LTTE and Thailand

LTTE has been active in Thailand for two decades and has used Thailand both to acquire weapons, training of cadres and a transit country for weapons smuggling. LTTE has established several front companies and has a broad net of contacts in shipping, military, police and arms dealers. The front companies includes shipping companies, trading firms, restaurants and hotels[2]

Jane's Intelligence Review said in May 2002 that despite the ceasefire declared in February in northern Sri Lanka, regional intelligence sources believe the LTTE is continuing to re-supply the Tigers' guerrilla army.

"While Cambodia is the hub of the LTTE's East Asia network, Thailand continues to serve as the most important country for trans-shipment of munitions and co-ordination of logistics," it said.

"Its excellent communications infrastructure, proximity to former war zones in both Cambodia and Myanmar, and its western coastline facing the Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka beyond have made Thailand the crucial interface between the LTTE's war and its relentless procurement efforts in the region."

In March 2005 Jane's Intelligence Review reported LTTE was again on a shopping spree in Thailand. The weapons they now are purchasing is probably funds given by International NGO and the Tamil Diaspora intended for the Tsunami victims.

LTTE has very limited support, if any, among Thai politicians or the public in general. The fact that they have operated in Thailand for so long is purely due to corruption and the Thai liberal policies.

LTTE front companies and sympathisers in Bangkok have provided an extensive logistics network. Munitions have moved not only through Phuket, but also Ranong and Krabi on the Andaman cost, as well as Sattaship on the Gulf of Thailand. 

Carl Gustav rocket launcher. The standard rocket launcher used by the Norwegian Army, seized from the LTTE in Ranong, Thailand

In January 2000, Thai police seized a trawler near Ranong, carrying Carl Gustav rocket launchers. The incident, which was hushed up, involved a link-up among the LTTE, anti-Yangon Karen guerrillas and the Arakan Liberation Party. Intelligence sources[3] say LTTE has moved arms through Haadyai and Songkhia on the Gulf of Thailand after April 2000.

Thai Army Chief General Surayudh Chulanont claimed the Tigers were running front companies in Thailand as smokescreens for arms purchases[4].

Thailand is a victim of LTTE terrorism

Thailand had several terrorist attacks in 2004 and 2005. The first three months of 2005 a total of 24 people were reported killed and 134 were injured in terrorist attacks in Thailand.  The latest terror attacks were outside the areas were the Muslims are in majority. The Muslim extremist, believed to be associated with Jemah Islamiya (JI), is now targeting tourist, shopping malls, railroads and airports.

The terrorist have been able to get hold of several tons of explosives and 380 M-16 weapons. A major attack against tourist destinations can be the extremist next target.

LTTE has trained the Jemaah Islamiya (JI). The Maritime Intelligence Group, a Washington based think thank, has informed about the risk for attacks against cruise vessels, oil and gas tankers from Jemaah Islamiya using skills learned from their LTTE training. 

It is also believed the JI is cooperating with the LTTE drug smuggling activities. Jemaah Islamiya has links to the Abu Sayaaf Group and Al-Qaida. Thailand might become a victim of other terrorist groups trained, financed or equipped by the LTTE. South Asia  Analyst Group  have found numerous links between terrorist groups and the LTTE that pose a terror treat to Thailand and neighbouring countries.

Why LTTE and Thailand

Distance

There is only 2.200 kilometres from Thailand to Northern Sri Lanka.

Coastline

Thailand's long coastline, porous borders, modern infrastructure, corrupt officials and a history of gun-running since regional conflicts of the 1950s, make it an ideal location for weapons traders and buyers.

Experts say that some of the arms sold in Thailand are rusty left-overs from the Cambodian conflict, but brand-new weapons are also freely available, either smuggled from China or obtained illegally from legal manufactures. There are more than 10.000 trawlers and other vessels roaming the Thai seas. This makes it difficult to monitor weapon smuggling activities.

Corruption

The corruption is widespread in Thailand. During the visit to Phuket in November 2004 several business owners were interviewed and all of them talk about the corruption and extortion in the police. Corruption is a nuisance for the legitimate business owners, but corrupt police officers are a great asset to terrorist and criminals.

