State secrets and national interest

The Central Intelligence Agency of US has killed many foreign leaders and KGB, MOSSAD, BOSS, RAW and various intelligence services have interfered in internal affairs of many a country. However there is an unwritten law that the actions taken in the national interest should not be questioned by opposition political parties because the nation is the top priority.

Any student of political science and international affairs is aware that heads of governments in any form of government, whether democracy, dictatorship or monarchy, from time to time take steps that may interfere in the internal affairs of another nation or violate the law of another country. However, such steps are taken in the belief that they would be in the interest of his or her nation.

It is no secret that US Presidents have instructed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to assassinate Patrice Lumumba of Congo and President Salvador Allende of Chile. CIA also made several unsuccessful attempts on the lives of President Castro and Colonel Muammar Ghaddafi with the prior approval of the President of the United States. What is interesting here is that not a single leader of either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party or the members of the US Congress or the US Senate raised these issues or demanded that the President should disclose these coveted activities. The simple reason for this covert approval of the opposition is that they were unanimous in their opinion that these actions were taken in the interest of the United States.

Closer home, in India Mrs Indira Gandhi has authorized the Research and Analyses Wing (RAW) to launch certain illegal activities in several neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The then Sri Lanka High Commissioner Bernard Tilakaratna called on the Indian Opposition Leader Atal Behari Vajpayee several times and told him about the attempts of interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and urged him to raise it in Parliament. Mr Vajpayee diplomatically and politely declined and explained that it was not the policy of the Indian opposition to challenge the Government on its foreign policy and defense issues.

Contrary to this unwritten foreign tradition, recently, several Sri Lankan politicians questioned the government on measures taken to get LTTE funds and assets back to the country. It is not a surprise when a minor political party which from time to time challenged the democratic system of Sri Lanka to resorts to such tactics which are detrimental to the national interest.

However, a leader of a national party which ruled the country for over three decades, to make such statements and pose challenges to the government on such sensitive matters is, to say the least, highly detrimental to the national interest.

Sri Lankan intelligence officers, in their global campaign against LTTE terrorist activities have launched many a secret mission in different parts of the world. Some of their actions may not have been strictly within the legal systems of those countries. These gallant agents have risked their lives and may have violated many laws in different countries in their attempts to destroy or disrupt LTTE global fund raising and money laundering activities.

The arrest or rather the abduction of Kumaran Pathmanathan was one of the highlights of the activities of our valiant intelligence officers. If one strictly adheres to the laws of Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia, it would have been impossible to trace notorious KP. When such a mission has ended successfully, it is the duty of the entire nation to hail the heroes without raising embarrassing and damaging questions on their modus operandi.

It is general knowledge that there are thousands of LTTE-owned commercial establishments in many countries. Although the LTTE had invested money to start these commercial establishments, they have been registered under the names of loyal LTTE cadres or sympathizers who have obtained nationality of those countries. Hence the legitimate owners of these commercial ventures are Sri Lankan Tamils who are now citizens of those countries. I am in a position to provide the names of commercial establishments in la Chapelle in Paris and Grondland in Oslo owned by Tamils of Sri Lankan origin. But the funds for these ventures came from the LTTE.

As the legitimate owners are citizens of those countries they have all the legal protections of the judicial systems in those countries. Hence it will be an extremely difficult task to get these LTTE funds back to the country through legal means.

However, experts on military police intelligence will no doubt explore possibilities to get the LTTE owned ships and other valuable resources by various methods and such methods cannot be disclosed to the public for obvious reasons.

Under these circumstances, the nation should allow these intelligence officials to operate without any hindrance. This is a time, when all the politicians, officials and ordinary individuals should refrain from asking embarrassing questions on the methodology of obtaining LTTE funds and assets back to the country. The opposition leader could ask the President to confide him on these actions, but he should not reveal them as it would be detrimental to the national interest.

- Asian Tribune -