Archive for April, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Canada’s Francophone majority province of Quebec went to polls a month ago on March 26th to elect a Provincial government . The Quebec Liberal party running Quebec since 2003 came first as expected. In fact Quebec premier Jean Charest called an election a year before it was due in anticipation of a major success. Charest’s liberals who got 46% of the total vote and 76 of 125 seats in 2003 did not fare that well as hoped 4 years later in spite of an early election.
[Quebec Assembly at Night - Photo By MMarsolais]
There were three major upsets.After 129 years the French – majority province elected a minority government to power. The Liberals with 33.1 % of the popular vote got only 48 seats in a legislature of 125. The last time this happened was in 1878. Secondly a third force came to the forefront in Quebec with the Mario Dumont led Action democratique du Quebec (ADQ) winning second place with 41 seats and 30. 8% of the vote.Thirdly Quebec’s separatist party the Parti Quebecois (PQ) suffered a major reversal and was pushed to third place with 36 seats and 28.3 % of the popular vote.
[Quebec premier Jean Charest]
When the Quebec national assembly was dissolved prior to polls the legislative tally was something like this.The Liberals had seventy – two seats; the PQ forty – five seats and the ADQ just five. There was one Independent and two vacancies. The Liberals have come down to earth from 72 to 48 while the ADQ has soared to dizzying heights from 5 to 41 an eightfold increase. The PQ came down to 36 from 45. Its popular vote of 28.3% was the lowest got by the PQ after 1970.
At time of elections being declared the Liberals were way ahead. But soon the PQ was running neck to neck. As campaigning continued the ADQ also surged ahead. Opinion polls suggested that all three parties were near equal in the three – way race.A poll taken on the eve of elections for a Canadian newspaper and TV station saw support for the PQ at 31% , the liberals at 30% and ADQ at 28%. A late resurgence saw the ADQ move ahead of PQ and run close to the Liberals.
[Mario Dumont led Action democratique du Quebec (ADQ)]
The ADQ increased its votes from 18.1% in 2003 to 30. 8% in 2007. The PQ dropped from 33.2 in 2003 to 28. 3% this year. The Liberals were down to 33. 1% from 45. 9 in 2003. It is not difficult to gauge where the ADQ got its new votes from. According to analysts the ADQ cashed in on voters discontented with both the Liberals and PQ.
The new youth vote also went substantially to the ADQ it is said. Many voters it is said knew fully well that the ADQ would not form a government but went ahead and registered votes for it as a protest against the traditional way of politics in the Province.Still the ADQ is now on the threshhold of power and eagerly awaiting the next poll.
“The sense is that at least in Montreal it was a protest vote rather than an affinity to Dumont or the ADQ ” says Antonia Maioni, political science professor at Montreal’s Mcgill university.”now what the ADQ has to do is to perform”she told Canada’s “Globe and Mail” newspaper.
[Andre Boisclair, of Parti Quebecois (PQ)]
Ever since the PQ emerged as a big player in the seventies Quebecoise politics has seen a see – saw struggle between the parties espousing secessionism and those opposing it. Interestingly those defending Canada’s territorial integrity are generally called Federalists while those wanting to separate are loosely termed Sovereigntists.
This is because the Quebec versions of English dominated national parties like the Liberals and Conservatives advocated a greater strenghening of Federalism as a means to contain French separatism and preserve Canada’s unity whereas the separatist PQ couched its secessionism in the demand for a Sovereignty – Association. Thus Federalists are for unity and Sovereigntists want separatism within the Quebec context.
This is in striking contrast to Sri Lanka where those advocating Federalism are charged of conspiring to break up the Country and those riding the high horse of patriotism claiming to be safeguarding Sovereignty. So Federalists in Sri Lanka are unfairly described as separatists and those rigidlly upholding Sovereignty are praised by fellow travellers as patriots preserving unity.
This is because political discourse in Sri Lanka has been clouded with confusion on questions like federalism, devolution, power – sharing, sovereignty etc. A strong, powerful majoritarian lobby equates unity with unitary and refuses to see the merits of unity in diversity. The concept of shared sovereignty is anathema. So Federalism and Sovereignty acquire diametrically opposite meanings in Quebec and Sri Lanka.
This columnist was part of a Sri Lankan media delegation study tour of power sharing in Canada during February – March this year. It was organized by the Forum of Federations in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission in Colombo. We were in Montreal and Quebec city in early march when the election campaign was in progress.Hoardings and posters were everywhere.
This columnist tried on a modest scale to find which way the wind was blowing. Questions were put privately and in a few instances publicly to the various academics, public servants, professionals and journalists about who they thought was the favourite in electoral stakes. The proverbial franc was proffered for Francophone thoughts on the topic to others like waiters in restaurants, stewards, hotel clerks, taxidrivers, tour guides, coach drivers, souveneir shop attendants, shopkeepers etc also in order to fathom their opinion.
In a sense amateurishly limited “opinion polls” like this depend on who you talk to and where. Generally opinion was divided between the Liberals and PQ as favourites. Montreal was more for the liberals while Quebec city preferred the PQ. The ADQ seemed a non – entity in both Cities when compared to support for the other two.
I remember a taxi driver in Quebec point to posters with Liberal candidates resting their chins on their palms and derisively remark “if they cant even hold their heads high without propping it up how can they help keep the heads of Quebecoise high”? A sophisticated coach driver from Montreal rooting for the Liberals dismissed the PQ and ADQ as a “bunch of red necks from rural Quebec”.The Anglophones and allophones (Non – English, non – French) felt the Liberals were riding high.
It was indeed the Liberals who came first but the real winner was the ADQ. It is now the formal opposition in Quebec.It has set its sights on winning the next election.This party led by its youthful leader Mario Dumont was a dark horse when the race began. The ADQ was expected to fare better than 2003 but not to this extent. Besides there had been false hopes in 2003 where the ADQ was expected to do very well but ended up with only five seats.
This was another instance of distortions caused by the ” first past the post winner” voting system. This time however there was greater equity between votes polled and seats won by all three parties. The ADQ performed well beyond expectations. It won in rural Quebec, dented urban areas and even impacted on the “English Island of Montreal in the French sea of Quebec”.
Apart from winning in 41 seats the ADQ came second in another 44. While its victory margin was very narrow in seventeen seats the party also came quite close to winning in another twenty – one.
The ADQ now holds significant power in the National assembly. The minority Liberal government is dependent on it to stay in office. No party wants fresh elections in a hurry. But the ADQ will not be content to languish in opposition for long. It would like to gain power and form a government of its own in the future. It has a dynamic and ambitious leader now called “Super Mario” who will not play second fiddle for long.
University of Sherbrooke Political science teacher Jean – Hermann Guay told the “Globe and Mail” newspaper “The ADQ is very close to power. This is not a chance victory”.
“Tthe potential for growth for the ADQ is even stroger than we would have thought” University of Montreal political scientist Louis Massicotte told the same newspaper.
Laval University professor of Political science and a former ADQ president Guy La forest told “Globe and Mail” that the party had performed much better than expected. “they had a game plan for 95 ridings (electorates) and managed to be competitive in 90 out of 95 ridings” Laforest reportedly said.He further said “they accomplished a feat unique in Quebec or Canada. I dont know of a team so small, so poor and with so little resources achieved such an impressive result in an election. ”
Last month’s hustings saw the traditional political tussle between Federalists and Sovereigntists in Quebec undergoing a seismic change.The right of centre ADQ has beaten the separatist PQ to third place and emerged a close second to Quebec’s federalist Liberals. A third political force has risen in Quebec.More significantly the ADQ has brought into Quebec politics a third element – Autonomism.
The ADQ campaigned among other things on a platform of Autonomism. This policy is derived from concepts like autonomy or autonomous. It is a sort of middle way between the Federalist and Sovereigntist schools of thought. The ADQ is not for separatism. It does not want Quebec to secede. But it wants radical forms of power – sharing between Ottawa and Quebec. The idea is to obtain greater powers and autonomy for Quebec within a united Canada.
Against that backdrop Dumont’s success has been hailed as progress in English Canada. The PQ is seen as routed along with its plan of holding another referendum to determine Quebec’s status within or “outside” Canada. Since Dumont has denounced separatism the Federalists like to depict the ADQ as being in their camp. From that perspective the PQ or secessionists are outnumbered in Quebec.
But the French nationalists are not of the same mind. To them the ADQ is a party strongly opposed to the current federalist status quo. The PQ claims resonance with the ADQ objective of empowering Quebec and enhancing its strength. In that sense the ADQ success is seen as an overarching victory for the forces of Quebecoise nationalism.
Thus both sides perceive the ADQ to be one of “theirs” and combine the vote blocs to argue that together either side holds nearly two – thirds of Quebec votes. It is a variation of the ” door being half – open or half – shut “premise. In this case it is a “two – thirds shut or open”argument.
The irony is that the ADQ owes its success greatly to the disillusionment among traditional Liberal and PQ supporters. The voters wanted a change in the decades old federalism vs sovereigntist debate. The ADQ with its vision of a middle – way option “autonomism” signalled just that. Trying to draw in the ADQ to their respective folds therefore seems clumsy rather than astute politics by the Federal and Sovereigntist schools.
Relating a personal anecdote may be appropriate at this juncture. During our study tour the question of Quebec came up frequently while interacting with officials, academics, experts and opinion makers in English Canada. Many of them seemed a little impatient of it all and appeared not to take the issue too seriously. One “quip” purportedly sourced to an Anglophone stand – up comic was often related to us as being illustrative of Quebecoise sentiments.
” We want a strong and Independent Quebec within a united and powerful Canada” went the line evoking appreciative mirth among those quoting it.The one – liner portrayed Quebec separatism as an inherent contradiction .It was as if the Francophone nationalists want to both keep and eat their croissant.This “joke” was often repeated as being indicative of Quebec’s bona fides or lack of it on sovereignty. It was also demonstrative of how some sections in rest of Canada were dismissive of Quebecoise aspirations.
Some of us quoted this “joke” to a few Francophones while in Quebec province. They were not as amused as their English counterparts. Many politely declined to comment. A few smiled mechanically without any sign of seeing the humour in it. But it was a young academic from Laval University who provided meaningful insight during a lunch time conversation.
Initially he exploded angrily. “This is no joke” he remonstrated as his face reddened. “The ‘Anglaise’ do not understand our depths of feeling on this matter and by making fun of us are insulting us” he exclaimed. Later he mellowed and apologised for his outburst even as we explained profusely our ignorance in this and expressed regrets over being insensitive.
He then went on to explain in detail that the line “Independent Quebec within a united Canada” aptly summed up much of what many Quebec nationalists felt about the whole question. This was no contradiction in terms as perceived by some in English Canada but a much preferred serious option to many in French Canada.
” Many people here want to be very self – reliant and Quebec to function independently but they do not want to break from Canada either. This does not mean that they accept the present status quo but it also does not mean they want to go separately either. What they want is to be a strong Quebec inside Canada. But if this does not happen then some other course like full independence may become desirable”.
With the wisdom of hindsight it seems to me now that the young academic was actually articulating the mindset of what was the ADQ’s constituency. A whole lot of reasons are available for the ADQ’s sweeping gains. Chief among them is this desire on the part of many Quebec nationalists for the province to remain within Canada yet acquire much more powers and privileges. Dumont himself subscribes to this view. Thus the “Autonomist” cry struck a responsive chord among voters.
