-time Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
declared in the State Assembly that there was no room for the LTTE
in the State and expressed shock over the involvement of Tamil Tigers
in the murder and kidnap of Tamil fishermen did the decibel level
of the pro-LTTE propaganda reduce. Taking the high moral ground, AIADMK
leader and former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has accused the DMK
of taking a "soft line" on the LTTE and said, "This
approach poses a grave threat to Tamil Nadu and it is highly condemnable."
Unfortunately, in Tamil Nadu politicians and political parties
appear to be unable to make a clear distinction between the cause
of the Sri Lankan Tamils and the LTTE's agenda. Though the LTTE was
at the forefront of the earlier phase of the ethnic struggle, Tamil
politicians have turned a blind eye to the murder of Tamil leaders
of the North and East in Sri Lanka by the LTTE. While the LTTE has
always wanted to drum up emotional support for its cause in Tamil
Nadu, it has paid little heed to repeated appeals to end the fratricidal
war and focus on the rights of Tamils in the island. If Tamil Nadu and its political leaders do not realise the
dangers of allowing the LTTE and its front organisations, including
the fringe groups in the State, to continue their clandestine activities
on Indian soil, another crisis will be inevitable. At a time when
New Delhi has urged its neighbours - Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal
- not to allow militant groups operating in India to use their soil,
India cannot allow the LTTE to use Indian soil against Sri Lanka.
What options are there before the Tamil Nadu government? A senior Intelligence Bureau official, who has visited Tamil
Nadu to review the situation, said: "The State police, with the
assistance of the Central Intelligence agencies, the Indian Navy,
the Coast Guard and the Coastal Security Group, should launch a determined
crackdown on the LTTE, its support groups and all their clandestine
activities in Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas. A joint inspection of
the coast should be undertaken by the Indian and Sri Lankan Navies.
The Coast Guard must step up its surveillance in shallow waters and
the identified landing spots of the LTTE. The network established
here must be smashed." He went on to say that the Government of India must take a clear line on the LTTE and avoid allowing regional allies in Tamil Nadu to dictate the nuances of the policy on Sri Lanka. New Delhi must extend logistical and technical assistance to Sri Lanka to meet the heightened threat from the LTTE's sea and air wings, he said. |
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