Terrorism Expert Rohan Gunaratna Says LTTE Attempting to Reorganize in Canada

Decrying Canada’s lax immigration system and accusing the country of being “soft on terrorism,” Singapore-based terrorism expert, Rohan Gunaratna, warned that Canada would emerge as the main center of activity for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist group whose leadership was annihilated by Sri Lanka’s security forces in 2009 after nearly 30-years of fighting.

“LTTE leadership in Norway is seeking to reorganize in Canada,” Gunaratna said. “In the coming years, (in) the very same way Canada became the most important base of Babbar Khalsa International (an Indian para-military group involved in the Punjab insurgency), Canada will emerge as the main center of LTTE activity.”
Gunaratna made these comments to the Sri Lanka News Network (SLNN) following reports that another ship with Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka would set sail for Canada soon. Gunaratna, who heads the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, confirmed those reports.

“The LTTE criminal network in Southeast Asia is still in the process of collecting people, meaning collecting funds,” Gunaratna said. “It will take a few more months to organize the next ship but the LTTE is actively approaching those who wish to travel to Canada.”

In early September, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) segregated dozens of the 492 illegal migrants who arrived on board the MV Sun Sea on suspicion they could be linked to the LTTE. Despite Canada having banned the LTTE for being a “terrorist organization,” Gunaratna said Canada is still a “favorite destination of terrorists and criminals.”

“There is no country that is so generous to migrants that use legal and illegal means,” Gunaratna said. “Anyone who lands in Canada is able to enter Canada. This was aptly demonstrated by Canada’s weak response to MV Ocean Lady. Those on board MV Ocean Lady included arms smugglers from North Korea to Sri Lanka, including a terrorist on an Interpol red notice.”

Last week the Vancouver Sun reported Canada’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney saying in Paris that the federal government will attempt to toughen its domestic anti-smuggling law with harsher penalties and seek a formal accord with the European Union in a two-pronged bid to contain the inflow of bogus refugee claimants. Kenney made the pledge after a meeting with fellow ministers from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Greece and Belgium.

Speaking at the Galle Dialogue Maritime Conference last month, Sri Lanka’s Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also pointed out the need for tough international laws to detain human smuggling vessels in international waters.

“Charging anything between US$15,000 to US$40,000 per immigrant, this human smuggling operation poses a significant threat because it allows trained terrorist cadres to enter other nations while disguised as civilians or refugees,” Rajapaksa said. “It should be noted that these operations benefit from a lax legal framework that prevents the detention of such vessels while in international waters.”

A spokesman for the Canadian Tamil Congress, David Poopalapillai, has said Canada should address the root of the migrant problem by joining with other nations to put pressure on Sri Lanka to end its mistreatment of the Tamil minority. Many of the illegal immigrants cite human rights abuses as the reason for leaving Sri Lanka.

Gunaratna said if Canada doesn’t act now, its generosity will be abused.

“If the Canadian government developed a robust response after MV Ocean lady arrived, (the) MV Sun Sea would not have landed in Canada,” Gunaratna said. “Canada must act now. Otherwise, its generosity will be abused. As the Canadian system is so open to abuse, the Tamil Tiger leadership sitting in Norway is laughing at Canada’s lax response.