An autonomous Quebec within Canada was exactly the kind of “soft” nationalism many Quebecers wanted at this point of time. They were disillusioned by the recurring phenomena of referendae on the sovereignty question.. Besides the sovereigntist option is a leap into the unknown. Many are reluctant to take that plunge. The vague evasiveness of the PQ on certain aspects of this question has not helped much either.
The PQ contested this poll on the most radical platform of its history where its leader Andre Boisclair pledged to hold a referendum immediately after the poll.. Liberal premier Jean Charest counted on people being wary of another referendum and voting for him to prevent it..
What has happened is that the ADQ provided a third alternative to people who did not want to choose between federalism or sovereignty. They did not want a secessionist refrendum but also did not want to be seen as accepting Ottawa’s writ.Dupont’s autonomist platform of “affirmation without separation” reaped the harvest.
Dupont’s’s cry for autonomy is not anything new. Maurice Duplessis , the former Union nationale party premier of Quebec proposed “autonomism” as political credo in 1956.He argued for devolution of powers from Ottawa for Quebec and wanted to minimise Federal incursion into Provincial matters as far as possible. It is to Dumont’s credit that he has revived “Autonomism” as viable political ideology to this extent of success.
The ADQ leader Mario Dumont is a political animal of great charisma. Born on May 19th 1970 in Cacouna, Quebec , Dumont obtained a degree in economics from Concordia University in 1993.A protegee of Quebec’s former Liberal premier Robert Bourassa, Mario Dumont was president of Quebec Liberal ’s youth wing in 1990 – 92. The Meech lake accord ushered in during former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney envisaged special status for Quebec as a “distinct society” within Canada. That and and also the damage control exercise of Charlottetown failed due to opposition by some Provinces of “English” Canada.
This disappointment led to Dumont breaking from Liberals and forming together with Jean Allaire the ADQ in 1994. Later Dumont took charge of the party. He was first elected to Riviere – du – loup riding in 1994 and was re – elected again and again and again iin 1998 , 2003 and 2007.He was the lone ADQ legislator till 2003 when ADQ got five seats with nearly one – fifths of the vote. He is married to Marie Claude – Barrette and has three children Angela, Charles and Juliette.
Though Dumont is against sovereignty now there was a time when he supported it. During the 1995 referendum on the question Dumont was on the side of the Sovereigntists. He is a staunch nationalist whose vision coincides greatly with much of rural Canada. The 36 year old Dumont leads what has been virtually a “one – man show” in the past. He inherits with this election a caucus of young, untested colleagues who share his vision..
The last election was testimony to his vision and political acumen. By appealing to both ends of the spectrum with appropriate tactics Dumont has created a new, third constituency incorporating elements from both schools of thought. With both sides claiming the ADQ “soul” as theirs, it remains to be seen as to how Dumont will steer his ship through unchartered waters without veering to one or the other bank.
“He (Dumont) incarnates a nationalism that isn’t sovereigntist” Jean – Hermann Guat of Sherbrooke University told “Globe and Mail”.”it’s nationalism that wants to seeQuebec preserve its powers but not becessarily break away from Canada.It’s a more prudent kind of nationalism. Mr. Dumont plays both sides and in that sense, he resembles a lot of Quebeckers”, he said.
Laval University professor Guy Laforest described Mario Dumont thus to “Globe and Mail”. He (Dumont) is a Quebec nationalist leader. Some people in English Canada don’t like it and they would want him to embrace the concept of ‘one nation, one country’ but that will never happen”.
This strong assertiveness of Nationalism is what worries some . While articulating the soft nationalistic cry of “autonomism” Dumont has mixed his campaign with hard rhetoric about identity politics too. “we cannot defend the Quebecois identity with mushy words that no one understands.We cannot defend the Quebecois identity with one knee on the ground” he once famously said.
Two controversial aspects of his political agenda is the proposal to encourage more children among Francophones in Quebec and his emphasis on “reasonable accommodation” where the onus is on new immigrants and visible minorities to assimiliate in Quebec. People are also concerned about the ultimate implications of the ADQ goal of “an autonomous state of Quebec within Canada”. How will it evolve in the future?. Will the dream turn into a nightmare?
Others however are sceptical of Dumont. They feel that he has changed positions in the past and so is likely to do so in the future too. It would all depend on which stance would yield the most dividends politically is the cynical view. Of course practical politics does not make a virtue out of consistency but it appears that some are missing the “idealism” in Dumont’s constituency.
The future would therefore depend on how Dumont performs and retains his support base while maximising it further. If voters from Federal folds are to be drawn in the platform has to be more accommodative and flexible. If PQ votes are to be attracted a greater amount of hard – line radical policies are necessary. Laying the emphasis on one or the other is likely to repel support from contrarian blocs. How these contending factors will play out in the political arena and how “super”Mario Dumont creates a seemingly new “autonomist” school of thought will determine the ADQ’s future in Quebec politics.
How Dumont will negotiate an “autonomist” political future for Quebec will help greatly in resolving the simmering crisis of Canada. The ADQ will be the new experiment of exploring the potential of greater autonomy for Quebec within Canada. The concept of an “independent Quebec within a united Canada” is an alluring challenge.
Its success or failure could impact on Sri Lanka too. The Quebec demand for secession had a demonstrative effect in Sri Lanka as it was a rare if not unique instance of secessioinism within the so called first world. Later attempts to contain these separatist tendencies through Constitutional accommodation were made. They too were inspirational as possible models of Conflict resolution to emulate in Sri Lanka .
Now the advent of the ADQ has re- introduced another path which could be followed in Sri Lanka if found successful in Canada. While granting that the experience of one country may not be appropriate for another there is no need to reject anything outright without trying to elicit lessons either.
[Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve (February 15, 1612 – September 9, 1676) was a French military officer and the founder of Montreal, Statue in Montreal]
The federalist – sovereigntist debate in Canada has received fresh impetus through the third factor of autonomism. In Sri Lanka a war rages while the feeble debate is about unitary versus separate. The third alternative of a federal or quasi – federal Constitution in place of both the one – state and two- state theories is yet to take off. The unitarists emphasising sovereignty depict “federalism” as a recipe for secession. Ironically the separatists perceive advocates of federalism among Tamils as traitors accepting Sinhala hegemony.
In this dark tunnel one can only imagine a tiny glow of light in the form of “autonomism” in Canada. If the ADQ could achieve something tangible for Quebec within Canada it could be an experience to draw on for Sri Lanka. If an autonomous Quebec is possible within a united Canada would it be too poetical to conjure up visions of an “autonomous Eelam within a united Sri Lanka”?.
Given the current climate of brutal conflict and passionate opposition to the very concept of devolution such notions seem fanciful. One cannot extend the silver lining to cover the dark cloud. But then was it not Alexander Pope who wrote of “hope springing eternal in the human breast” ? And then there is always the inspiring myth of Sisyphus and his rolling boulder!
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April 28th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The early hours of Monday April 23rd saw the Sri Lankan security forces conduct a well – coordinated cordon and search operation in various parts of Jaffna peninsula. In a simultaneous pre – dawn swoop security forces encircled four target zones and conducted house to house searches of residences in the vicinity. Some people were detained for further interrogation.
The cordon and search operations were conducted in different parts of the Jaffna municipality ranging from Ariyalai to Naavaanthurai: Chavakachcheri town and areas like Nunavil, Sangathanai and Meesalai in the Thenmaratchy sector: Udupiddy, Valvettithurai and Thondamanaaru areas in the Vadamaratchy sector: Chulipuram and adjacent areas in Valigamam West.
Around eight to ten thousand personnel were deployed in the massive operation which according to Jaffna residents was the biggest of its kind in recent times. It began shortly after 4 am and went on till about 2 pm. Troops who positioned themselves at interior lanes and by – lanes prevented young people from travelling about. Hundreds of soldiers fanned out and conducted an intensive house to house search.
Many elderly people were herded into schools in some places and given food and refreshment. Soldiers entreated the senior citizens to supply them with details about Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)members living undercover in the areas. The elders were also showered with gifts like food items and clothing. They were promised more benefits if they cooperated. They were also threatened with dire consequences if found harbouring “Terrorists”.
Though some persons all of them youths were taken in for further questioning Jaffna residents were of the opinion that they were merely tiger suspects and not actual LTTE members. It was crystal clear from the elaborate scale of the cordon and search operation that the security forces were aiming to flush out hard – core LTTE members who had allegedly infiltrated various parts of Jaffna in recent times. Despite the element of surprise the Monday operation apparently failed to yield successful results as expected.
The massive cordon and search operation came in the wake of recent military intelligence reports of large scale infiltration by the LTTE into Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) controlled areas in Jaffna peninsula. Trained LTTE cadres were moving into Jaffna by boat across the lagoon and landing in various points along the Thenmaratchy coast and also Ariyalai east. Tigers were also suspected of moving by foot in Vadamaratchy east along lagoon shores and penerating the Varani – Mulli areas of Thenmaratchy.
The influx apparently began in the last week of March but escalated dramatically after the dawn of “Sarvasith” new year on April 14th. It is estimated that around 175 to 200 “new” tiger cadres are in Jaffna now. Since the influx is on going the figures are said to be increasing regularly. It is also said that some of the LTTE operatives already stationed clandestinely in Jaffna are being recalled to the Northern mainland of Wanni.
The tigers brought in via the recent influx have not engaged in any spectacular operations so far. A few landmine explosions and pistol group assassinations have occurred. But these are seen as routine events now. The fresh crop of tiger infiltrators seem to be engaged in laying the groundwork for major developments in the future rather than confront security personnel immediately.
LTTE cadres are allegedly setting up safe houses and clandestine camps in the peninsula; the existing LTTE intelligence network in the peninsula is being revamped and enhanced; undercover supply routes between mainland and peninsula are being revised and refined. Arms are being smuggled in and concealed at various points; the dormant “fifth columnists” are being re- activated. It appears that the LTTE is getting ready for a full – fledged assault on the peninsula and the infiltrators are fore – runners of that objective.
What is disturbing from the Govt point of view is that the proclaimed raison d’etre for closure of A – 8 highway at Muhamalai checkpoint is now invalid. The closure resulting in great hardship for Jaffna civilians was justified on the grounds that it was to prevent LTTE incursions into the peninsula.
The closure of A – 9 along with the ruthless abduction and assassination campaign conducted against people suspected of supporting the LTTE was declared successful as the Peninsula was now virtually cleared of a tiger presence it was claimed. With recent infiltration in large numbers the situation is changing drastically and the boast rings hollow.
Rattling the security forces further is recent knowledge about the qualitative difference in LTTE cadres infiltrating Jaffna now. The tigers coming in are drawn from many different units ranging from the intelligence division to the elite leopard commandoes. despite different duties and tasks being assigned to them a common factor binds them together. It is the fact that most of them – if not all – are mobile “human bombs”.
In a noteworthy departure from earlier norms the LTTE cadres being sent to Jaffna are all human bombs wearing explosive – laden belt – vests as deadly undergarments. They form a loose ensemble called “That Kaappu Vedigundangip Porani” (Defensive explosive garment corps ). These cadres wear a belt – vest strapped around between their chests and waists. The explosive is triggered if and when two concealed levers are joined together and yanked.
