More ‘efforts needed to dismantle Tiger network’

http://www.nation.lk/2010/10/03/news16.htm

More ‘efforts needed to dismantle Tiger network’
Reconciliation strategies from key policy experts
By Arthur WamananThe government is yet to make substantial efforts to dismantle the LTTE’s international network, security analyst Prof Rohan Gunaratne said.Prof Gunaratne made these observations while giving evidence at the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS).
Prof. Gunaratne, in his submissions to the commission last Friday, stated that even though the LTTE had been militarily defeated, the government had failed to identify the risk of the LTTE’s international operations and take the necessary actions to dismantle it.According to Prof Gunaratne, the LTTE was now led by Nediyavan, who operates from Norway. Nediyavan alias Sivapalan Perinpanayagam was appointed deputy to Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, said Prof. Gunaratne.
Meanwhile, he also emphasised the importance of the country managing a good relationship with India. He pointed out that the LTTE was trained in India and that it would not have led to the war if the country had maintained a good relationship with India. Prof Gunaratne said that Sri Lanka had failed to project the ground reality in the run up to the defeat of the LTTE.
He said the country’s image had to be improved in some of the western countries. Prof Gunaratne pointed out that the country was not swift enough to counter the claims made by the LTTE on the civilian casualties in the No Fire Zone (NFZ). He said the UN and the international community continued to show the figure as 7,000, a figure published on the pro-LTTE media.He said the government was slow in countering the LTTE claims. He said that according to interviews conducted by him, the actual amount of civilian fatalities amounted to 1,400.He said the then governments did not understand the importance of maintaining a relationship with India and the political advisers too had failed to do so.
Prof Gunaratne also revealed that the LTTE, during the last stages of the war had procured weapons from North Korea. According to him North Korea had given weapons to LTTE since late 1997 till March 2009. He, however, said the last shipment could not reach the LTTE, as the Navy had the sea route covered.He said the LTTE had procured weapons from India and the Middle East before turning to North Korea.According to Prof Gunaratne, the LTTE has had its bases in several countries. He added that it was the weakness of the government not to have held discussions with those countries in order to know how the LTTE had carried out its operations.
He also suggested that the government should carry out a national intelligence estimate annually in order to assess the possible man-made and natural threats to the country. Prof Gunaratne also told the commission that the President himself should come forward and give amnesty to the LTTE cadres including those who are abroad so that they could feel that they are part of the country. He said the country should give more importance to its minorities and give them confidence and make them feel that they are part of the country. He said the minorities should be appointed in important positions in the state and security sectors to build the confidence among them.
Speaking further, he said the Indian model would not suit Sri Lanka as it is small country.Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) executive director Dr Saman Kelegama, in his submission, pointed out that the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed by the LTTE and the then UNF government, did not yield the expected results, as far as the economy was concerned. He stated that there was no economic dividend in the south, as a costly stabilisation programme accompanied the CFA.
He stated the defence expenditure did not come down as a result of the CFA, as the money had to be used to assist the Internally displaced Persons (IDPs).Dr Kelegama said there was a minor improvement in the north and east immediately after the CFA was signed. He, however, said things did not turn out as the government had planned and there were problems due to bureaucratic delays, obstruction from the LTTE, the taxation imposed by the LTTE, vehicle checks and the lack of proper storage facilities.
He also said that there were problems in carrying out transportation activities, as the LTTE had not advanced the time by half an hour while the rest of the country had done it.He also pointed out that most of the foreign assistance did not reach the people who were affected. According to Dr Kelegama, the rise of the nationalistic wave started during the CFA due to the involvement of foreign countries and added that even the LTTE did not see it positively. He added that the LTTE did not cooperate with the government and it tried to take the upper hand, with the Norwegians in coming up with the ISGA proposals.Dr Kelegama pointed out that no minutes were taken of the several rounds of peace talks during the ceasefire agreement.
During his submissions, Dr Kelegama said Sri Lanka had missed out on several opportunities. He said several countries that were about to invest in the country, pulled out following the 1983 riots. Dr Kelegama said the brain drain had also affected the country’s economic development. He added the government had to be strong for the CFA to be effective.Speaking further, he said the private sector involvement during the CFA was minimal. He said the private sector was aware of the fact that the situation could change in the future. He said the private sector was aware that then president had the power to dissolve parliament in December 2002 and that the LTTE could not be trusted.
Dr Kelegama also pointed out that the North contributed 2.5 to 3% and the east 6% to the country’s GDP.He said the situation could change if steps were taken to start the Paranthan chemical factory, Elephant Pass saltern, KKS cement factory.
He said that the connectivity of the north and east to the rest of the country would also increase the interaction between the traders and other stake holders.Further, Dr Kelegama said the 13th amendment should be strengthened, as all the Provincial Councils, except the Western Provincial Council, are not effective, as they depended on government grants and raised very little revenue. He said there were 250,000 employed at the Provincial Councils out of 1.2 million state sector employees.