Insight By Sunil Kumar

Sept.13th 2010 To all the negative comments posted over internationally acclaimed terrorism expert Dr. Rohan Guneratna’sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ recent overviewƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ relative to Canada and LTTE terrorism, it must be responded that they seem to point to anti Presidential as well asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pro Tamil TigerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sentiment rather than viewing the issue on its merits and impending ramifications which are quite serious. While it isn’t only Dr. Guneratne who has made the observation that the LTTE could easily re-group in Canada if the warning signs were not heeded and remedial action taken, it is indeed cause for concern for all CanadiansƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to support this theory if Canada wants to continue as a terrorist free nation as there have been many glaring blunders made by Canadian Authorities towards the tolerance of activities pertaining to the LTTE in the past as well as those of certain Islamic militants who are now being apprehended systematicallyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and time to make amends in greater perspective towards the safety and freedoms of all Canadians!

It also appears that most of these vague comments have been made by LTTE sympathisers themselves in an attempt to soften or even distractƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the impact of Dr. Guneratne’s astute observations as theyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have indeed been done through painstaking research and years of investigation aided by many anti terrorist organizations pointingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to the same reality justifying a felt need for all negative comments to be trashedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  as coming from a bunch of misguided and orƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ biased individuals while upholding the Guneratna observations which are not only acclaimed globally including the USAƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  particularly after 9/11 but accepted as those with wisdom in hindsight as well as in retrospect.

It is neither perfunctory nor mere hypothesisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to decry CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lax immigration system and accuse ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the country of being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-soft on terrorism,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Singapore-based terrorism expertƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Dr.Guneratna as observed by many analysts that he hasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ warnedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the world aboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the danger thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada would emerge as the main center of activity for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist group whose leadership was annihilated by Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s security forces in 2009 after nearly 30-years of fighting.There are many warning signs to this effect already surfacing within Canada where until the New Conservative Government of the Hon. Stephen Harper began cracking downƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on and outlawingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE activity in Canadian cities particularly in Toronto and Montreal it was commonplace to see brazen pro LTTE activity on a daily basis, Tiger flags fling highƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and posters splashed about in public places, demonstrations and parades very popularƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as though the LTTE had Carte Blanche towards their existence and pro Tiger sympathies which upto then went either unnoticed or shrugged off by previous regimes as unimportant where some of them representatives ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ even sat atƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  tableƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with certain pro LTTE fronting organizationss known to be exactly this, whether inadvertently or not! Today thanks to the New Conservatives they have fast dissapeared albeit not completely defunct and confined to surreptitios undergroundƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cells where their more acceptableƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ locale would perhaps be six feet underground!

While it needs to be observed thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the LTTE criminal network in Southeast Asia is indeedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  in the process of re-grouping as the latest intelligence reports have revealed and attested to by Dr.Guneratna, the shiploads of illegalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Tamil immigrants to Canada bear testimony to exactly this and it is anticipated that this will continue for as long as Canada does not take a hardline response to this by deporting or incarcerating those linked to the LTTE found on these vessels where alarmingly the conclusion based on intelligence reportsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is that It will take a few more months to organize the next shipload subsequent to the one which has already arrived and that the LTTE is actively approaching those who wish to travel to Canada from groups obsessed with the glitter of immigrating to Canada ready to cough up thousands of hard earned dollarƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ savingsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ hardly realising that they will eventually be part of a conspiracy hatched by the LTTE and end up in detention centers or even behind bars!!

In early September, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) segregated dozens of the 492 illegal migrants who arrived on board the MV Sun Sea on suspicion they could be linked to the LTTE. Despite Canada having banned the LTTE for being a terrorist organization where Canada is still a favorite destination of terrorists and criminals in the opinions of many terrorism experts including Dr. Guneratna who also observed that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-There is no country that is so generous to migrants that use legal and illegal means. Anyone who lands in Canada is able to enter Canada.” and absolutely correct.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This was aptly demonstrated by CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s weak response to MV Ocean Lady the ship carrying Tamil refugeesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Those on board MV Ocean Lady included arms smugglers from North Korea to Sri Lanka, including a terrorist on an Interpol red notice. Almost in retrospect to these observations CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has responded that the Federal Government will attempt to toughen its domestic anti-smuggling law with harsher penalties and seek a formal accord with the European Union in a two-pronged bid to contain the inflow of bogus refugee claimants where Mr.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Kenney hasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ made the pledge after a meeting with fellow ministers from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Greece and Belgium although itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  remainsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to be seen whether Canada will deliver on this which if it is the case would certainly be a deterrent to future aspiring refugee claimamants with any fancy ideas of aiding the cause of a resurgent LTTE.

AboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Dr. Guneratna’s observation thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-LTTE leadership in Norway is seeking to re-organize in Canada,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ where he has made the comparisonƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to an eventuality which few predicted that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-In the coming years, in the very sameƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ manner thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada became the most important base of Babbar Khalsa International (an Indian para-military group involved in the Punjab insurgency), Canada will emerge as the main center of LTTE activity to a far geater intensity given their organizational capabilities, cunning and strength in numbersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and Canada needs to take this warning seriously and leave no room for regrets later on if the worst case scenario of a resurgent LTTE surfaced due to neglect and apathy which of course seemsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ unlikely for as long as the New Conservatives govern Canada and long may that be!