|
In a move to crack down on heightened LTTE activity in France, a top level French intelligence team is expected here next week -- to establish a network between the two countries to tackle terrorist funding and arms smuggling.
A top defence official told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the team would be in the country soon, and is expected to have a series of discussions with the heads of the country’s intelligence apparatus during its stay here.
He also revealed that this was a result of discussions between Sri Lankan government officials and French government officials, regarding the setting up of an intelligence network in order to curtail LTTE activities on French soil.
However, he declined to reveal further details regarding the visit of the French team, citing security reasons.
The official added that, while here, the French team hoped to be briefed on the five LTTE suspects arrested in Paris recently.
The French government intensified police operations to crack down on LTTE activities in Paris after it was found that the Tigers had a large network in France involved in illegal activities.
The Sous-Directorate Anti-Terroriste (SDAT), the special anti-terrorist directorate of the French Interior Ministry, raided an LTTE office in Paris on September 22 and arrested five LTTE suspects on the grounds of abduction, extortion, money laundering and involvement in acts that aided terrorism.
Amongst those arrested were the newly appointed LTTE Paris branch head Stalin Saverimuttu, alias Ranjan, and his second in command Shanthan. During the raid the SDAT recovered manuals on weapons, CDs of LTTE suicide bombing operations, cheques, cash amounting to 40,000 euros and 14 credit cards which were later found to have been stolen.
Renowned Chairman of the French Anti-Terrorist Judges, Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere, who was the Guest of Honour at the International Conference on Countering Terrorism, that was held recently in Colombo, said that international cooperation at every level, notably by adopting multilateral or bilateral conventions in the field of judicial cooperation as well as extradition, is necessary for combating terrorism. “The French Government considers that an organization like the LTTE is a terrorist organization like any other, and that its activities, even in the area of logistics, have to be repressed with the same vigour as the terrorist networks operating on our (French) soil and threatening us directly; on this basis the French Government, this April, dismantled a vast network of Tamil militants who had actively supported the LTTE, notably at the financial level," he said.
Daily Mirror
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
