By Ravinatha P. Aryasinha
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the EU,
Belgium and Luxembourg
 

Even as their strength on the ground in Sri Lanka recedes, the continuing international concern about the LTTE stems due to several factors that could serve as ‘copycat models’ for other international terrorist groups.


a) Suicide bomb technology
b) Global network
c) Arms and explosives procurement
d) Maritime capability
e) Rudimentary Air capability
f) Cyber terror
g) Links to other terror groups

a) Suicide bomb technology

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have been one of the pioneers of suicide bomb technology with the most effective suicide capability in the world and is indisputably the most efficient and brutal terrorist organization ever to utilize suicide terrorists for the advancement of its struggle to establish a separate state in Sri Lanka. According to Jane's Information Group, between 1980 and 2000 LTTE had carried out a total of 168 suicide attacks on civilians and military targets. The number of suicide attacks easily exceeded the combined total of Hezbollah and Hamas suicide attacks carried out during the same period. As at today the LTTE has carried out more than 200 suicide attacks both at the sea and on land during the period between 1987 and 2008. LTTE declared that from November 27, 1982 to November 20, 2008 a total of 274 male suicide bombers and 104 female suicide bombers have died in the fight to carve out a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka. Until the Iraq War the LTTE was said to have been responsible for more than 2/3 of all suicide attacks carried out. It is particularly noted for having mastered the use of suicide jackets with C – 4 explosives, long before the Al-Qaeda movement.
 

b) Global Network

Since the mid-1980s the LTTE boasted of having developed a unique global network and at its peak maintained political/propaganda offices and cells in some 54 countries. Headquartered in London until 2001, this vast international network was tasked with disseminating propaganda, fund raising, resource management and procuring weapons. It was able to mobilize the 1 million strong diaspora in this task. Its global network has also helped the LTTE’s involvement in narcotics smuggling and human trafficking.

The LTTE’s reliance on heroin smuggling had its roots in the early 1980s, after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the fundamentalist revolution in Iran disrupted the opium-smuggling routes used by many Pakistan –based drug barons. Originally concentrated in Bombay, its tentacles have spread all over Europe and into the Golden Triangle. The US Department of State confirms this when it noted in April 2001 that “information obtained since the mid-1980s indicates that some Tamil communities in Europe are also involved in narcotics smuggling” It added that ‘Tamils historically have served as drug couriers moving narcotics into Europe. According to UK intelligence, more than 4,000 Tamils have been jailed throughout the world for narcotics-trafficking offences. This figure includes Paris based former LTTE spokesman Velumailyum Manoharan, who was fined 120,000 French Francs and sentenced to a two year prison term in March 1985, after being found in possession of heroin. Trafficking in narcotics also provides a major source of funds for the procurement of arms. The LTTE’s one-time drug couriers have now formed into trafficking groups located in THAILAND, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, ITALY and FRANCE. They have also made contact with drug dealers and criminal syndicates in these countries.

The earliest known case of human trafficking involving the LTTE was in 1986, when 155 Tamils were smuggled into Canadian waters from West Germany and then set adrift in lifeboats. After the end of the cold war the operations became more widespread, with France, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, as well African countries being used as conduits. More recently, attention has centred increasingly on the use of some Southeast Asian nations, such as Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand, as transit points and gateways to the West. According to INTERPOL, “many of those who risk the journey become victims of international crime syndicates. Having being part of the illegal trade and indebted to the smugglers, scores of Tamil youths find themselves becoming messenger boys, agents and couriers for the European operations of the LTTE”. In more recent years, the LTTE involvement in human smuggling was reported with the seizure of MV COSMO, a small vessel mainly with a Sri Lankan crew at the THAI Port of SONGKHALA and the arrest of 49 Sri Lankans at an apartment located at PATAYA, on the Southern border of THAILAND in November 2005. Some of those arrested were to be dispatched either to EUROPE or AUSTRALIA. It is reported that they had each paid a sum of approximately US $ 10,000 to their agents, from which the agents have paid approximately US $ 2,500 to the LTTE.
 

c) Arms and explosives procurement

The first instance of procuring arms and ammunition by LTTE was reported when the LTTE sought the assistance of Tamil Nadu to procure arms and ammunition in 1983. Following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former PM of India, LTTE abandoned activities in Tamil Nadu and started establishing bases in South East Asian countries and commenced operations in the Middle East, newly independent countries of Soviet block and Western Countries.

