Greater vigilance in light of India, Pakistan terrorist attacks 

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has claimed that there is no security threat to Sri Lanka despite the two terrorist attacks in India and Pakistan this week saying the country’s security remains stable due to the active presence and vigilance of its intelligence agencies.

At least 13 people were killed and number of others injured due to an explosion in the busy red Fort area of Old Delhi, India on Monday while at least 12 people were killed in a suicide blast in Islamabad, Pakistan in a terrorist attack on Tuesday. Though Minister Wijepala sounds super confident that Sri Lanka is secure from such attacks, being cautiously optimistic may be a better idea than being complacent.

One reason to be cautious is that Indian media reports this week suggested that the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate which is linked to the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 is colluding with the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to move drugs through South India. The issue was flagged recently by intelligence agencies —with intercepts suggesting that the Mumbai-based crime group was in touch with former LTTE members. The two have long-standing ties and remain engaged with common networks for various illegal activities, Indian media reported.

The crime group is also believed to be tapping into the banned militant organisation’s network — both in Sri Lanka and India to help further their drug business.

There have been numerous reports from India in recent months on the links between the LTTE and drug lords and the attempts to revive the group. This is amidst a high-profile war on drugs that has been undertaken by the Government and hence the need to be extra vigilant.

The nexus between terrorist groups and the drug trade is well known. The LTTE was involved in such activities along with gun running, extortion etc.to fund its activities. The LTTE may no longer be active on Lankan soil but remains active in different corners of the world. The LTTE is banned in over 30 countries including the United States, Canada, India, the European Union. The reason is that the group is considered a threat to security.

Other than the LTTE, there are other groups that pose a threat to the country’s security. The presence of a significant number of Israeli tourists is seen by security experts as a possible reason for terrorist attacks in the country.

Last October, the US Embassy in Colombo issued a warning to citizens based on “credible information” warning of an attack in the southeast of the country. The embassy said in a post on its website that the threat was related to “popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area”. The warning was withdrawn some days later, but the US travel advisories still warn that there is a risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Sri Lanka.

All this makes it important the government does not take these warnings lightly.

It’s well-known that it was intelligence failures that led to the deadly Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. There were prior warnings of possible attacks and intelligence services in the country were well aware of this, but their negligence and indifference led to the terrible tragedy. Those who head the intelligence units may be new now but that does not mean the Government should be complacent over security matters. 

Minister Wijepala is known to make fanciful statements from time to time only to retract them a few days later. His war on drugs seems to be more of a media show given that some of the high-profile drug finds in Kandana and Middeniya have been found to be duds. 

The country can only hope the intelligence services are doing a better job.