Gota calls for watch over activities of non-state actors; incidence of transnational crime

The Government says activities of non-state actors and incidence of transnational crime in particular need to be closely monitored and guarded against and as such improving the cooperation and collaboration between nations is essential.
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that one of the primary aspirations of all countries in the South Asian and South East Asian region is to maintain peace and stability for their continued economic development. He said that maintaining regional stability as well as upholding national security is key to achieving this aspiration.
The Defence Secretary said this while speaking at the South and South East Asian Nations (SA-SEAN) Dialogue of Chiefs of Defence Staff in Colombo yesterday.
Speaking further, Rajapaksa said that reducing tensions and overcoming misunderstandings between countries in the region is very important.
“At the same time, it has to be borne in mind that the threats and issues faced by nations today can have regional and even global linkages as well as ramifications. Activities of non-state actors and incidence of transnational crime in particular need to be closely monitored and guarded against. As such, improving the cooperation and collaboration between nations is essential,” he said.
He also recalled that during the war the LTTE was a sophisticated terrorist organisation with a large international network and its operatives were based in a large number of countries in Asia, Western Europe, North America and Australasia.
He said that while the LTTE was militarily active in Sri Lanka, this network used illegal means such as extortion, the sale of narcotics, credit card fraud as well as voluntary contributions from elements in the Tamil population overseas, to amass vast sums of money.
“This money was used to finance terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. Money was sent through the banking system to LTTE front organisations, as well as more directly through the Hawala system. The funds were also used to procure a remarkable arsenal of weapons that was shipped to Sri Lanka through international waters on board vessels sailing under various flags. Once these vessels were in proximity to Sri Lanka, the LTTE used smaller craft to transport the weapons to land. The LTTE used these weapons to wage a war of great ferocity against the state until it was defeated in May 2009. The methods the LTTE used clearly illustrate the ways in which terrorism and other threats to our peace and security have links abroad,” he said.
He said that countries within the South and South East Asian have been used by non-state actors as meeting places, transit points or even temporary bases from which to initiate their activities. (Colombo Gazette)