Corruption is a well documented problem in Thailand and substantial research[1] has been done. Needless to say the corruption problem is a problem for the fight against terrorism, narcotics and illegal activities.

LTTE operatives arrested in Thailand

Three LTTE operatives was arrested in the Ranong province in Thailand May 12th  2003. The arrested men were Sujit Gunapala (27), Sasiljaran Teverajah (27) and Satiepawan Arseawatap (34). They were arrested with 10 Glock pistols and three HK Mark 23 pistols. The LTTE operatives plead guilty and received in November 2003 a five years jail sentence.

Following the arrest 14 Thais were arrested, whereof 8 were police and military officers. They were believed to be in the same gun smuggling ring.

The weapons confiscated from the LTTE operatives in Thailand are similar to those used by the Norwegian Special Forces and SWAT teams around the world.

LTTE Weapons confiscated in Thailand

In 1998 a number of fishing vessels carrying weapons, mostly machine guns, were impounded in Thailand and at in least two cases were linked to the Tamil Tigers a Thai military source was quoted by the Kyodo News service.

LTTE and Phuket

The LTTE has been present in Phuket since the late 80?s. In 1990, port authorities at Penang impounded the Sunbird, a LTTE commercial vessel, and seized diving and communication equipment and some ammunition. The Sunbird has called regularly in Phuket. When a LTTE base in Myanmar was closed in 1996 after protests from Colombo, the Thailand Andemans seaports became still more important. According to SLA Brigadier Sunil Tennakoon[5] the LTTE has been active in Phuket and costal waters along the Indian Ocean since 1996. 

In December 1993 merchant vessel Yahata left Phuket with a large consignment of weapons destined for Sri Lanka. Krishnakumar ?Kittu? Sathasivam, a close associate of LTTE supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran, led the operation and when the Indian Navy intercepted the ship, Kittu blew it up and drowning along with several of his crew members.

Lloyds list reported on March 26 2000 that the Tamil Tigers were operating a base on a island near Phuket and set up a shipping base in Thailand to smuggle arms and drugs after being forced out of Burma.

?Army Chief Surayud Chulanont has told reporters the military has known of LTTE operations in Southern Thailand for some time. The Bangkok Post reported that an Army Intelligence Unit had photographed Tamil rebels transferring weapons to the island of Koh racha Yai, 15 kilometres from Phuket on May 24 2000.?[6]  

Arrests in Phuket

July 3rd 2002 Thai Police arrested in the Muang district the Thai national Prachumphol Rangphung (30) and confiscated six rocket propelled grenades, two M-67 hand grenades and AK-47 bullets. It was believed the weapons were to be delivered to the LTTE or the rebels in Aceh Indonesia.

Arrests in Bangkok

The 18 January 2005 the Thai Police raided a Bangkok apartment and arrested Kangasabai Sabanathan and seized 700 forged passports. Sabananthan has been operating in Thailand since 1992 and is a LTTE cadre with links to senior LTTE officials.

Norwegian LTTE agent building submarine in Phuket

Christy Reginold Lawrence was arrested the 9th April 2000 by the Phuket Marine Police. He was driving his 17 meter long speedboat loaded with food and petrol heading for international waters. When the police accompanied him to his shipyard Seacraft Co. Ltd. they found a half built mini submarine. The hull was 3,6 meters and the tail, which has a rudder and designed to hold a propeller was 1,6 meter long Total length 5,2 meters, capable of accommodating 2-3 persons. 

The Thai police also discovered sophisticated sonar and GPS systems, satellite phones, combat training videos in Tamil, LTTE calendars and uniforms.  Sri Lanka?s ambassador to Thailand Karunatilaka Amunagama said the submarine was similar to one sized by Sri Lankan Government Forces from the LTTE in Jaffna in the early 1990?s.

Lawrence was released on bail put up by the Norwegian Government[7].

