Security is still critical in peaceful Sri Lanka – Gota

By Chamitha Kuruppu

Although Sri Lanka today is one of the most stable and secure countries in the Asian region, national security is still a critical issue according to Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Rajapakse pointed out that despite the end of the war, Sri Lanka still has enemies, who are still at work to bring back disharmony and conflict to the nation.

Addressing a public gathering on the topic of  ‘Future Challenges Of National Security In Sri Lanka’ the  Defence Secretary said that threats Sri Lanka faces are the reorganisation of the LTTE in the international arena, the possible re-emergence of terrorism within Sri Lanka, efforts by some to take Sri Lanka’s internal issues in front of international bodies, challenges posed by the regional geopolitical situation and the possibility of creating instability within Sri Lanka through indirect means.

He stressed that despite the military defeat of the LTTE and the elimination of its top leadership, the rump of the LTTE’s global establishment is still active. “There are ex-LTTE cadres, pro-LTTE activists and LTTE sympathisers still operating in various guises through various groups in many countries around the world.”

“We are very much aware of the efforts being undertaken in the international arena by the LTTE-linked groups to keep the separatist cause alive. The regrouping and reorganising of terrorists within Sri Lanka is still a threat to our national security. It is only logical that the Government takes every precaution it can to guard against it. Maintaining a sizeable Army and establishing camps in strategic locations throughout Sri Lanka is essential.”

He added that despite the war ending two and a half years ago, there is still a need for the continued existence of a strong military within Sri Lanka, a fact that “the vast majority of Sri Lankans are more than happy with.” However, he said a “handful of people and groups with vested interests” who exploit the political arena uses the large military within Sri Lanka to manufacture claims of “militarisation” and claims of the military having a pervasive influence on day-to-day affairs, particularly in the North and East; a wilful distortion of the actual picture, according to the Defence Secretary.

Rajapakse stated LTTE-linked organisations remained powerful due to the electoral politics of western nations must be understand and the stances that Governments adopt which a consequence of internal politics, taking for example

Canada, the US, UK, Australia and many parts of Europe which have large immigrant Tamil populations who form notable voting blocs within electoral constituencies in those countries.

He said, “Although the number of radicalised elements within the overall Tamil population is small, they are politically very active. These radicalised elements and LTTE-linked groups use skilful propaganda to project their anti-Sri Lanka objectives as goals the entire Tamil population is interested in.”

He claimed that a number of local politicians, state officials and parliamentarians have been elected due to the voting power of such minority blocs in many countries and that quite often voter turnout is very low among traditional populations but high among immigrants, which is why LTTE-linked propaganda groups is taken seriously.

Rajapakse drew the UK as an example, stating that when running for re-election as Mayor of London in 2008, Ken Livingstone sought the active support of the British Tamils Forum during his campaign. A number of Parliamentarians, (Keith Vaz, Simon Hughes and Andrew Pelling), joined a protest march against the Humanitarian Operation organised by the BTF in London in January 2009, an attempt to court an important voting bloc in their constituencies.

The power wielded by the ex-LTTE groups in the domestic politics of foreign nations is not limited to its claim to speak for a significant vote base. The financial strength possessed by the rump of the LTTE’s international network is also a formidable factor, Rajapakse said.

Rajapakse went on to state that although the power of the Government to impede the activities of the LTTE-linked organisations abroad is limited, it has a greater level of control within Sri Lanka.

“The Defence establishment is well aware of the potential threat of terrorism that continues to exist within this country. Action is being taken to guard against that potential threat becoming a real one. One of the primary ways to guard against the re-emergence of terrorism is the strengthening of our intelligence network.”

Commenting about the country’s relationship with China Rajapakse noted, “Western powers are keen to see Sri Lanka never aligns itself with anyone other than them. They are particularly worried that Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly close to powers emerging from this part of the world. There is a strong misperception that exists internationally and even in Sri Lanka about the extent of Chinese influence in this country. The fear in this regard is unfounded. China is a country that Sri Lanka has had a close relationship with for many years.”

He added that the primary involvement of China in Sri Lanka is in commerce and trade. In this regard, Sri Lanka is little different to a number of countries around the world. “China is fast becoming one of the world’s greatest economic powers, and its commercial links and economic influence on other nations will only increase as befits a nation of its strength. This is only natural, and not something to be unduly worried about. Sri Lanka has many friends on the global stage. China is one of them. There is no reason for anyone in Sri Lanka or outside to worry about the relationship between our two nations.”

He stated that a more realistic potential threat to our national security is the possibility that certain groups may strive to create instability in Sri Lanka through indirect methods. Having seen political change accomplished in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya through uprising, some parties that have failed to achieve their objectives through democratic means might resort to such activities here.

“This is only a very minor possibility, but we have already seen certain groups encouraging students to take to the streets in various protests in the recent past. To a certain extent, such protests are perfectly fine as long as they are peaceful, do not disrupt the life of the people, and does not obstruct university education overall. Under such conditions, they are in fact an encouraging indicator of the robustness of our democracy. Unfortunately, there could be some who seek to expand these protests into something less peaceful and therefore less conducive to democratic dialogue. We need to be aware of this possibility and guard against it. The last thing Sri Lanka needs now is for our fast-tracked economic development to be derailed by instability”, Rajapakse said.