There have been two related incidents in the past weeks. In Aanaikottai , close to Jaffna town , soldiers on motor cycles stumbled on two tigers trying to affix a clatmore mine on a tree. One ran away but the other was trapped. The LTTE cadre ran towards the soldiers while his fingers fumbled with the concealed levers. He was shot dead by the soldiers .
It was discovered later that Capt. Priyadharshan of the LTTE was trying to trigger off the explosive belt.If successful a few soldiers would have been killed or seriously injured.
Another incident took place along Naavalar road i the heart of Jaffna town. Tipped off by an informant a group of soldiers was lying in wait for a tiger operative near the railway gate on Naavalar road. The LTTE cadre Lt. Arivumagan was taken by surprise. But instead of trying to run away he ran towards the soldiers and managed to trigger off the strapped explosive. An army corporal of military intelligence was killed. Another member of military intelligence, a soldier and the informant were injured.
Both incidents have brought home to the security forces the “transformation” in the new LTTE infiltrators of Jaffna. Earlier LTTE members if cornered would consume cynaide to avoid capture. But the new approach seems to be that of blowing themselves up by triggering off body – strapped explosives. The idea is not merely to avoid capture but like the biblical Samson taking as many of the enemy as possible along with you.
The black tigers phenomenon of the LTTE is well – known. The black tigers have a specific target. They blow themselves up at the correct time to take down the target. In some instances black tigers apprehended by authorities have either by design or accident blown themselves up.
The new breed of explosive laden tigers are slightly different from the black tigers. They do not blow themselves up to target a particular person or place. They are engaged in other tasks but blow themselves up if capture is imminent instead of taking cynaide. For this they are in a constant state of prepardedness wearing the explosive belt – vest all the time. Even the black rigers wore their explosives only when embarking on a mission. But these cadres are almost always strapped with explosives.
They are in practice mobile human bombs ready to explode if about to be captured. Apart from avoiding capture the idea is to wreak as much destruction as possible on the enemy. There is “no going gently into the good night” for these devotees of Velupillai Pirapakaran.
A ceremony was held on April 21st at the Kilinochchi cultural centre to honour the memory of Capt. Priyadharshan and Lt. Arivumagan. LTTE mass communications unit head Thamilanban delivered the eulogy. In that Thamilanban “officially” revealed for the first time that LTTE cadres wearing explosive laden garments (Vedigundu angi) had infiltrated Jaffna in large numbers.
Thamilanban rationalised the self – destruction of LTTE cadres as being necessary to avoid capture. He said that anyone captured alive could be made to reveal details about the LTTE presence and plans in Jaffna. At the same time instead of simply taking one’s own life the tigers would take the enemy with them too. Such steely determination was essential to survive in hostile territory. Besides the enemy would be intimidated severely.
Thamilanban also chided Jaffna residents for not joining the LTTE in large numbers and fight for liberation. Now they were being exterminated ruthlessly by a terrible enemy. He called upon people to join the LTTE and fight with self – respect as tigers instead of being shor dead like street dogs.
The LTTE was incapable of stopping this carnage until Jaffna was retaken. The tigers will definitely reclaim their cultural heritage of Jaffna regarded as the Apex of knowledge among Tamils. The presence of large numbers of tiger cadres like Pritadharshan and Arivumagan wearing explosive – laden garments was only a harbinger of the future he warned.
Against this backdrop the reasons for Monday’s cordon and search operation are not hard to fathom. The security forces long complacent that the tiger threat in Jaffna has been eliminated are being brutally reminded of the threat within. The LTTE build – up within Jaffna has ominous forebodings for the future. The question however is whether the state and its Tamil minions can effectively curtail a tiger presence determined to die, kill and kill even while taking one’s own life.
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April 24th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The enforced disappearances phenomenon is but one in a long list of problems plaguing the Tamil people of Sri Lanka in recent times. People suddenly disappear or go missing .There have been some incidents where Muslims and Sinhala people have gone “missing” too but the overwhelming cases of “Missing” or “Disappearances” pertain to the Tamil people alone. Though these incidents are loosely called “disappearances” they are really “involuntary disappearances” or “enforced disappearances”.
["I come to Raddoluwa every year to pay tribute to my missing son. He was a student in Empilipitiya. He went missing on August 2nd 1989. I do not know what has happened to him. I miss my son. Nobody can bring my son back to me", says S.R.Heengami (68) of Empilipitiya - HA Pic By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai]
Disappearances are nothing new to this Country. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurgencies of 1971 and 1988 – 89 saw thousands of people mainly youths being killed or made to disappear. Officially sanctioned unofficial abductions and executions were the order of the day. While this method was consciously adopted by the state to defeat the insurrection the JVP rebels themselves were responsible for several killings and disappearances. Quantitatively state repression was much more than the JVP violence.
Likewise the long years of an on – going ethnic conflict have also seen much Tiger terror, counter – terror, inter – terror, intra – terror and state terror. Tamil youths were taken , tortured and murdered in 1979 when Junius Richard Jayewardene declared emergency for Jaffna and sent his nephew “Bull” Weeratunga with orders ” to wipe out terror in all its forms” before Dec 31st.
Similiar incidents as well as other types of “disappearances” took place frequently thereafter. There were many instances where disappearances and mass executions were part of deliberate state policy to quell the separatism. The Special Task Force in the East excelled at this type of counter – insurgency. In 1996 after the security forces took over Jaffna more than 500 Tamil youths disappeared. Some bodies were discovered at the Chemmany mass grave.
While the security forces were responsible for many disappearances and executions of Tamils in the past the Tamil armed groups too were involved in such activity. The internecine warfare among Tamil guerilla organizations contributed greatly to this situation. There were also a lot of internal killings Moreover people suspected of being spies, informants and traitors were also victims. There were also instances of people being abducted for interrogation or for ransom. Many died in custody and are termed missing.
In this endless cycle of ” misery” it has now become the turn of Tamils to bear the brunt of “enforced disappearances”. Disappearances have taken place in Colombo, Negombo, Dehiwela, Puttalam, Chilaw, Ratnapura, Avissawela, Wattala, Ratnapura and Kandy. They are also happening in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai districts. People are also being abducted in the areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
A vague pattern can be discerned in the incidents occurring in the areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) . The disappeared and those reported dead can be divided into four broad categories. One category is that of people suspected to be linked directly to the LTTE. The second category is that of people suspected of being linked indirectly to the LTTE. The third category is that of businessmen suspected of being linked directly or indirectly to the LTTE. The fourth category is that of businessmen, professionals etc being abducted to extract huge sums of money as ransom.
The current phase of disappearances and killings in Jaffna began as a calculated campaign to weed out and eradicate perceived LTTE elements. The ill – advised LTTE campaign of enlisting “trained civilians” as the so called “peoples force ” (Makkal padai) to attack the Police and security forces in GOSL controlled Jaffna made the state fully aware of the “enemy within”. The LTTE functioning officially as the “political wing” withdrew leaving the civilians to face the consequences. Many pro – tiger families also relocated to the Wanni. The danger of a “fifth column” was once again realised during the abortive tiger attempt to re- take Jaffna in August last year.
As a result of this paranoia regarding a” fifth column within” people perceived as LTTE or LTTE supporters are being either killed or being abducted. Some of the abducted are interrogated and detained . They are regarded as “lucky” because their presence is acknowledged officially. Family members are informed and human rights organizations and some Non – Governmental organizations are also kept informed. A few have been produced in courts too.If anything happens to these prisoners or detenues the state will be held responsible and accountable. This extends some form of protection to them.
But those affected terribly are those who have gone missing or reportedly disappeared. In many instances people are instantly killed or killed within a short time of being abducted. But there are many who have vanished without trace. Most of these “vanished” are reportedly dead. Some charred corpses have been discovered . In a few cases torsos of bodies have been found floating in the sea. It is suspected that abducted people are killed, body parts severed and then taken to sea and flung overboard with stones attached.
It is widely alleged that the security intelligence and counter – intelligence operatives have assembled files of people believed to be linked to the LTTE or coopted into its service. Many of those killed instantaneously are people who are strongly suspected of being LTTE. Some killings however are by the tigers themselves of suspected collaborators and pro – Govt elements. In the case of business people suspected of being linked to the LTTE or helping them with money a different approach is adopted. They are asked to pay up and those obliging are left alone. But those refusing or not giving enough are killed.
During the LTTE’s unbridled “occupation” of Jaffna after the ceasefire several public demonstrations were held. All of these were videoed by the security intelligence. Now those in the forefront of these demonstrations and those engaged in organizing them etc are being identified and killed. Students involved in demonstrations are also targetted. At the same time several people trained by the LTTE in combat or planted by the tigers as intelligence operatives are also being killed or abducted.. There is however a big margin of error in this. So many innocent persons are being victimised.
In Jaffna elements linked to the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) are allegedly responsible for much of these acts. The EPDP has a public political face on the one hand. These political activists selling the “Thinamurasu” are unarmed and rely on Police and army protection to move about. The LTTE often kills these people ruthlessly. But there is another killer group of EPDP elements closely connected to Sri Lankan intelligence and security forces. It is this outfit which engages in abductions, extortion and killing.
The EPDP along with some sections of the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) were engaged in these activities in Vavuniya. In recent times the Karuna faction too has arrived in Vavuniya. With a senior LTTE leader from Vavuniya who was earlier in charge of tiger taxation joining the Karuna faction the situation transformed. Many who had given money to the LTTE earlier are being asked the exact amount by the Karuna faction. It is believed that the Karuna faction is a mix of several ex – cadres from different groups. Likewise the EPDP segment engaged in violence in Jaffna and Vaviniya are also a mixture of assorted elements.
In Batticaloa the Karuna faction known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP) is involved in abductions . killings and extortion in the form of taxes. The mainstream LTTE is also active in a clandestine manner. The TMVP has also opened branches in Trincomalee. Tamil traders are being taxed ruthlessly. Also Tamil community leaders and businessmen are being killed. The TMVP tried to move into Amparai district also. But opposition from MUslim people along with the hatred some sections of the STF have for Karuna has prevented this. So Amparai Tamils are not suffering like their counterparts in other areas in this respect. But they have many other problems.
In Colombo the situation in the period after the ceasefire came into effect was one where the LTTE was killing suspected informants, para – militaries and members of alternative Tamil parties like the EPDP. Many Tamil businessmen were also compelled to pay money. The LTTE also infiltrated Colombo by planting its agents in different places. Some businesses were also opened by tiger stooges.
Initially the abductions and disappearances were directed against the perceived LTTE fifth column. The EPDP was of help in assisting the intelligence. But soon the Karuna faction overshadowed the EPDP. In fairness to the EPDP it must be said that the party has a definite political program and was earlier reluctant to confront the tigers. But the LTTE forced the EPDP to join forces with the Security intelligence and collaborate actively in anti – tiger action. But the Karuna faction like the mainstream LTTE has no comprehensive political agenda. They are solely dependent on the state and are guided and controlled by the state’s “intelligence” handlers. In Mao Ze Dong’s parlance the TMVP cadres are nowadays the “running dogs” of (Sinhala) Imperialism.
The Colombo scenario has started deteriorating. From a stage where only suspected LTTE agents were being targetted the situation has now become one where the profit motive is dominating. Most disappearances through abductions are now being enforced to extort massive sums of money as ransom. It is not only Tamils of North – Eastern origin who are being victimized but many Indian origin Tamils too. Some Muslims too have been terrorised.
