LTTE Trying to Reorganize, Raising Funds, Buying Weapons
US State Department Says in New Report
German police arrest LTTE operatives
August 18 - (UPDATE: SL-USA) - While there were no terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka after the government formally defeated the LTTE in 2009, Tiger operatives continued to procure weapons and the LTTE diaspora continued to support the organization financially, the US State Department said in its 2010 country report on terrorism released today.
The report cited an attack against a railway in Tamil Nadu in June and the arrest by German police in March of six Tamil migrants living in Germany for using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the LTTE as examples of the group’s continuing activities despite its defeat in Sri Lanka.
Despite the cessation of terrorist activities in the island, there were continuing fears that the LTTE’s network of financial support might still be functioning and Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism activities are now focused on countering terrorist finance, the report said.
About 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP has been allocated for defense and monitoring of Tamil diaspora activity in coordination with foreign governments. The United States provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants.
In February, Sri Lanka provided a high-level written commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to take measures that would adequately criminalize money laundering and terrorist financing and establish procedures to identify and freeze terrorist assets. The government was drafting amendments to the 2005-2006 laws on money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with FATF recommendations, at year’s end.
Commenting on steps Sri Lanka was taking to counter radicalization and violent extremism, the report credited the government with working to restore civil administration, resettle Internally Displaced Persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encourage private sector participation, and promote the development of industries.
According to the report, South Asia and the Near East remained hotbeds of terrorist activity accounting for more than 75% of the world’s attacks and deaths,
The report documented that more than 11, 500 terrorist attacks occurred in 72 countries during 2010, resulting in more than 13,200 deaths.
However, while the number of attacks rose by almost 5 percent from the previous year, the number of deaths declined for a third consecutive year, dropping 12 percent from 2009.
U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation.
"The report focuses on policy-related assessments, country-by- country breakdowns of foreign government counterterrorism cooperation, and contains chapters on WMD terrorism, State Sponsors of Terrorism, Terrorist Safe Havens, and Foreign Terrorist Organizations," the State Department said in a statement.
Related Links
Tamil Tigers sneak through Schagen
German police arrest six Tamil separatists
Train stops 200 ft short of disaster in Tamil Nadu
The report cited an attack against a railway in Tamil Nadu in June and the arrest by German police in March of six Tamil migrants living in Germany for using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the LTTE as examples of the group’s continuing activities despite its defeat in Sri Lanka.
Despite the cessation of terrorist activities in the island, there were continuing fears that the LTTE’s network of financial support might still be functioning and Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism activities are now focused on countering terrorist finance, the report said.
About 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP has been allocated for defense and monitoring of Tamil diaspora activity in coordination with foreign governments. The United States provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants.
In February, Sri Lanka provided a high-level written commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to take measures that would adequately criminalize money laundering and terrorist financing and establish procedures to identify and freeze terrorist assets. The government was drafting amendments to the 2005-2006 laws on money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with FATF recommendations, at year’s end.
Commenting on steps Sri Lanka was taking to counter radicalization and violent extremism, the report credited the government with working to restore civil administration, resettle Internally Displaced Persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encourage private sector participation, and promote the development of industries.
According to the report, South Asia and the Near East remained hotbeds of terrorist activity accounting for more than 75% of the world’s attacks and deaths,
The report documented that more than 11, 500 terrorist attacks occurred in 72 countries during 2010, resulting in more than 13,200 deaths.
However, while the number of attacks rose by almost 5 percent from the previous year, the number of deaths declined for a third consecutive year, dropping 12 percent from 2009.
U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation.
"The report focuses on policy-related assessments, country-by- country breakdowns of foreign government counterterrorism cooperation, and contains chapters on WMD terrorism, State Sponsors of Terrorism, Terrorist Safe Havens, and Foreign Terrorist Organizations," the State Department said in a statement.
Related Links
Tamil Tigers sneak through Schagen
German police arrest six Tamil separatists
Train stops 200 ft short of disaster in Tamil Nadu