The tracing of the path of the explosives and devices that were used in the January 1996 Central Bank bomb explosion which killed just under 100 persons and injured over 1400 and was regarded the ‘worst terrorist atrocities in 1996’ by the US State Department, is instructive in this regard. Money for the purchase came from contributions of the Tamil Canadian diaspora, laundered through accounts held by a Canadian of Sri Lankan origin: the advance was paid through Europe, 10 tons of RDX and 50 tons of TNT was imported from the Ukraine, shipped through the Black sea port of Nicolaev, and the final payment was made through bank accounts in Singapore.
 

d) Maritime Capability

Besides the LTTE’s establishment of a naval combat unit known as the ‘Sea Tigers’, the LTTE is the only terrorist organisation in the world that maintains a shipping network connecting the countries from east to west for the purpose of both commercial and military interest.

Sailing across the oceans under the flags of different countries it can reach any country in the world not only to smuggle arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka but also drugs and human cargo. LTTE uses the sea route from Eastern Europe, and around the Horn of Africa or through the Suez to Sri Lanka. Although the sources of weapons supply vary, quite often there are established routes that are being used by the LTTE. Most of the items procured are being transported through their Shipping network with maximum security. From 1983, the LTTE is estimated to have approx 25 vessels registered under different names carrying different flags. Alongside traditional trading activity, these vessels are being used for transportation of arms and ammunition in the pretext of tankers/cargo delivery/fishing. Through this network the LTTE has established a presence in the arms black-market.

Concern in intelligence quarters was also raised with the arrest on 9 April 2000 of Lankan born Norwegian citizen Christy Reginald Lawrence in Phuket, Thailand and the discovery of a half built mini-submarine, which was intended for sabotage missions by the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

The LTTE had carried out ten suicide attacks on Sri Lanka Navy vessels with the use of explosive laden boats before the Al Qaeda attacked ‘USS Cole’ in Yemen in October 2000. In fact the Al-Qaeda attack on the 'USS Cole' was a copycat of all LTTE suicide attacks on SL Naval vessels since 1990 where they used similar Modus Operandi. In a 19 March 2003 interview with the BBC Sea Tigers’ Chief Soosai was to state, “ I think in Yemen they used our strategy of targeting the hull in their suicide attack to blow up an American ship ‘USS Cole’ - this is exactly what we used to do.”

The LTTE has also engaged in acts of sea piracy. Vessels flying Philippine, Greek, Indonesian, Panamanian, Belize, Chinese, Jordanian, Cambodian and Indian flags have been at the receiving end of the LTTE’s terror. The Sea Tigers have hijacked several vessels in waters outside Sri Lanka including the Irish Mona (in August 1995), Princess Wave (in August 1995), Athena (in August 1996), Misen (in July 1997), Morana Bong (in July 1997), MV Cordiality (in Sept 1997) and Princess Kash (in August 1998). When the LTTE captured the MV Cordiality near the port of Trincomalee , they killed all five Chinese crew members on board. The MV Sik Yang, a 2,818-ton Malaysian-flag cargo ship which sailed from Tuticorin, India on May 25, 1999 was reported missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The ship with a cargo of bagged salt was due at the Malaysian port of Malacca on May 31. The fate of the ship's crew of 63 is unknown. It is suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE, the crew thrown overboard, and is now been used as a phantom vessel. In December 2006 Jordanian ship, MV Farah III that ran aground near rebel-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice, and risking their lives.