On another level people believed to be LTTE agents or intelligence operatives are also being targetted. Many of them vanish without trace and are believed to have been killed. Some bodies are found on roadsides, waterways. A few are headless. These bodies were meant to be discovered in order to terrorise the people. At the same time many are being disposed of in the sea. After the Chemmani and Suriakanda mass grave controvrsies there is reluctance to bury the victims. It is said that many victims are those killed by torture during interrogation.
The “enforced disappearances” of most affluent Tamils are not political or related to counter – terrorist procedures. These are nothing but extortion related abductions. It is now an industry. The actual number of incidents are not reported to the Police or even organizations like the Civil Monitoring Commission. Many people negotiate on their own and get their loved ones released through paying a reduced sum. They later keep silent.
In many cases the ransom paid is so great that continuing with business becomes impossible. Some are forced to sell off property to collect ransom money. Also some who get released feel so insecure that they transfer their businesses to someone else and leave the country. There are also many businessmen who have run off to India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Middle – East and Western nations to escape being victimised.
While these organized “disappearances for ransom” is overtly a racket milking Tamil cash cows there is also a hidden aspect. In July 1983 organized mobs consisting mainly of Sinhala – speaking hoodlums looted and destroyed Tamil businesses. Despite that blow the resilient Tamil people have bounced back and have carved out their niche once again in Sri Lankan commerce. What is happening now is another “silent” July 1983. The business concerns are not physically destroyed but Tamil businessmen are being systematically wiped out. Tamil owned or controlled commerce is rapidly eroding.
The irony is that this slow strangulation is not being done by Sinhala mobs but by Tamil cat’spaws. The actual abductions are generally done by the Karuna or EPDP group or in a few cases by both. There is close collaboration by sections of the Police and armed forces and intelligence personnell. Some top “security” guy is usually at hand to help out if something goes wrong. It is also believed that a percentage of the ill – gained loot is given to these sections. In some instances the Tamil groups pay “bribes” to get things done.
There does not seem to be institutionalised corruption or collaboration by the Police or Armed forces in this sordid activity. But there certainly seems to be collaboration on an individual basis by some sections of the Police and armed forces. Some victims have told families that their abductors simply flashed their ID cards at check points and got clearance. In some cases the abducted persons were gagged and bound and forced to lie down in the vehicle while their abductors placed their feet on them. The security personnel at checkposts were apparently not aware of abductees being in the vehicle.
According to versions trotted out by released victims there seem to be safe houses in Colombo and suburbs where some victims have been taken. Others have been taken to makeshift camps in Polonnaruwa, Amparai and Vavuniya. Usually they are kept blindfolded and allowed time for meals and ablutions during which time blindfolds are removed. They were allowed to bathe once in two days. Some victims have been assaulted and badly treated while others were treated well. These vagaries were a result of the personality differences of the respective captors. Victims also say that their captors spoke in Sinhala, Tamil and English in different dialects.
What is frightening about this racket is suspected connivance and condonement at very high levels. At least one cabinet minister has demanded and received money for the release of abducted persons. There are also instances of the families and relatives of abducted persons obtaining their releases through contacts at very, very high levels of Government. It is said that the only sure guarantee of getting one released is to gain the sympathy of family members of a powerful, political dynasty.
This does not mean that a powerful “clique” is directing all operations. The abductors have autonomy in this. But if someone is to be easily released without paying up then political help at a very high level is absolutely essential.
There is also the patent lack of interest shown in trying to apprehend the culprits. Despite much evidence being available no effort is made to trace the abductors. Tamils have been arrested by honest Sinhala Policemen but were forced to release them due to high level pressure. Up Country Peoples Front MP and Deputy Minister Radhakrishnan went public with the telephone numbers of some abductors. Instead of follow up action some Police sleuths summoned Radhakrishnan for an inquiry about how he got his information.
Against this backdrop the average Tamil victim does not trust the Police, armed forces or the Government. Those who have high level contacts use that influence to get their loved ones out. Others negotiate with the abductors, pay up and secure releases. After getting out most victims either leave the Country or simply keep quiet.
There are however many who remain missing still. There may be a variety of reasons for this. In some instances the abducted do not have the resources to pay the ransom demanded. Some have not been released despite ransoms being paid. There is suspicion that many have been killed or died through torture in custody. The families of such people are despondent. The only silver lining in that dark cloud is the Civil monitoring Commission convened by Mano Ganeshan the Western Peoples Front leader and Parliamentarian. The chairman is veteran leftist and former Presidential candidate Siritunga Jayasuriya.
Politicians such as Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Lakshman Kiriella ,Suresh Premachandran etc are also involved in the commissions activities. The efforts of this body have failed so far to get any “missing” person released but the awareness created has helped to minimise abductions to some extent. Currently disappearances in Colombo have decreased but are on the increase in the North.
["I need my father. Please release him" requests Arshani Keetheeswaran (6) - HA]
The role of agencies such as the Civil Monitoring Commission have been commendable in drawing attention to the crucial problem of disappearances. The CMC has played a pivotal role in creating public opinion on this. More importantly the Civil Monitoring Commission provides an avenue for affected families to complain without fear. The recent conference in Colombo attended by Ranil Wickremasinghe saw many loved ones of the disappeared release their pent up emotions in public.
Ultimately the Government cannot shirk its responsibility. It is accountable for these disappearances even if it has no hand in this. But in Sri Lanka the evidence available shows that the Govt does not have clean hands in this. Many top persons are implicated. Statements by Govt personalities like “Tamils from the North are getting lost in Colombo”, ” eloping Tamils are missing” etc add insult to injury.
Sri Lanka is only second to Iraq in the realm of disappearances. Yet International human rights organizations are yet to come out with comprehensive reports exposing the situation in detail. The Amnesty International exposed the Kumaratunga regime over disappearances in 1996. But last year more than a 1000 have disappeared. This year it has topped 300 already. The International community is yet to display the same energy shown over child soldiers in the case of disappearances.
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April 13th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
* A Tamil multi – millionaire businessman accused of attempting to de – fraud Customs goes “missing” in Colombo after he threatens to expose involvement of people in high places in corrupt activity. Ransom is demanded and distraught family members pay more than three crores of rupees to two Tamil political groups for the return of the man who is a diabetic. But the missing person who phoned last from Polonnaruwa district is yet to return despite the huge amount paid.
* The vice – chancellor of an Eastern university is threatened by an armed Tamil group and moves to Colombo. His resignation is not accepted by the UGC. The VC attends a top academic conference in a high – security area of Colombo. He is last seen around noon at the venue. Many appeals have been issued and representations have been made to the President himself but the man who went missing many weeks ago remains in the ranks of the “disappeared”.
*The Colombo district organizer of an Up Country Peoples party goes missing in Colombo. Within 48 hours of his disappearance the party concerned crosses over from the opposition to the Government. One MP becomes cabinet minister and another deputy – minister. But the “disappeared” organizer is still missing.
* A young Tamil woman working as financial executive of an airline firm is abducted by unknown persons from her residence in Borupane road, Ratmalana. Nothing is known of her whereabouts so far. In a separate incident another young Tamil woman working as an information tech executive in the private sector is also abducted. But she is fortunate in having UNP Colombo distict MP Thiyagarajah Maheswaran as her uncle. Maheswaran who enjoys close rapport with President Rajapakse pulls strings at a high level and the niece is released.
* Two prominent businessmen – brothers in law – in the jewellery trade return home in a car. The vehicle stops at a Police check point. Two men get in with arms and the vehicle speeds off. One of the businessmen a heart patient is dropped off soon. A ransom is demanded. Negotiations take place and a sum is paid. The missing man returns home. The family keeps “mum”.
* A well – known Tamil broadcaster is abducted on his way to work. He is taken blind- folded to an unknown destination and quizzed by people. The Indian High Commission exerts maximum pressure to get him released. The Indian envoy of that time speaks to President Rajapakse directly. The broadcaster is released with the stern warning that he should not open his mouth.
* A Christian evangelical pastor from Vavuniya district, his two sons and another are on their way to Colombo. They are last seen at the Negombo bus stand. They are reported missing and have been classified as “disappeared”.
* Another Colombo businessman and his employee go missing. His family is informed by his abductors that a hefty amount has to be paid. They are advised to sell off the business and pay up. Meanwhile some relatives have links to “Saffronist” politicians. Through these connections an appeal is made to a powerful personality in defence circles. The man and his employee are released from a camp in the Eastern province.
* A Tamil entrepreneur living in a Western Country goes to Colombo because a family member is terminally ill. His vehicle is stopped at the Negombo road junction by Tamil youths in a pick up. The relative driving him home from the airport is told to keep his mouth shut. Later a massive sum is demanded for his release. The telephone calls are made from Sri Lanka to the foreign country where the family lives.Negotiations are currently on to reduce the sum demanded.
* a woman teacher is abducted in Vavuniya. Her family is middle – class and does not have the ransom demanded for release. But her abductors are well aware of her close relatives abroad and what their financial status. The relatives are asked to pay up. After bargaining an agreed amount is paid and the woman freed.
The above – mentioned incidents are but a few in a long list of similiar ones plaguing the Tamil people of Sri Lanka in recent times. People suddenly disappear or go missing .There have been some incidents where Muslims and Sinhala people have gone “missing” too but the overwhelming cases of “Missing” or “Disappearances” pertain to the Tamil people alone. Though these incidents are loosely called “disappearances” they are really “involuntary disappearances” or “enforced disappearances”.
The “enforced disappearances” of most affluent Tamils are not political or related to counter – terrorist procedures. These are nothing but extortion related abductions. It is now an industry. The actual number of incidents are not reported to the Police or even organizations like the Civil Monitoring Commission. Many people negotiate on their own and get their loved ones released through paying a reduced sum. They later keep silent.
["I love my father so much. He used to tell me stories and give me a kiss every night before I go to sleep. Please release my father" an emotional request made by 7 year-old Angel Yogarajan. Her father and two brothers were abducted on March 2nd 2007 in Negombo - Picture By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai - in: HA]
There is strong evidence that sections of the Police and armed forces are collaborating in these enforced disappearances. There is also evidence of people in positions of power providing tacit support to this racket.Against this backdrop the average Tamil victim does not trust the Police, armed forces or the Government. Those who have high level contacts use that influence to get their loved ones out. Others negotiate with the abductors, pay up and secure releases. After getting out most victims either leave the Country or simply keep quiet.
There are however many who remain missing still. There may be a variety of reasons for this. The families of such people are despondent. The only silver lining in that dark cloud is the Civil monitoring Commission convened by Mano Ganeshan the Western Peoples Front leader and Parliamentarian. The chairman is veteran leftist and former Presidential candidate Siritunga Jayasuriya. Politicians such as Vasudeva Nanayakkara, , Lakshman Kiriella,Suresh Premachandran etc are also involved in the commissions activities. The efforts of this body have failed to get any “missing” person released but the awareness created has helped to minimise abductions to some extent. More importantly it provides an avenue for affected families to complain without fear.
On April 9th the Commission held a conference titled “Expression of grief by families and friends of the disappeared” at the Veeramylan hall in Kadiresan street, Colombo 11. In a welcome development Opposition and United National Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe participated along with UNP Parliamentarians Lakshman Kiriella, Ravi Karunanayake and John Ameratunga.
