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Criminal charges levelled against the LTTE

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This is a listing of various types of charges leveled against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by relevant state actors and agencies.

One factor that has greatly benefited the LTTE has been its sophisticated international support network. While some of the funding obtained by the LTTE is from legitimate fundraising, a significant portion is obtained through criminal activities, extortion among Tamil diaspora,[1][2] involving sea piracy, human trafficking, drug trafficking and gunrunning.[3][4][5][6]

Sea piracy

The LTTE has been accused of hijacking several vessels and ships in waters outside Sri Lanka,[7] including Ocean Trader (in October 1994), Irish Mona (in August 1995), Princess Wave (in August 1996), Athena (in May 1997), Misen (in July 1997), Morong Bong (in July 1997), MV Cordiality (in September 1997), Princess Kash (in August 1998), Newko (in July 1999), Uhana (in June 2000), Fuyuan Ya 225 (Chinese trawler, in March 2003), MV Farah III (in December 2006) and City of Liverpool (in January 2007).[7][8][9][10][11][12] The MV Sik Yang, a 2,818-ton Malaysian-flag cargo ship which sailed from Tuticorin, India on 25 May 1999, went missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. It was suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE to be used as a phantom vessel. Later, in 1999 it was confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by the LTTE.[7][9]

Likewise, the crew of a Jordanian ship, MV Farah III, that ran aground near LTTE-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of risking their lives and forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice.[13]

Arms smuggling

See also: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam § Global network

The LTTE members operated a cargo company called "Otharad Cargo" in the United Arab Emirates. There are reports that the LTTE met Taliban members and discussed the "Sharjah network", which existed in the Sharjah emirate of the United Arab Emirates. The Sharjah network was used by Victor Bout, an arms-smuggling Russian intelligence agent, to provide the Taliban with weapons deliveries and other flights between Sharjah and Kandahar. Otharad Cargo reportedly received several consignments of military hardware from the Sharjah network.[14][15]

The Mackenzie Institute claimed that LTTE's secretive international operations of the smuggling of weapons, explosives, and "dual use" technologies is attributed to the "KP Branch", headed by Selvarasa Pathmanathan prior to 2002.[16] It also claims that the most expertly executed operation of the KP Branch was the theft of 32,400 rounds of 81 mm mortar ammunition purchased from Tanzania destined for the Sri Lanka Army. Being aware of the purchase of 35,000 mortar bombs, the LTTE made a bid to the manufacturer through a numbered company and arranged a vessel of their own to pick up the load. Once the bombs were loaded into the ship, the LTTE changed the name and registration of their ship. The vessel was taken to Tiger-held territory in Sri Lanka's north instead of transporting it to its intended destination.[16] In 2002, Prabhakaran appointed Castro as the international chief of LTTE. He overtook the responsibilities of arms smuggling and related activities from Pathmanathan.[citation needed]

Extortion

LTTE had coerced Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka to give it money, by threatening the safety of their relatives or property in areas under its control.[17][18][19]

Money laundering

In 2008–2009, a report on ″Money laundering and the financing of terrorism″ to the European Union Committee stated a case study related to the LTTE which evidenced the implantation of this terrorist group in number of EU member states.[20] In January 2011, Swiss authorities arrested several LTTE members on money laundering.[21] The Swiss Federal Criminal Court has given no prison terms to alleged financiers of the LTTE. It said the 13 accused were either given suspended custodial sentences or acquitted.[22] In December 2019, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland upheld the 2018 ruling, stating that the hierarchical link with the World Tamil Coordinating Committee "could not be sufficiently established" and that the LTTE is not a criminal group, "even if" it had committed acts of terror.[23]

Passport forgery

In the early 1990s, Canadian authorities uncovered a passport forgery scheme run by Canadian Tamils with links to the LTTE, including one of its founding members.[24][25] In December 2010, Spanish and Thai police uncovered another passport forgery scheme attributed to LTTE.[26]

Drug trafficking

A number of intelligence agencies have accused LTTE of involvement in drug trafficking. In 2010, citing Royal Canadian Mounted Police sources, Jane's Intelligence Review said the LTTE controls a portion of the one billion dollar drug market in Montreal, Quebec.[27] It also states narcotics smuggling using its merchant ships, is one of the main ways of earning money out of its $300 million annual income. The U.S. Department of Justice states that LTTE has historically served as the drug couriers moving narcotics into Europe.[28] Indian authorities accused LTTE operatives of previously bringing narcotics to Mumbai from Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab border.[clarification needed] The drugs were then transported to coastal towns in Tamil Nadu such as Tuticorin, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Kochi, in Kerala State.[29]

Credit card fraud

LTTE was also involved in credit card fraud, in the United Kingdom. In 2010, STF arrested the mastermind behind this fraud, Neshanadan Muruganandan alias Anandan. LTTE had cloned credit cards using PIN and card numbers obtained from unsuspecting card holders in the United Kingdom, and funds were later transferred out of their accounts.[30][31][32] In 2007, Norwegian authorities sentenced six LTTE members for skimming more than 5.3 million Norwegian kroner in a similar credit card scam.[33]

Cyber attacks

In August 1997, an organisation calling themselves the Internet Black Tigers claimed responsibility for the E-mail harassment of various Sri Lankan networks around the world. The group sent mass Emails which contained the text "We are the Internet Black Tigers and we're doing this to disrupt your communications". They were also responsible for repeated attacks on official sites of numerous other governments. [note 1] The LTTE is also accused of having pioneered online fund raising through solicitation and various cyber crimes including identity theft and credit card fraud.[39]