The LTTE agent Christy Reginold Lawrence was found guilty by the The Phuket Criminal Court. The Court imposed a fine of 6000 Bath on Christmas day 2000 and deported him to Norway.

Norwegian ex-special forces training the LTTE in Thailand.

Norwegian ex- Special Forces have provided underwater demolition training to the LTTE in Thailand. Norwegians living in Phuket has verified Norwegian divers were in Phuket at the time this training allegedly has taken place. However they could not confirm these divers has been in the Norwegian Special Forces. 

Canadian Intelligence Services says in its commentary # 77 March 17, 2000 written by Dr. Peter Chalk[8]:

?A small island in the Andaman Sea also serves as an important LTTE naval base used to train the group?s Sea Tiger Wing. It is alleged that Norwegian ex-special forces instruct LTTE frogmen at this base, providing particularly useful lessons in the techniques and tactics of underwater demolition.?  

LTTE weapons smuggling leader in Thailand

Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingham aka Kumaran Pathmanathan (49) (KP)  He is a key LTTE leader in charge of weapons smuggling and believed to live in Thailand and Cambodia. 

He is one of Interpol most wanted terrorists. Wanted for participation in terrorism and the murder of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. 

?With more than 20 passports to his name, and possessing the ability to pass himself off as a middle class Tamil, Kumaran travels widely. However Sri Lankan intelligence sources believe his main bases has been Singapore, Rangoon, Bangkok and, more recently, Johannesburg; he is alleged to have held various bank accounts in London, Frankfurt, Denmark, Athens and Australia?[9].

LTTE arms deals in the high seas

The vice-governor of Phuket province, Manit Nattanasaen, said improved intelligence gathering was expected to net more arms smugglers.

"Phuket is just the channel for arms shipments and mostly the deals are done on the high seas," he said. "Now we are trying to find a more aggressive strategy on the seas."[10]

LTTE co-operation with other groups.

The LTTE has allegedly been cooperating with Jemah Islamiya, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Karen National Union (KNU), The Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT), and the Shan State Army (SSA). 

We also know the LTTE has cooperated with Al-Qaeda and two LTTE instructors has helped in the training of their terrorists. The attack against the USS Cole shows how skilfully the Al-Qaeda has implemented the Sea Tigers tactics in their terrorist attacks. Soosai, the Commander of the Sea Tigers, the marine armed wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam told BBC's Frances Harrison that the terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda had copied terrorist tactics from them[11].

LTTE and SAMS

We know the LTTE has been able to acquire several surface to air missiles and have successfully used several against the Sri Lankan air force. The SLA seized in June 1998 an IGLA launcher and two missiles during a search of a LTTE hideout in Mannar. They also tried to buy this system in Laos in February 2003 from Rosboronexport. 

The IGLA man-portable surface-to-air missile system is designed to engage low-flying approaching and receding fixed/rotary aircraft and to ensure pin-point anti-aircraft protection of installations and units in the battlefield.

The system comprises a tiring set, target designation aids, maintenance facilities, and training equipment. The firing set includes a 9M39 homing missile kept in a launch tube, a grip-stock launching mechanism, and a ground power supply source.

The missile's optical seeker contains a logic selection unit to enhance system's acquisition capability when engaging targets using IR decoys. A man-portable electronic plotting board serves as the target designator for the IGLA system. It acquires data from automated theatre-range AD control posts and displays location, direction and identity of aerial targets within a 12.5 km distance. The plotting board is able to track up to four targets. The system can be interfaced with an IFF interrogator.

LTTE and Laos

Two Sri Lankan citizens found to be members of the LTTE in Laos had approached the representative of Russian state organisation 'Rosboronoexport'[12] to procure small arms, anti-aircraft missile complex 'IGLA, communication means and other types of military equipment. The LTTE approached the Russian company in Laos in February 2003. 

The Russian authorities have brought this to the attention of the Interior Ministry in Laos. The Russian ambassador to Sri Lanka Mikhail G. Karpov has given the passport number and the name of one of these men to the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry.