It was an emotional atmosphere with family members holding pictures of the disappeared ones and raising cries. When Ranil got up to speak many relatives converged near the stage and requested him to get their loved ones released. They remained sobbing near the stage during his speech. It was like mass funeral without the “departed” loved ones. A visibly moved Wickremasinghe promised to do his best.
According to a newspaper report The Opposition Leader said while the Sri Lankan cricketers are bringing glory to the country the government is damaging its international reputation through extra judicial killings and disappearances. He also blamed the media for being silent on this matter. “I have to question the editors on this matter,” he said. He said the UNP had made an effort to safeguard human rights through an MOU signed with the SLFP, but now that opportunity too had been lost. “I wanted to safeguard human rights through the MOU while others in the party wanted ministerial posts,” he added.
["Please find my husband. I am helpless after my husband has disappeared. Do you want me to commit suicide along with my five children?" queries a woman who went in front to the stage, where the Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was seated - Civil Monitoring Commission-First Public Meeting [HA]]
Wickremesinghe assured the loved ones of those who had disappeared in the recent past that he would do his utmost to find their loved ones. A large number of relatives of persons, whose loved ones had disappeared and were present at the meeting, became uncontrollable, as they gathered round Wickremesinghe calling on him to find their loved ones. “Please find my husband as I have become helpless with five children after he disappeared,” one woman was heard to say. A petition which called for an independent international human rights mechanism was handed over to him during the meeting.
The following resolution in the form of an appeal was passed at the end of the conference
“We have gathered here at the initiative and call of Civil Monitoring Commission today to collectively mourn and express our grief at the sudden disappearance of our loved ones. We consider human lives as sacred and that no one, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, caste, social status etc., deserves to be “disappeared”.
We are shocked that this is happening again in our country after the dark past where thousands of young men and women simply “disappeared” never to be heard again. We join their family members and friends in solidarity and share their continued grief.
We are saddened that the present government, headed by a President who had been at the forefront of the struggle against disappearances many years ago along with the family members of the disappeared, has chosen to dismiss the disappearance of our loved ones as something that is not worthy of local and international attention. We are particularly pained at the inability or unwillingness of the government to adequately investigate this situation and their rejection of our efforts and those of local and international groups trying to help us.
Although the government makes out that they are taking steps to address this situation in the form of the Mahanama Tillekeratne Commission, Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) etc., none of these mechanisms have helped to bring back our loved ones and to know the fates of them. Setting up of these two commissions and group did not prevent disappearances even after have been set up.
[Families and friends of the disappeared - HumanityAshore.org]
As family members and friends,
We want to find our loved ones
We want to know what happened to them and those responsible to be held accountable
We want to make sure that there are effective mechanisms (not rhetorical) put in place to make sure that other families are also not subjected to the agony of having their loved ones “disappear”
So, we call on the government to:
1. Publicly acknowledge the disappearances of our loved ones and the continuing disappearances
2. Recognize that despite the best commitment, skills and experience of its members, the Commission of Inquiry and the IIGEP don’t have an adequate mandate and the capacity to help us find our loves ones, know what happened to them and prevent such things from continuing to happen
3. Make available to us and the general public the report of the Mahanama Tillekeratne Commission set up to inquire into disappearances
4. Extend invitation to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Madam Louise Arbour to visit Sri Lanka
5. Positively respond to the request of the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to urgently visit Sri Lanka and obtain their assistance to help us find our loved ones, know what happened to them and steps to be taken to prevent future disappearances
6. Set up an independent international monitoring mechanism in Sri Lanka that can investigate the disappearances of our loved ones in an independent manner and could work with the government, all relevant actors including Civil Monitoring Commission and all human rights defenders, to hold those accountable, prevent future disappearances and bring an end to the culture of impunity
7. Make “enforced disappearances” a crime in Sri Lanka
8. Ratify the UN Convention on the protection of all persons from enforced or involuntary disappearances.
It is indeed a welcome sign that a national leader like Wickremasinghe has expressed concern over thisdisappearances issue. The minority communities in the South voted overwhelmingly for Ranil at the Presidential elections. The Tamils in the North – East too would have done so had they been allowed to vote by the LTTE. Wickremasinghe’s apathy and the problems he faced within the party led to a situation where he did not respond positively to burning issues of the day. Now he seems to be emerging as a strong leader and his display of concern for the plight of the disappeared is a positive sign.
Mahinda Rajapakse was once a human rights champion but today human rights are being violated on an unprecedented scale. The UNP regimes of which Ranil Wickremasinghe was part of did not have a good reputation for upholding human rights either. It is time for Wickremasinghe to make amends for the past by mounting a human rights platform. If the Human rights champion of yester year can flout all such norms then there is nothing to prevent the opposition leader from campaigning sincerely and boldly for upholding human rights. The enforced disappearances crisis can be Ranil’s baptism of fire as a fighter for human rights.
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April 12th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Fourteen Tamils of Sri Lankan origin suspected of being linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization were placed in judicial custody under a preventive detention order in France on Thursday April 5th after being produced in Paris at a special counter – terrorism tribunal. A special four member panel consisting of examining magistrates Jean – Luis Bruguire , Thierry Fragnoli, Marc Trevidic and Philippe Coirre filed preliminary charges and ordered that they be held in detention for a period of 120 days pending further investigations.
[Eiffel Tower - Picture By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai]
Under French law, preliminary charges being filed mean that the investigating magistrates have determined that there is strong and concordant evidence to suggest involvement in a crime. It gives the four examining magistrates further time to pursue their probe before they decide whether to send the suspects for further trial or drop the case. The Police will be authorised to continue with their investigations and gather more evidence .
Initially nineteen persons were arraigned on multiple charges including “extorsion, violences physiques et sequestration contre des Tamouls installes en France” ( Extortion, physical violence and illegal confinement against Tamils settled in France). They were also charged with “financing terrorism” and for “criminal association with a terrorist enterprise”. The LTTE was cited as the terrorist organization concerned.
Reputed anti – terror judge Bruguire once told the “Financial Times” newspaper “Our offence of ‘criminal association with a terrorist enterprise’ is much stiffer than the British offence of conspiracy. It includes any activity, whether logistics or financial, that helps a terrorist activity, whether or not the group or its objective has been identified.”.
Although nineteen persons were produced in court four of them were released unconditionally. Another person was issued a conditional release under judicial supervision. Thus proceedings will continue against fifteen persons comprising fourteen in custody and one on a conditional release.
Courts also authorised Police to search the homes, offices, business establishments , vehicles and all movable and immovable assets of the detaineded suspects. The detenues are suspected of raising funds for the LTTE from Tamils residing in France. Since the LTTE is a proscribed terrorist organization in France from May 2006 after the European Union ban last year anyone found raising funds for it is guilty under the law. In this case the alleged practice of extortion, physical violence and illegal confinement have further compounded the alleged offences.
The arrest , search, interrogation and detention of suspected LTTE members is part of an on – going investigation into LTTE activity in France launched by the French authorities as a preliminary exercise on February 2006. Thereafter in August a committee of inquiry was formally appointed.Both the French Police as well as Prosecutors of the Justice Ministry are involved in the investigation supervised and directed by the special anti – terrorist directorate SDAT (Sous – Directorate Anti – Terroriste) of the French interior (home) ministry.
It is learnt that the LTTE investigation is being co-ordinated personally by the famous French anti – terrorist examining magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière himself. Bruguire who has a well – established reputation as a tough anti – terror judge was in Sri Lanka a few years ago. In a private lecture delivered in Colombo Judge Bruguire demonstrated that he had in depth knowledge of LTTE activity in Europe generally and in France particularly.
Bruguire who will be retiring next May is said to be keenly interested in cracking down on LTTE activity prior to his retirement. Fellow examing magistrates Thierry Fragnoli, Marc Trevidic and Philippe Coirre have also been appointed to the investigative panel that will probe the activities of the LTTE. This will ensure an element of continuity prevailing in the probe even after Bruguire steps down. For the tough anti – terror judicial activist the LTTE probe will be perhaps the swansong in a controversial yet effective career of making war on terrorism.
One reason for Bruguire’s keen interest in the LTTE case is attributed to a desire to prove that he is neither anti – Islam or anti – Muslim but merely anti – terrorist. Critics have accused him of being biassed personally against Islamic “terrorists”. The publicity surrounding the crack – down on the LTTE will help to dispel that view and project the image that Bruguire is simply against all types of terrorism and only wants to protect the citizens of France.
This image projection is deemed necessary as the 63 year old Bruguire after a hectic 30 year anti – terror career will be entering Politics. After retiring in May he will be contesting a seat to the legislature in June. Bruguire will be a candidate for the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, the party of Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, the favorite to win the presidential election in May this year.The LTTE crackdown is expected to help him in the election.
With Bruguire evincing keen interest in the investigation the French authorities have been forced to be on their toes on the case. The investigation received a further impetus last year when the EU banned the LTTE and called upon the 25 member nations including France to curtail LTTE activity on their soil. A series of unacceptable excesses by the LTTE against Tamil residents in France aggravated the situation further. Evidence obtained in November 2006 from three Tamils who suffered at the hands of the LTTE strengthened the probe .
The timing for the crackdown was due to a combination of four factors. Firstly there is the French Presidential election and subsequent election to the legislature. The favourite Sarkozy is for controlled immigration.An anti – terror crackdown is useful in this campaign.
Secondly there is the personal interest of Bruguire who wants to dispel his anti – Muslim image and boost his anti – terror image. This would help him in politics.
Thirdly there was the air attack by the LTTE on March 26th. The international community particularly the Western nations are perturbed by the fact that a non – state actor like the LTTE possesses an air capability and has demonstrated its ability to conduct a successful air strike. Given the September 11th 2001 attacks this is not something the IC will be happy about. Despite the LTTE’s assertions to the contrary no Western Government can afford to remain complacent.
France’s concern about “aerial terror”was illustrated by the Charles de Gaulle Airport “purge” last year Seventy – two employees at the Paris airport having access to sensitive sectors were deemed security risks. Their employment was terminated in one stroke. Bruguire was supposedly behind this manouvre. Of the 72 one was a sikh from India,seven were Muslims from India, Fifty – four were Muslims from Islamic nations, ten were Tamils from Sri Lanka.
[L to R, Parithy alias Regan, Sinna Jeyam and Metha]
Against this backdrop the LTTE air attack has sent alarm bells ringing. Complicating matters further for France was the available information that the French factor had played a crucial part in this. It is believed that some components and spare parts for small aircraft were purchased in France. It is also believed that a significant number of pilots and technicians in the nascent “Tamil Eelam Air Force” or LTTE air wing were trained in France. Given this suspected French connection it was very necessary that some action be taken urgently against tigers in France.
The fourth and hithero unpublicised factor is the suspected involvement of eminent French nationals in LTTE arms acquisition. In what came as a shock to some French investigators the son of former President Francois Mitterand was allegedly implicated in clandestine arms sales with the LTTE. Sixty year old Jean – Christophe Mitterand was formerly an adviser to his father on African affairs. His habit of tossing his father’s name liberally caused many Africans to refer derisively to him as “Papamadit” (papa told me).
Jean- Christohe Mitterand was compromised in an arms for oil scandal known as L’Angolagate in the nineties . French businessman Pierre Falcone the head of Brenco International along with business colleague Mitterand were implicated in that. Also involved were former French Interior minister Charles Pasqua and the Russia – born Israeli Arkadi Gaydamak who is now an Israeli politician . French sleuths are said to be probing the alleged involvement of Jean – Christophe and some other French notables in selling arms clandestinely to the LTTE.
