Jihad in Sri Lanka Courtesy of Pakistan?

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

March 24, 2006

Peace still no certainty for Sri Lanka: Interview with LTTE political advisor, Dr Anton Balasingham

By: Helen Vatsikopoulos (First Broadcast 24/3/2006)


The civil war in Sri Lanka between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) looks set to continue despite upcoming peace talks.

Although a ceasefire is in place, violence continues and the LTTE alleges the government is using paramilitary forces in a "shadow war". The LTTE claims that one of the paramilitaries is an Islamic Jihad group with links to Pakistan's security forces. The presence of paramilitaries could derail the peace process.

Helen Vatsikopoulos talks to Dr Anton Balasingham, political leader of the LTTE, about these developments.

The last thing Sri Lanka needs is an Islamic Jihad. With a death toll of over 60,000 in a decades-long civil war, allegations of an Islamic Jihad paramilitary group operating against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, is causing further fractures in an already tenuous peace.

Now, next month's peace talks are in doubt. While the government denies allegations of Islamic paramilitaries, Tamil Tiger leaders say they have the proof.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: The cease-fire was conditional on the government disarming Tamil paramilitary groups, whom the Tigers allege are fighting a shadow war, with government knowledge and support. During talks, the Tigers revealed the group's locations, names and details. The LTTE is still reeling over the defection of their one-time Eastern Commander, Karuna, two years ago. Karuna turned on his former comrades to run a government-sponsored paramilitary group in Tamil country in the east.

Karuna, paramilitary leader: The northern leadership is not considered the sole representatives of the Tamils now. They cannot be the representatives of the people living in the east.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: The government had succeeded in turning Tamil against Tamil. But the bombshell came with LTTE allegations of a Jihad Muslim paramilitary group operating in the east, with links to Pakistan's Secret Service. The government and Muslim groups have denied the existence of a Jihad group, but the Tigers claim to have the proof. There is a long history of Tamil Tigers killing Muslims, which LTTE now conveniently blames on former Tiger Commander Karuna. But if paramilitaries aren't disarmed, peace talks are in danger.

So, why are things so deadlocked? Well, the Tigers are facing a fierce opponent in President Mahinda Rajapakse. The hard-line President won power opposing Tamil demands, something the Tigers helped facilitate by boycotting the elections, and securing the defeat of Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was more sympathetic to their cause. So, is Sri Lanka about to plunge into war again? The United States Human Rights Watch group says the Tigers are extorting the Tamil diaspora for money, to fund a final war. And the LTTE says the government is also preparing for war.

The man who made the Jihad allegations at the Geneva peace talks is the Tamil Tigers' long-time ideologue. These days, Dr Anton Balasingham is the Tigers' chief negotiator and political advisor. I spoke to him from London, in a rare interview with the western media.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Dr Anton Balasingham, welcome to Focus.

Anton Balasingham, LTTE political advisor: Thank you.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Now, you claim peace talks are in jeopardy because of this "shadow war" also being fought by Tamil paramilitaries controlled by the government. What evidence do you have of this?

Anton Balasingham: We have provided quite a lot of evidence documentary evidence, maps and other details to the Sri Lankan government with regard to their existence and functions, with regard to their leadership, their command structure, the location of their camps in the government-controlled areas. And we have submitted ample evidence to substantiate that these groups are actively functioning with the Sri Lankan troops in their offensive military campaigns against the LTTE.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: What makes you think the authorities can control them? Because they sound as if they've got a will of their own to fight you.

Anton Balasingham: Most of these armed paramilitaries are operating in the government military establishments, in the military camps. So, if Rajapakse government genuinely wants peace, the escalation in normalcy, they can put an end to this violence by disarming these paramilitaries.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: One of these paramilitary groups is run by Karuna, your former Eastern Commander. Why did Karuna defect?

Anton Balasingham: He has been misbehaving in the sense that there has been a lot of complaints about misappropriation of funds. He has been involved in recruiting underage cadets, and he has been committing serious crimes against the Muslim population in the east.

What is disturbing is that the Sri Lankan armed forces are helping him, harbouring him, sustaining him and helping him in this subversive role against the LTTE. That is a most alarming development.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: These Tamil paramilitary groups were once your people. They've turned against you, so doesn't that mean you no longer can represent the Tamil community, that it's now Tamil against Tamil?

Anton Balasingham: We are not asking the government to disband the political structure of these organisations. Let them function as political organisations. But their armed wings have to be curtailed, and have to be dismantled, because it's posing a serious challenge to the peace process.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: You claim that one of these paramilitary groups is a Tamil Muslim Jihad group. What can you tell us about this group? Because the Muslims in the east deny their existence.

Anton Balasingham: Yeah, we know why the Muslim political organizations are denying, is the fact that because the international community will be seriously concerned if there is a Muslim terrorist organization functioning in Sri Lanka, with connections.

I think we have evidence to prove that this Jihad organization has connections with the Pakistani Military Intelligence. Therefore, they are formally denying it. But we have ample evidence, and we can further submit evidence if the Muslim leaders contact us.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: But it beggars belief that any government would allow the growth of a Muslim Jihad group, and one with links to Pakistan, in this current international climate.

Anton Balasingham: Yeah, that is a dangerous thing. But the Sri Lankan government has a very good relationship with Pakistan and China, that is our worry. Because Sri Lanka has been getting military assistance and training from Pakistan. And also they have very close relationship with China.

So, we are seriously worried whether the intervention of Pakistan in this matter, in training and providing assistance to the Jihad movement, will have serious repercussions. It may have serious repercussions in India, if India comes to know more about these Jihad groups.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Dr Balasingham, is it any wonder that you're having difficulties with this hard-line president? Because by boycotting the elections, you prevented the sympathetic candidate from gaining power.

Anton Balasingham: We are prepared to deal with the hard-liners, rather than with the soft-liners who promise certain things and never fulfil anything. So, let us take up this challenge and negotiate with the hard-liners and see how far they will tackle the problem.

Our concern is to impress upon the international community that the real problem, the real impediment to the resolution of the Tamil problem are the Sinhalese hard-liners.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: So, how can the international community put pressure on this government?

Anton Balasingham: I think the international community can assert tremendous influence on the Sri Lankan political system, because the Sri Lankan government is totally depending on the foreign aid that is given by the aid-giving countries.

So, these co-chairs of the aid-giving countries of the international community can exert enough pressure on Sri Lankan political leaders to offer something reasonable, something fair to the Tamil people like this, at these last stages.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Dr Anton Balasingham, thank you.

Anton Balasingham: Thank you very much.