LTTE is also known to use the internet for criminal profit. In such an attack on Sheffield University's computer system they were able to capture legitimate user IDs and passwords of well respected academics and to use them for propaganda and fund raising in a covert manner.[34][36]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ According to Indrajit Banerjee, "This cyber attack in 1997 on Sri Lankan government and consulate network was the first recorded incident on internet terrorism by a conventional terrorist group". A Tamil tiger wing called ″Internet Black Tigers″ were involved in this attack and they were also responsible for repeated attacks on official sites of numerous other governments.[34][35][36][37][38]

References

  1. ^ Wadhwaney, Rohit William (11 May 2006). "Lankan expats 'forced to fund LTTE'". Gulf Times. Gulf Publishing & Printing. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  2. ^ Becker, Jo (14 March 2006). "Funding the "Final War" LTTE Intimidation and Extortion in the Tamil Diaspora" (PDF). Human Rights Watch: 1–5. Retrieved 13 February 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Rabasa, Angel; Chalk, Peter; Cragin, Kim; Daly, Sara A.; Gregg, Heather S.; Karasik, Theodore W.; O’Brien, Kevin A.; Rosenau, William (2006). Beyond al-Qaeda: The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe (PDF). RAND Corporation. pp. 101–108. ISBN 978-0-8330-3932-3. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  4. ^ "US criticises Tamil Tiger smuggling". BBC News. BBC News. 12 February 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  5. ^ "Sri Lankan pleads guilty in Tamil Tigers arms plot". Channel NewsAsia. MediaCorp. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  6. ^ Ross, Barbara (16 October 2007). "Sri Lankan terror gang busted in ATM heist plot". The New York Daily News. Daily News. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Lehr, Peter (2006). Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism. New York: Routledge. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-1135926472. OCLC 847387581.
  8. ^ Parashar, Swati (2008). Maritime Counter-terrorism: A Pan-Asian Perspective. India: Pearson Education India. pp. 45, 187–189. ISBN 978-8131704042. OCLC 842893248.
  9. ^ a b The LTTE in brief Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p. 7. Retrieved on 19 January 2014
  10. ^ Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 – May 2009 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Ministry of Defence and Urban Development – Sri Lanka, p. 19. Retrieved on 19 January 2014
  11. ^ "Jordan confirms Tamil Tigers pirated ship: Reports crew members are safe". Colombo: Asian tribune. 24 December 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  12. ^ Marine News. 1995.
  13. ^ "Jordanian crew slam Tigers for piracy". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 26 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  14. ^ LTTE  : The Jihadi Connection. Jeremie Lanche. IPCS.
  15. ^ Tamil Tiger Links with Islamist Terrorist Groups. Shanaka Jayasekara. 02/03/2008
  16. ^ a b Other people's wars: A Review of Overseas Terrorism in Canada, p. 46., John Thompson, The Mackenzie Institute. Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Failing the test: LTTE extortion continues unchecked". University Teachers for Human Rights. 30 April 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  18. ^ "LTTE extortion ring in Colombo bared". Asia Views. December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  19. ^ "How SL Tamil in Switzerland was coerced to finance the LTTE". Lanka Newspapers. January 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.[dead link]
  20. ^ Money laundering and the financing of terrorism: 19th report of session 2008–09, Vol. 2: Evidence, retrieved on 18 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Swiss authorities arrest LTTE members on money laundering". Switzerland: Anti Money Laundering Law. January 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  22. ^ http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/No-jail-term-for-Swiss-LTTE-financiers-151311.html
  23. ^ "Tamil Tigers acquitted in Switzerland". swissinfo.com.
  24. ^ ″LTTE in brief″, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development – Sri Lanka. p. 7.
  25. ^ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Alien Smuggling, 1 May 1996, accessed 2 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Spanish-Thai forgery probe reveals new links to LTTE". Daily News and Analysis. December 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  27. ^ "Jane's intelligence review says LTTE controls a portion of Montreal's USD 1b drug trade". Ministry of Defense, Sri Lanka. December 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  28. ^ "Narco-Terrorism: International Drug Trafficking and Terrorism – a Dangerous Mix". United States Department of Justice. May 2003. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  29. ^ "LTTE fall will alter drug trade in India". The Times of India. May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  30. ^ Fuard, Asif (30 March 2008). "Tiger paw in the credit card scam". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  31. ^ "SL High Commission bares LTTE links to clone credit card scam in UK". Ministry of Defense. April 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  32. ^ "Mastermind behind LTTE credit card fraud arrested". Ministry of Defense. June 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  33. ^ "LTTE credit card crooks sent to jail in Norway". Asian Tribune. April 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  34. ^ a b Banerjee, Indrajit (2007). The internet and governance in Asia : a critical reader. Singapore: Asian Media Information and Communication Centre. pp. 183–184. ISBN 9789814136020. OCLC 820772336.
  35. ^ Bernadette H Schell, Thomas J. Holt (2011). Corporate Hacking and Technology-Driven Crime: Social Dynamics and Implications. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference. p. 175. ISBN 9781616928056. OCLC 682621348.
  36. ^ a b Denning, Dorothy (2007). "A View of Cyberterrorism 5 Years Later". In Himma, Kenneth Einar (ed.). Internet Security: Hacking, Counterhacking, and Society. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 9780763735364. OCLC 69013085.
  37. ^ Britz, Marjie (2012). Computer forensics and cyber crime : an introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. p. 92. ISBN 9788131764015.
  38. ^ Brian D. Loader, Douglas Thomas (2000). Cybercrime: Security and Surveillance in the Information Age. London: Routledge. p. 233. ISBN 1135122571.
  39. ^ Yvonne Jewkes, Majid Yar (2010). Handbook of Internet crime. Cullompton: Willan. p. 206. ISBN 9781843925231. OCLC 303098099.
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