LTTE and Cambodia

The first LTTE operations in Phnom Penh were run out of the Rani restaurant, whose upper story was a virtual arsenal. Downstairs, a secretary handled professionally forged passports and visas. The LTTE?s primary arms buyer, Selvarajah Pathmanathan,aka T.S. Kumaran, was seen in Phom Phen in the mid-nineties. 

The Rani restaurant is gone, but similar establishments have sprung up along Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh. It is believed that about 50 LTTE cadres[13] are operating from Phnom Penh, smuggling arms through the Cambodian ports of Koh Kong and Sihanoukville.

LTTE and Myanmar

LTTE has been connected to narcotics trade in both Cambodia and Myanmar[14]. Dr. Peter Chalk comments on the LTTE and drugs in the Canadian Intelligence report[15]: LTTE is in a particularly advantageous position to traffic narcotics thanks to the highly efficient international network it has developed to smuggle munitions around the world. Many of these arms routes pass either directly through or very close to, major drug producing and transit centres, including Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, southern China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Moreover, a fair amount of circumstantial evidence exists which suggests at least some sort of nexus between the LTTE and narcotics operations. The Mackenzie Institute has documented the arrests, worldwide, of several Tamils with links to militant organizations for drug running since the early 1980s, including V. Manoharan, the LTTE?s present International Chief.[16] Indeed after Manoharan signed a petition challenging the US designation of the LTTE as a terrorist group in 1997, INTERPOL disclosed that he had been imprisoned in France for two years for possession of heroin. Suspicions that the narcotics had been traded on behalf of the Tigers were subsequently raised after it was discovered that Prabhakaran had authorized LTTE France to pay a monthly salary to his family while he was in jail.

Terror treat in Thailand

Australia and several European countries issued a terror warning in travelling to Thailand in 2002[17]. Thailand can become a terror target and a terror attack could significantly influence the revenues to the Thai tourism industry. The Muslim separatist groups in the south might also pose a treat. Thai police has arrested four suspected members of Jemaah Islamiya[18] implicated in a plan to bomb numerous targets in Thailand.

Due to this it should be in Thailand?s self interest to fight the LTTE and other terrorist groups currently operating in Thailand. International experts[19] say Thailand must improve its security mindset. In November 2004 the US Department of Defence held an Anti terror seminar in Phuket for 57 Thai Police officers.

The multiple terror attacks in  Southern Thailand in April 2005 is likely to be a start of a terror wave. We have now seen the Muslim extremist attack outside the areas where the Muslims are in majority. The targets now include tourist, train stations and airports. It is likely a major attack will be made against key tourist destinations in Thailand. The Jemaah Islamiya has received training from the LTTE and an attack against cruise vessels calling Thai ports is not unlikely. Kweilen Kimmelman, a senior analyst at the Maritime Intelligence Group, told a conference on shipping security about the LTTE / Jemaah Islamiya cooperation. ?They have had training in our estimation ? certainly in terms of suicide diving capabilities and ramming.?

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) issued in June 2005 a new travel warning to Thailand. DFAT says in their statement  "While so far this violence has been limited to southern Thailand, the escalation of violence in the south may result in attacks elsewhere in Thailand including Bangkok and other tourist areas."

Conclusion

The LTTE has an efficient logistical network in Thailand and well established contacts with weapons dealers, suppliers and corrupt officials. Their front companies operate within the legal framework and their illegal activities are difficult to detect. Thailand has become a safe haven for wanted LTTE terrorist and little has been done to track those down. LTTE has cooperated with insurgency groups in the South East Asia that pose a treat to Thailand, India, Malaysia, Burma and Indonesia. 

The failure to stop the LTTE and other terrorism group?s weapons smuggling has probably cost thousands of lives in neighbouring countries and in Sri Lanka.  Several hundred Thai citizens and foreigners has been killed or injured in Thailand from terrorist attacks the last six months.  Responsible for the terrorism in Thailand are extremist connected to the Jemaah Islamiya, a terrorist group that has been trained by the LTTE.

A major attack against tourist destinations is likely in 2005. The Muslim extremist has already tons of explosives that could be used for a major attack. 

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