In recent years the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has been able to destroy more than 10 LTTE vessels in the high seas. These include MV HORIZON attacked & destroyed on 14 Feb 1996 in the sea off MULAITHIVU on detection of unloading Arms & Ammunition for the LTTE, MV KOIMARI exploded during an exchange of fire with SLNS SAYURA on 10 March 2002 in the sea off MULAITHIVU, the destruction of two LTTE arms /explosive smuggling ships by the SLN on 18 Mar 2007 in the sea off South East of ARUGAMBAY, destruction of 03 LTTE ships loaded with military hardware on 11 Sep 2007 in the sea off (600 nautical miles) South East DONDRA and destruction of an LTTE military hardware ship named MATSUSHIMA on 07 Oct 2007 in the sea off DONDRA POINT.
 

e) Rudimentary Air capability

The LTTE is the only non-state group in the world to have a manned aerial attack capability. The Air Tigers (‘Vaan Puligal’ in Tamil) have launched nine bombing raids on various targets in Sri Lanka. However, the LTTE's air wing has done more to enhance the group's profile than inflict real damage on the Sri Lankan military. The Air Tigers have acquired their first aircraft in 1998. The LTTE expanded its air wing during the ceasefire period (2002-2006) to include fixed wing aircraft to train pilots and also used the cover of the ceasefire and lifting of restrictions to transport hardware to build a runway. The presence of the Z-143 was confirmed on 26 March 2007 when the Air Tigers launched their first raid on the Katunayake airbase that adjoins Colombo's international airport. LTTE has at least four such aircraft. The most recent attack was on 28 October, 2008 when damage was caused to a power station in the outskirts of Colombo.

In November 2008 Jane’s Intelligence Review revealed that analysis of high resolution commercially available satellite imagery “has allowed Jane’s Intelligence Review to verify that the LTTE have constructed two 1000 metre paved runways between 2002 and 2007: one of which is currently being extended to 2000 metres.” It further noted that “these airstrips are unnecessarily long for the light aircraft that the LTTE uses for aerial attacks and are probably intended to handle larger cargo planes delivering weapons shipments.”

At the time of the initial LTTE air attacks in April 2007, the Indian Defence Minister A.K. Anthony is on record as stating that the Indian Navy has decided to install radars at the coastal areas of Rameswaram, Thondi, Jagathapattanam, Mallipattnam, Kodiyakkari, Thopputhurai and Nagapattinam.
 

f) Cyber terror

The Patterns of Global Terrorism Report 1997 identified the LTTE as being responsible for the first known attack by a “terrorist group” on a target country’s computer system, when in August 1997 a group calling itself “Internet Black Tigers” claimed responsibility for “suicide e-mail bombings” aimed at disrupting the electronic information network/communications systems used by Sri Lanka’s Missions abroad. This brazen act of ‘information warfare’ paralysed the communication systems of most of Sri Lanka’s overseas missions. At the time the US said the incident “did cause us to sit up and take notice” because it was the first of its kind involving a group branded as a terrorist organization by Washington, and was a possible “portent of worse things to come”.

Further, R.E. Kendall, Secretary General of the Interpol addressing the 14th symposium on International Terrorism held in Colombo in September 1999, revealed that the LTTE was among the major terrorist organizations which have websites used not only for propaganda, communications and recruitment, but also for fund raising.
 

g) Links to other terrorist groups

The LTTE leader’s instructions to its offices overseas in 2003 included the need to establish and develop relationships with “other liberation movements” which is suggestive of its continuing desire to maintain linkages with these groups. There is also published research, which highlights such linkages with other terrorist organizations such as United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the Afghan Mujahidin, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), Abu Sayaf, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and possibly to the Al-Qaeda. There is also the element of the LTTE contributing to copy-cat terrorism through its suicide bomb technology, acts of maritime terrorism, and nascent air strike capability.

- Most of the LTTE senior leaders have received specialised training in countries like Lebanon, Libya in the late 80s and since then the LTTE maintains close contacts with groups that have similar interests.

- It has been suggested that the LTTE established linkages with the Mujahidin in Afghanistan as far back as 1987, and in 2001 an LTTE delegation travelled to Kabul shortly before 9/11.

- However the LTTE was cautious in maintaining contacts with these militants following 9/11 attacks for obvious reasons.

- India's National Security Adviser M K Narayanan in a speech at the 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy on 11 February, 2007 has said that both Jihadi movements and the LTTE were relying heavily on funds from trafficking in narcotics.

- The London based International Institute for Strategic Studies in its publication ‘Military Balance 2007’ goes further and refers to commercial links between the LTTE and the Al-Qaeda.


These actions have rightfully alarmed the intelligence communities across the world, because given its global outcome through the network of offices, operatives and vessels, the possibility that the LTTE could offer its services as mercenaries to other groups, should not be discounted.