The French SDAT was also interacting with several anti – terrorist agencies while investigating the LTTE. Information was requested, obtained, furnished and compared. There was cooperation in this respect with authorities from the USA, Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Canada , Australia and also Sri Lanka. Expert knowledge was supplied by the FBI, Scotland Yard and the RCMP.When the time was ripe to conduct a crack – down last week – end officials from some of the co-operating Countries were also present in Paris.
In what was perhaps an unexpected April fool’s joke the French police swooped down on suspected activists belonging to the LTTE on Sunday April 1st and took into custody thirty – nine persons for questioning.Suspected LTTE members were arrested from Seine-et-Marne, en Seine-Saint-Denis, dans les Yvelines,La Courneuve , le Val-de-Marne et le Val-d’Oise in Paris and also from the suburbs.The pre- dawn swoop began at 4.00 am.
210 French policemen acting under instructions of the SDAT were involved an a lightning raid on LTTE controlled establishments and residences of important tiger activists in Paris and the suburbs.Among establishments raided were the Tamil Co-ordinating Committee of France (Comité de coordination Tamoule France) headquarters at situé 341 rue des Pyrénées.The TCC of France is the acknowledged front organization of the LTTE in that Country.Other establishments including the TV station of TTN , Mariamman Temple , Makkal Kadai supermarket, Eelamurasu newspaper office, The Tamil Achagam printing press and also the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) offices were also raided.
Computers,correspondence files, documents. account ledgers, books, videos, pamphlets, books, booklets etc were seized.Also confiscated was a large amount of hard currency and cheques. Usually the LTTE fund – raising drives commence on Friday evening and go on till Sunday evening. So cash and cheques amounting to 235,00 Euros and 42,000 Euros were on the TCC and TRO premises. About 60, 000 cash and 25,000 worth of cheques were found in residences. Most of the arrested 39 were in their bed clothes when the raids took place.Twenty – two of them were released on Sunday after preliminary interrogation. On Monday another two were released.
On Monday April 2nd another operation was launched at 10.00 am. The bulk of Tamil owned businesses in Paris (around 60) are mainly in La Chappelle and Marcadet – Poissenniers areas. 120 Policemen cordoned off these areas in the morning. Thereafter Tamil owned businesses were searched. Owners, employees and some customers and patrons were quizzed. Materials and products connected to the LTTE like papers, magazines, CD.s, videos, DVD’s , books and photographs were seized. 20 persons were taken in for further interrogation. All but two were released that evening.
Tuesday April 3rd and Wednesday April 4th saw the French Police continuing their crack – down against suspected LTTE activists in Paris and the suburbs. The “Gare du Nord” area known as “Little Jaffna” came under particular scrutiny.Alleged members of the LTTE’s fund – raising network in France were interviewed and videographed at their homes. Houses, vehicles and other assets belonging to these suspected LTTE fund – raisers were also photographed and videographed. One person was detained on each day.The operation was planned, co-ordinated and executed by the anti – terrorism directorate known as SDAT. All 19 suspects were produced in courts on Thursday April 5th. Courts released 4 on unconditionally. One was issued a conditional release while fourteen were detained further.
It is also important to note that no Tamil of Sri Lankan origin was used for translation purposes during the investigation or arrests. The exhaustive wiretaps were translated by Tamils of Indian origin. Substantial numbers of Pondicherry Tamils are domiciled in France. This action prevented leaks to the LTTE it is said.
Among those remanded are the LTTE branch chief in Paris Nadaraja Matheenthiran alias Parithi alias Regan.Also arrested was politics / propaganda chief for Europe Duraisamy Aravindhan alias Metha. While Parithy has a French passport , Metha holds an Italian passport. Others include LTTE France – Finance secretary Thuraisamy Jeyamoorthy alias Sinna Jeyan aka Jeyan, “Makkal kadai” Supermarket manager Sellakkolunthu Ravikulan , Sinnathamby Suthakaran the private secretary of Parithy, and Kandiah Mohandas the Accountant of TRO:
Others remanded include LTTE France Sports secretary Venthan, Business secretary Mohan, , Temple trustee and TRO Secretary Vinayagamoorthy alias Bala master aka “thongal”, TCC office administrator Mahesh and Parthiban who owns a farmhouse in the outskirts. The farmhouse was allegedly used to illegally confine Tamils and extort money. Mahesh is said to be the brother of senior LTTE commander “Col” Bhanu while Mohan is said to be the sibling of former “Eelamurasu” editor Gajan who was shot dead at La Chappelle some years ago.
An unconfirmed story humming on the French Tamil grapevine is that a “white” man was also arrested along with the Tamils on Sunday. He was apparently on the premises of the TCC. One theory is that he was a French idealist who had tied up with the LTTE after seeing how Tamils were oppressed in Sri Lanka during a holiday there. Another story is that he was a paid employee looking after comouters and French correspondence. A third theory is that he was a Planted Police agent.
An interesting development after the raids and arrests was the willingness of many Tamils to be interviewed by the French mainstream media. Several came on TV and boldly stated that they were intimidated and forced into giving money to the LTTE. Some displayed receipts given in the name of the LTTE France branch with the printed signature of Tiger supremo Velupillai Pirapakaran. Police were reportedly garnering statements from many reported victims of the LTTE in Paris.
[The main entrance of the war momorial- Retour De L' Alsace Et De La Lorraine A La France in Paris - Picture By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai]
The Tamil population in Paris is said to be 60, 000 while the overall number in France is reportedly 70, 000. Of these authorities feel that 25 % are hard – core LTTE and another 25 % firmly anti – LTTE. The balance 50% is of a mixed nature without hard political conviction. The LTTE in Paris has reportedly used threats, intimidation, physical violence and illegal confinement to suppress perceived anti – tiger activity and also coerce people into giving money.
Families were asked to pay up 2000 Euros and Businesses 6000 Euros on a regular basis each year. It is estimated that 6 million Euros were collected every year.In addition there were several Special collections where massive amounts were collected on a one – time basis. Each special collection was said to yield around 20 million Euros at a time. In recent times the LTTE had enlisted criminal elements to collect money on a commission basis. 20 % of the money collected was paid out as commission to the collectors.
Meanwhile pro – tiger elements in France were reportedly fighting a rear – guard action in the aftermath of the arrests. A petition is being circulated for signatures from people stating that they had given money willingly to the LTTE without any duress or pressure. More than 150 signatures had been obtained by Friday April 6th morning. Attempts are also being made to stage a protest march and rally over the arrests on Monday April 9th. LTTE supporters from all over Europe are expected to converge in Paris. Legal advice is also being sought to free the remanded suspects.
[The flame is lit twenty four hours to pay tribute to the heroes at Retour De L' Alsace Et De La Lorraine A La France in Paris - Picture By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai]
The coming weeks will see a legal tussle taking place. There have been many earlier instances where scores of alleged “terrorists” were arrested with a bang and then released gradually without a whimper. If the French authorities are to make any headway in prosecuting the LTTE suspects clear and indisputable evidence will have to be presented by the Sri Lankan Tamil victims. It remains to be seen whether such a phenomenon will actually occur or not
What is certain however is that the LTTE network in Paris has received a severe jolt. An operation of this scale targetting the LTTE has not been conducted in any Western Country before. The French tiger network was the hub of European LTTE operations.The LTTE’s French connection will never be the same as before. France has set a precedent. There are signs that at least three EU members will follow suit soon. The tigers will soon discover that it cannot be business as usual in Europe any more.
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April 7th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The well – planned and co-ordinated action in Paris by French authorities against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may have come as a surprise to many in Sri Lanka and abroad. It was however hardly a surprise to those observing the irrational, self – defeating conduct of the tigers within and outside Sri Lanka . An insular, arrogant hierarchy in a state of disconnect with reality is rapidly leading the movement downhill. This is becoming clearly visible now.
The recent action against the LTTE in France is another indicator in this regard. The local leadership was unbelievably stupid and irrational. An erroneous notion that France will not crack down on them may have fulled this conduct. Whatever the reason it was patent that the LTTE was going down the slope in France. Sadly for the LTTE they seemed to have been in an ignorant state of bliss.
[The Tamil shops are situated in La Chapelle in Paris, known as "Little Jaffna" - Pic:HA in Paris]
There was a time when France was the hub of European LTTE activity. Though the LTTE’s international secretariat was in London the accredited International – Secretariat chief of the LTTE Velummayllum Manoharan was in Paris. Manoharan a qualified engineer hailing from Vathiri was unable to travel outside France due to a previous conviction involving drugs. So Manoharan remained in Paris and Eurpean activists came to him. The LTTE plaint challenging the US ban was filed under Manoharan’s name.
Apart from Manoharan there was also the presence in Paris of Lawrence Thilagar the LTTE’s international spokesperson. Thilagar was a restraining influence until he was recalled to the Wanni. The LTTE chief for France was Nadarajah Illango. Under this troika the LTTE activity in France was comparatively well – managed. There was violence and intimidation but not to the scale prevalent in recent times.
There were however some horrible incidents like the assassination of Tamil dissident Sabalingam, the killing of LTTE activists Nathan and Gajan and also the firebombing of “Eelanadu” office. There were some assaults of perceived LTTE critics like Ashok, Kalaichelvan etc in the past.Much of the LTTE violence in Paris was masterminded by a former tiger cadre Mariyanesan alias Sukhla. He is now married and settled in Switzerland.
[La Chapelle - Pic: HA in Paris]
Events however took a turn for the worse after the ceasefire of February 23rd 2002. The LTTE did a rapid overhaul of its overseas structures and operations. Earlier Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP was in charge of overseas purchases, overseas branch administration and overseas finances. After the ceasefire KP was relieved of administration and finances. KP was a seasoned hand fully aware of the international situation. He had a hand – picked team of experienced and relatively “moderate” henchmen manning positions in each country.
After the ceasefire KP’s authority was undermined. All those appointed by him to positions abroad were stripped of their posts. Instead a new breed of tiger leaders emerged. There was division and competition among overseas tiger operatives due to split loyalties. The work that KP did single – handedly was now divided among Castro (overseas branch chief)Thamilselvan (Political commissar) Pottu Amman (Intelligence chief) and Thamilendhi (revenue head). With different operatives reporting to different leaders in the Wanni a state of functional anarchy prevailed.
The Wanni hierarchy recalled people to the Wanni easily thanks to the ceasefire.Constant contact with overseas branches were maintained through the internet and satellite phones. Operatives were appointed and fired rapidly. The ceasefire also paved the way for many youths with LTTE links to come to Colombo and then travel abroad. Most of them had left the LTTE but retained links and support. Many of them found their way to Paris.
Meanwhile the French LTTE branch too underwent change. Illango was removed. Nadaraja Matheenthiran alias Parithy aka Regan a native of Karamban was appointed. Parithy was a soft – spoken gentlemanly type of man. But appearances were deceptive. After a sojourn in the Wanni Parithy returned a changed man. He had been instructed to adopt a hard line. Methods practised in the Wanni were to be used with adaptations in France . This was his orders from the hierarchy. Parithy is a French citizen.
