Caging Tigers: France deserves praise

France deserves praise for having busted a major LTTE extortion racket and we fervently hope that it will go the whole hog to eliminate the menace once and for all. There must be hundreds of LTTE collectors throughout France, and all of them must be brought to book, states The Island editorial on Thursday (Nov 26), commending France's stringent actions against LTTE activists.

It behoves other countries where the LTTE is active such as the US, the UK, Canada, Norway, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark to rid their soil of LTTE extortionists and killers. After all, they are the countries that champion human rights and democracy and on no grounds could they countenance LTTE fund-raising, the editorial further asserted.

Following is the full text of The Island editorial on 26th Nov, 2009.

One main reason for the rapid growth of global terrorism is the world's slow reaction to that threat. If the US had taken steps to neutralise the militant groups it created in Afghanistan at least after the Russians were ousted, both countries would not have been in the present predicament. The US is today using a chainsaw to deal with something that it could have just nipped in the bud years ago.

Sri Lanka's terrorism flourished because the western countries took the LTTE for granted. But for the huge funds that flowed into the LTTE's war chest from overseas, Prabhakaran would not have been able to raise a terrorist army and equip it with the state of the art arms and equipment to sustain a bloody war of attrition. After the LTTE severed its umbilical cord with India, it turned to the West for refuge, political clout and funds. If the outfit had been prevented from abusing foreign soil to wage war against this country, perhaps it would have been compelled to negotiate a solution seriously and a lot of precious lives could have been saved.

It is reported that France has at long last cracked down on some LTTE extortionists and jailed 20 of them including a key terrorist. If only such action had been taken about two decades ago! However, better late than never. Millions of dollars and Euros were extracted from Tamils overseas and even those who detested violence coughed up funds for the terrorist cause out of fear and the sake of their families at home in the LTTE-controlled areas. Although the LTTE's military muscle has been decimated, extortion is said to be going on in many countries at the behest of Diasporic Tigers.

France deserves praise for having busted a major LTTE extortion racket and we fervently hope that it will go the whole hog to eliminate the menace once and for all. There must be hundreds of LTTE collectors throughout France, and all of them must be brought to book.

It behoves other countries where the LTTE is active such as the US, the UK, Canada, Norway, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark to rid their soil of LTTE extortionists and killers. After all, they are the countries that champion human rights and democracy and on no grounds could they countenance LTTE fund-raising.

When the US banned the LTTE, the late Anton Balasingham boasted that his boys knew how to circumvent the proscription and continue fund-raising. His prediction came true. In spite of the US ban, the LTTE fronts have been operating freely in that country. Worse, some of them have even contributed generously to the election campaigns of key American politicians. Prominent US citizens have been working for the LTTE thus making a mockery of the US proscription.

There is a reason to believe that LTTE lobbyists have been able to shape the Obama administration's Sri Lanka policy, as evident from the anti-Sri Lankan utterances by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and some top US diplomats exuding antipathy towards Sri Lanka from every pore.

In Britain, some lawmakers are apparently representing the LTTE's interests in the House of Commons. LTTE fronts continue their fund raising operations, though it is not known where the money ends up. Britain is one of the countries that could have used their influence over the LTTE to prevent it from unleashing terrorism in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, they made an intervention only after Prabhakaran had been cornered.

At least now, Britain should clamp down on LTTE activities on her soil. It has no moral right to impart lessons on human rights, democracy and good governance to Sri Lanka without putting its house in order first of all.

The same goes for other western countries engaged in protecting global democracy. The biggest contribution to world peace they can make is to desist from harbouring terrorists of all hues responsible for heinous crimes elsewhere.

Courtesy: The Island