[La Chapelle - Pic: HA in Paris]
With Manoharan also being removed from office along with Sarvendra in Norway there was no clear cut overseas leadership in politics. Anton Balasingham tried to fill the void from London but Tamilselvan and Castro resented this. Soon Bala Annai gave up. In this situation different leaders emerged. One such person was Duraisamy Aravinthan alias Metha a holder of an Italian passport. Metha hailing from Thenmaratchy suffered from “mild” polio. This caused him to limp and many thought he had been wounded in battle. Soon Metha became the politics cum propaganda chief for Europe. He too began functioning from Paris.
The LTTE in France began “outsourcing” its fund – raising activity.Tamil gangs were assigned the duty of collecting money from Tamils. 20 % of the money collected would be given as “commission” to the gangs. Two prominent gangs were the “Vennilaa” group and “Mukkaabalaa” group.Every family had to pay a minimum of 2000 Euros annually. Businesses had to pay 6000 Euros. But there were special collections from time to time where massive amounts were demanded. It is estimated that 6 million Euros were collected annually and 20 million in each special collection.
Much of this money was paid in instalments. The gangs as well as hyper – active LTTE activists would heap much pressure on the people to extract money. They would go often with rods, sticks and bottles to houses and intimidate people. shaking people by the collar, dealing out a few blows, using foul language, threatening harm to family members in Sri Lanka, damaging vehicles and furniture became common place.
The worst was abducting people and holding them illegally. A farm was purchased on the outskirts of Paris. Tamils would be abducted by gangs or LTTE activists and taken there.Then huge sums of money would be demanded from family members. The illegally detained persons were also beaten and tortured. It is astounding that the LTTE thought it could replicate in Europe what was being done in the North – East. Worse still was the fact that this was being done in France the Country which proclaimed to the world “liberty, Equality and Fraternity” through its revolution.
Despite these actions Tamils were reluctant to complain to the Police due to a variety of reasons. Fear of consequences, lack of confidence and trust in the police and a sense of misguided loyalty to the Tamil cause were some restraints. But the bubble burst when a Tamil man beaten severely at the farmhouse confessed to his friendly physiotheraphist about how he got his injuries. The physio alerted the Police and soon the anti – terrorism unit came into the picture. These officials were able to convince the victim and two other fellow victims to lodge a “confidential” complaint in November 2006.
Paris is also home to many Tamil dissidents who hate the LTTE and its methods. There was constant friction between both categories. It is estimated that the pro – LTTE and anti – LTTE Tamils in Paris comprise roughly 25% each of the total Tamil population.The anti – LTTE Tamils are less assertive and ill – organized for obvious reasons. One young Tamil who boldly told a TV interviewer that he was forced into giving money to the LTTE had to go into hiding after that as the tigers began gunning for him. There is a Tamil restaurant which dissident Tamils often frequent. Its owner a Tamil film producer was assaulted twice for letting anti – tigers patronize his establishment.
With such a reservoir of anti – tiger opinion available it was but a matter of time before the anti – terrorism unit made contact with some dissidents at least. Given the “racist” character of the French Police few members of minority communities have any confidence or trust in them. But the anti – terrorism unit promising security and confidentiality was a different matter. So there was much interaction between the community and the unit. Much needed information became available.
There was also an undercurrent of anti – LTTE hostilty among the Tamil business community. The LTTE through its rapacious taxation was bleeding them dry. Aggravating the situation was the LTTE itself engaging in commercial activity. It ran a newspaper “Eelamurasu” which was delivered free to stifle other newspapers. The “Makkal Kadai” supermarket undercut Tamil shops with frequent “sales” of goods at dirt cheap prices. Then there was the LTTE run Television, “Achagam”printing press, Lune international CD , video, DVD firm that also distributes Tamil films in Europe and Lune technology computer firm. Tamils were “expected” to utilise and patronise these LTTE run projects alone.The LTTE was reducing prices through “subsidies” from taxes collected from Tamils themselves and undercutting businesses. The affected enterpreneurs were naturally resentful of this practice.
There were some incidents in recent times that began to worry the anti terrorism directorate engaged in investigating the LTTE. On October 1st last year TRO secretary and Mariyamman temple trustee Vinaygamoorthy alias Bala master aka “thongal was arrested on the French – Swiss border by the Swiss police. He had 18 million Eros in hard currency with him. It was made out that it was TRO funds raised for refugees but it was clear that the monet was for tiger coffers. Vinayagamoorthy was released but arrested during the April 1st raid. In the eyes of the French police the LTTE and TRO were one and the same.
Another incident demonstrating the iron grip of the LTTE on the community was the ban on the EPDP weekly “Thinamurasu” The sale of “thinamurasu ” was banned in France. But one shop “Asian Traders” defied it and began selling it. An LTTE gang went to the shop and threatened the owner on Dec 13th last year. Parithy himself issued a public warning that anyone selling the Thinamurasu” is a traitor and be dealt with accordingly.
There was also the friction with veteran media person SS Kuganathan. The LTTE had tried to undercut his “Eelanaadu” newspaper earlier. It also grabbed his TV station and Radio through dubious means. Yet Kughan a former sub – editor in the Jaffna “eelanaadu” continues with the paper and also runs a new TV. The LTTE issued a pamphlet and poster last December in the name of “Ellaalan Padai” describing Kuhanathan as a traitor and warning that traitors abroad have to be weeded out. When Kuhanathan contacted Parithy on the phone the tiger chief brazenly admitted to the warning.
Another troubling incident was the burglary on March 19th at the house of Luxmy a Tamil woman writer and editor of the alternative journal “Uyirnizhal”. Over a 100 videos, DVD’s and books and tapes and documents were taken away. This was no ordinary burglary as only materials of political importance and not valuables were taken. It has been the practice of anti – tiger dissidents to meet thrice a year for an event called “Ilakkiya Santhippu” (Literary gathering) 33 such meetings have been held since 1989. All documentation, tapes etc regarding these meetings were with Luxmi and have now been stolen. Since these meetings are attended by anti – tiger activists it is feared that the LTTE could now identify and target them.
Thus it could be seen that the LTTE through is conduct was pushing matters to a point where the French authorities had no choice other than to crack down. The behaviour of the LTTE in France under Manoharan and Illango paled into insignificance when compared to the LTTE in France under Parithy and Metha. With increasing contradictions between the Tamil people and the tigers in Paris it was but inevitable that the helpless and the powerless turned to the authorities for redress and protection.
Although the LTTE was rapidly sliding downhill the flashpoint came due to an event in Sri Lanka. The LTTE overreached itself when it announced to the world on March 26th that it had an air wing capable of precision – bombing a high – security target and returning to base after flying nocturnally an incredible distance at low altitude . The Western world rankling from Sep 11th 2001 events is aghast . A non – state actor like the LTTE will not be tolerated if it has such capability. There is no public condemnation because it was a Clean job with no civilian casualties. Yet it is crunch time now.
In the case of France recent investigations have unearthed evidence of a French connection in the LTTE airwing. It is suspected that some small aircraft and spare parts were bought in France. It is also believed that some pilots and technicians obtained training in France. There is also the belief that some hih – ranking French nationals like Jean – Christophe Mitterand son of former French President Francois Mitteran were involved in arms dealing with the LTTE.
Against that backdrop action had to be taken against the LTTE. Re-inforcing the need for action was the forthcoming elections and the fact that the well known anti – terror judge in charge of investigating the LTTE was scheduled to retire in May and contest elections in June. There was a need to to demonstrate that he was anti – terror and not anti – Islam. So a crackdown on the LTTE became inevitable. But the LTTE necessitated and precipitated such action through its own conduct. The tigers simply went down the slippery slope. There had to be a downfall.
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April 7th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Jean Luis Bruguire is perhaps the most feared anti – terror judge in France. He is from a family that has had judges for eleven generations. After a hectic 30 year career in fighting terror Bruguire is expected to retire this may. He will then embark on a political career by contesting elections to the legislature in June. The recent crackdown on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in France was reportedly co-ordinated by him and will be most probably the swansong of this famously controversial jurist.
Bruguire was in Sri Lanka for a week in 2003. He conducted a study into the activities of the LTTE then. He also visited Dalada Maligawa . Among those he met in Colombo was CR (Bulla)de Silva the Solicitor – General who will soon become Attorney – General. While in Sri Lanka Bruguire also delivered a lecture to a select audience at o Sri Lanka Institute of International Relations (SLIIR) on the theme “International Counter Terrorism Co – operation – The French Experience”.
Bruguire’s address on that occasion revealed that he had a firm grasp of what the LTTE was doing in France. Senior journalist Iqbal Athas writing in the “Sunday Times” presented relevant excerpts from Bruguire’s talk. They are re- produced below -
“The LTTE controls the immigrant Tamil community in France and is involved, under cover of legal associations and organisations, in underworld activities for the guerrilla warfare in Sri Lanka.
“The Tamil community in France has been estimated to 60,000 people, which is constantly on the increase. The LTTE has a very strong hold over this community which is mainly gathered near the Gare du Nord in Paris in an area nicknamed “Little Jaffna.”
“Moreover, following the decision taken by the British government at the beginning of the month of March in 2001, to include the Tamil movement of the LTTE in its list of terrorist organisations whose activities were from then onwards banned in Great Britain, the International Secretariat of the LTTE movement was shifted from London to Paris. Hence, the entire political and operational activities of the LTTE in Europe has its base in France. Henceforth, all propaganda and financial operations aimed at the Tamil community in Europe, are going to be launched from Paris.
“Velummylum MANOHARAN or Mano, successor of John Christian Chrysostom, (Note: He is also known as Lawrence Thilakar), officially in charge of the Tamil Co-ordination Committee in France, co-ordinates in the operational activities of the movement, with a small group of experienced activists well versed in the techniques of the underworld.
“Every year, the LTTE becomes engaged in four types of funds which contributes four million dollars to the movement. Besides this fund, LTTE militants also seem to be involved in a number of illegal activities in the fields of illegal immigration, tax evasion and specially in the hacking of long distance calls and even drug trafficking. It seems that a large part of these funds were extortions. But in the absence of denunciations, it has not been possible to prove that these funds have been obtained forcefully.
“Velummylum MANOHARAN, the international General Secretary of the organisation was condemned in 1987 to three years imprisonment for drug trafficking. He has since been under house arrest in the region of Paris.
“In spite of all this, no activity earmarked as terrorism has been detected, in particular in the fields of looking for and purchasing weapons or military equipment in France.
“Similarly, in spite of the information which appeared in the Indian Press, no operational links has been established with Al Qaida organisation of bin Laden.
“Moreover, the French anti-terrorist judicial pool with which I co-ordinate, has already co-operated with the judicial authorities in Colombo within the framework of investigations on the terrorist activities of the LTTE. In future too we will continue to co-operate with the same diligent application in order not to allow the LTTE to use France as a support base for its terrorist operations carried out in Sri Lanka.”
France and Sri Lanka, Mr. Bruguiere noted, were linked to historical, geographical and specific political factors and continue to fight threats against the security of persons and goods, threats against individual and common freedom, threats against democratic structures and socio- economic balances, threats against peace.
Iqbal Athas also noted then that “The Bruguiere visit to Colombo has led to the further strengthening of co-operation between Sri Lanka and France in countering terrorism”. Athas also reproduced extracts from an interview given by Bruguire to the Associated Press. Here are some Excerpts:
“Borders are seemingly no obstacle for Bruguiere, who travels the globe in pursuit of suspects and was once dropped into the African desert to examine the wreckage of a French jet believed bombed by the Libyans. The 58 year old investigative magistrate’s methods have earned him both adulation from colleagues in counter terrorism and criticism from civil rights groups.
“Since September 11, the United States and Europe have been toughening their anti-terrorism laws. That’s nothing new for Bruguiere, who argues that being tough is the best deterrent.
“For many in his field, Bruguiere is legendary. ‘There’s just nobody like this guy,’ enthused Larry Johnson, a former deputy chief of counter terrorism at the State Department. Closer to home, some worry that methods employed by Bruguiere and his team of three other judges could lead to civil rights violations.
” Jean-Pierre Dubois of the French Human Rights League criticised the method of large-scale sweeps used by Bruguiere. Under French law, terror suspects can be hauled in for four days of questioning without a lawyer. Once charged, they can be held as long as four years before trial.
“They arrest a large number of people hoping they might catch 20 or 30 interesting suspects,” Dubois said. They just accept that there will be lots of undue imprisonment. That’s not very democratic.
“Bruguiere responds that his critics ‘don’t understand the threat.’ Fighting terrorism is a ’special kind of war,’ demanding special tools , he says. Sweeps that bring in dozens of people for minor offences, such as producing false passports, root out the real terror plots, he adds. Those who provide logistic support to terrorists are prosecuted under the broadly worded charge of ‘criminal association relating to a terrorist enterprise.’
“That’s how the plot to bomb the last World Cup was thwarted – in co-ordinated arrests of 150 people in several countries a month before the tournament.
“And that’s also how French officials came to know of Ahmed Ressam three years before he was arrested for trying to enter the United States from Canada with a trunk load of explosives. Through previous sweeps, Bruguiere had collected enough information on Ressam that he was called to testify at the Algerian’s Los Angeles trial, where he was convicted of terrorism charges.
“Investigating someone for a small offence can lead to big results,” Bruguiere says. Frank Spica, head of the terrorism division at Interpol called Bruguiere a ‘ball of fire. If we had more judges like him, I guarantee you it would be a step up in fighting terrorism.’
“The Judge says he spends 15 to 17 hours a day in his office, where he keeps stacks of files on suspects he’s interrogated – some 400 people in the last seven years, he estimates. He consults with Police and intelligence services ‘five or six times a day’ and normally works weekends. When he has the time, he pilots a plane.
“One reason he cites for his effectiveness: there’s only one Bruguiere. Unlike in the United States, where counter terrorism work is spread out among various agencies and officials, in France, it is basically the work of Bruguiere and his three colleagues. ‘A war needs one commander and not ten,’ he says. ‘I don’t need permission from anyone.’
A short biographical sketch of Bruguire from Wikipedia is reproduced below -
Jean-Louis Bruguière is the leading French Investigating magistrate in charge of counter – terrorism affairs. He was appointed in 2004 vice-president of the Paris Court of Serious Claims.. He is somehow controversed for various actions, including the astounding indictment of Paul Kagame , President of Rwanda, for the alleged assassination in 1994 of Juvenal Habriyamana. Washington Post journalist Dana Priest has cited him as saying that he had in the past ordered the arrest of more than 500 suspects, some with the assistance of US authorities.According to the investigative reporter, who described the workings of Alliance Base , a CTIC joint counter-terrorist operations center, involving the DGSE the CIA and other foreign intelligence agencies, Bruguière once declared that “[he had] good connections with the CIA and FBI.
The latest in a long line of magistrates (eleven generations), Bruguière studied at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and took part in the May 1968 protests. He continued his education at the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature . Appointed to Evreux he made himself known through an affair involving illegal vehicle registration cards by naming the police director as the culprit. Appointed to Paris in 1976 , he began an attack on local pimps, eventually having to work under police protection.
Following street gunfire in 1982 , Bruguière turned himself towards anti-terrorism, expanding his network and targeting in particular the far – left group Action Directe . In 1986 an anti-terrorism division was formed in Paris. A year later his apartment was targeted in a grenade attack; Bruguière, however, continued his fight. In 1994 , he tracked down and captured one of the world’s most wanted terrorists Carlos the Jackal..
Possibly his biggest case (in terms of number of people involved) was that of UT – 772 in which six Libyans were successfully prosecuted in 1999 for the destruction of a French aircraft in 1989 .
Bruguière counselled Italian senator Paolo Guzzanti (Forza Italia ), in charge of the controversed Mitrokhin Commission, endorsing the old thesis, once supported by the CIA, according to which the Soviet Union was behind Mehmet Ali Agca’s 1981 assassination attempt on POpe John Paul II. The Mitrokhin Commission has been discredited following a manipulation by a network to defame Prime minister Romano Prodi and other political opponents of Berlusconi, by claiming they worked for the KGB . The network included Mario Scaramella , arrested in December 2006, the head of SISMI Nicolo Pollari , NO 2 of SISMI Marco Mancini , as well as Robert Seldon Lady , CIA station chief in Milan, also indicted in the Imam Rapito affair.
His controversial report into the April 1994 assassination of then Rwandan President, JUvenal Habmariyana and his counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi , was made public on November 17 2006 Brugière has indicted Paul Kagame , current President of Rwanda and leader of the FPR , claiming that he deliberately assassinated Habyarimana in order to provoke the genocide against his own ethnic group, in order to cynically take power. Bruguière’s thesis has been very controversial , and criticized by Le Figaro , Liberation and others newspapers. His investigations were based on two oral sources, The Figaro, who points the international dimension of the character and his contacts with intelligence agents, both in Russia and in the United States, cited justice colleagues of Bruguière, who criticize him for “favorizing state reason over the law.”
The controversial Bruguire is planning to retire in May this year and contest elections to the legislature in June.Gregory Viscusi of “Bloomberg” interviewed Bruguire at Villeneuve-sur-Lot and wrote a well – rounded piece on March 16th. This insightful piece is re- produced below -
Bruguiere, French Terrorism Judge, Runs for Assembly.
By Gregory Viscusi
March 16 (Bloomberg) — Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who in a 30- year career tackled terrorism in France and abroad, will retire this year as France’s leading anti-terrorist magistrate and run for parliament in June’s election.
Bruguiere, 63, will run for the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, the party of Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, the favorite to win the presidential election a month earlier.
“I want to serve this region with energy and effort equal to what I’ve put into my other engagements,” Bruguiere said at a press conference in the southern French town of Villeneuve-sur- Lot, the center of the constituency he’ll run in.
His candidacy will bring to an end a career in which he took on Libyan agents, French anarchists, Algerian Islamists and, most recently, home-grown Islamic terrorists, while at the same time being a public voice warning of the dangers posed by Islamic terrorist groups, even well before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.
“He has a stellar reputation as the first among equals as an anti-terrorist investigator,” said Kenneth Wainstein, the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “He’s a real pioneer with more experience than anyone else.”
Bruguiere, as head of France’s central pool of anti- terrorist investigative magistrates, is best known for tracking down Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, to Sudan and bringing him in 1994 to France, where he was tried and sentenced to life for killing two French agents and an informer in 1975.
Libyan Agents
Bruguiere also pursued Libyan agents for the 1989 downing of a French airliner over the Sahara, trying them in absentia, and then winning compensation from the Libyan government in a 2004 settlement.
In June’s elections, Bruguiere will be running against the Socialist mayor of the town, 55-year old surgeon Jerome Cahuzac. The seat’s currently held by a UMP deputy, Alain Merly, who is returning to private business.
France’s presidential election is in two rounds on April 22 and May 6, with legislative elections following on June 10th and 17th. Bruguiere said he’ll resign as a judge in May.
Cahuzac called Bruguiere “egocentric” and questioned if he had the experience to deal with the region’s problems, which have more to do with inadequate transportation links and international competition for its prunes than with international terrorism.
“I don’t contest his supposed competence in combating terrorism,” Cahuzac said at a press conference. “But it’s hard to see what it has to do with this region.”
Public Service
Bruguiere responded that “my passion is public service, be it local or national,” and “there is direct link between local, national and international issues.”
Bruguiere’s ancestors have been judges for 11 generations, stretching back to Louis XIII at the start of the 17th century.
Bruguiere said he’s broken up at least one Islamic terrorist attack every year, including against the 1998 World Cup, the Christmas market in Strasbourg in 2000, and against American interests in Paris in 2001, and Paris airports and metro stations in 2005 and 2006.
The last major terrorist attack in France was in 1996 when activists linked to the Islamic insurgency in Algeria put off bombs in metro stations to protest the French government’s support for Algeria’s military government. Two men were sentenced to life in prison for the attacks in 2002 and the alleged paymaster was extradited from Britain last year and will face trial.
Algerian Islamic Guerillas
In recent years, Bruguiere has warned that a hard core group of Algeria’s Islamic guerrillas, who refused the Algerian government’s amnesty offers, are unifying with al-Qaeda linked groups in neighboring Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya and could strike in Europe.
The U.S.’s Wainstein says Bruguiere cooperates closely with colleagues in other countries. “He understands that combating international terrorism requires international cooperation,” Wainstein said in an interview. “When he thinks we need to know something, he just picks up the phone and reels us right in.”
Bruguiere has drawn criticism for speaking too much to the media, traveling too much outside of France to discuss his work, and for exaggerating the importance of some of his cases.
“The hyper media attention has given him a reputation that’s maybe a little overblown,” says Eric Denece, director and founder of the French Center of Intelligence Research, a Paris- based consultant. “There are other specialists who don’t speak so much.”
Wide Powers
Judith Sunderland, a Milan-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, says the French legal system gives wide powers to judges such as Bruguiere. “No one doubts Bruguiere’s skill and intelligence, but he’s also seen as ambitious and overly zealous,” Sunderland says. “He’s seen as taking advantage of all discretionary powers the French system allows him.”
Bruguiere’s first major case when he moved to Paris in 1976 after a stint in a provincial town was breaking up a prostitution ring. He turned to terrorist cases in 1982 after a machine gun attack on a Jewish restaurant killed six people. At the start, his cases were mixed between homegrown anarchists and groups with Middle Eastern links.
Frustrated by the inability to track down the perpetuators of a series of attacks in early the 1980s, and what it saw as the government’s hesitancy to track down the perpetuators because of their links to Middle Eastern states, the French Justice System in 1986 grouped its anti-terrorist judges into a single Paris office and gave them greater access to police intelligence files.
Car Bomb
The turning point was a car bomb outside an Arab language newspaper in Paris that killed one person and wounded six in 1982, says Alain Marsaud, who became the first head of the new centralized unit.
“It was ordered by Syria but the politicians didn’t want to know,” said Marsaud, who is now a UMP deputy. “We said we never wanted to see that again.”
Bruguiere became head of the anti-terrorist pool in 1995. His team receive intelligence directly from the Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, or DST, the Interior Ministry’s domestic intelligence arm, and the Renseignements Generaux, or RG, the police intelligence service. They can then order the police to put people under surveillance or bring them in for questioning.
“Bruguiere has operated under emergency laws in France, coupled with major legal advantages unimaginable in the U.S., which have given him a leg up over his U.S. opposite numbers,” says Arnaud de Borchgrave, head of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
It is against this backdrop of the controversies surrounding Bruguire that the recent crackdown on the LTTE in Paris has to be viewed. Sweeping arrests have been made and preliminary charges have been filed. The final outcome cannot be predicted but the coming weeks will certainly prove to be controversial as Jean – Luis Bruguire makes the transition from judicial activism into politics.
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April 6th, 2007