COCAINE, TAMIL TIGERS AND TERRORISM

Despite almost every terrorist organization having representation in
Canada, Canadians are too apathetic when it comes to terrorism and
organized crime, says a Toronto researcher.

The Tamil Tigers from Sri Lanka are engaging in illicit activities in
Canada, with more than 200,000 supporters in Toronto and approximately
50,000 between Ottawa and Montreal.

Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are
listed as terrorist organizations by the United States, Great Britain
and the United Nations Security Council.

Canada have not listed the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist
organization.

John Thompson, the president of the Mackenzie Institute in Toronto,
has been studying the Tamil Tigers for approximately eight years and
attended the conference on terrorism held at the University of New
Brunswick last weekend.

Thompson discussed the links between the Tamil Tigers, terrorism and
criminal activity.

"Most modern terrorist groups, if they are going to survive, are going
to have to get involved with criminal activities, for example,
narcotics, people smuggling, and sometimes even sponsorship of
prostitution, counterfeiting, and consumer fraud," said Thompson.

He claims most people don't understand the links between organized
crime and terrorism.

"Every amount of cocaine goes to support FARC [the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Columbia], if someone is smoking hashish, it goes to support
Hezbollah in Lebanon," he explained.

According to Thompson, Toronto generates two million dollars a month
that goes to support the war chest of the Tamil Tigers.

The Tigers of Tamil Eelam fight for an independent Tamil state,
separate from the Sri Lankan Government. According to Thompson, there
have been no terrorist attacks on western nations by this group.

The organizer of last weekend's conference on terrorism held at the WU
Centre, Dr. David Charters, insists it's important to examine
organized crime and terrorism groups.

"A lot of the talk on the war on terrorism focuses on the military
operations overseas... but so much of the war on terror goes on behind
the scenes, a lot of it is police work, following the money [trail],
and watching what kinds of criminal activities are going on,"
explained Charters.

Charters organized the annual conference for the Centre of Conflict
Studies at UNB, inviting guest speakers from around the world to
participate. People from as far away as Latin America, the Caribbean
and Eastern Europe came to learn about countering terrorism and
policing methods.

"What we're doing is bringing together a lot of expertise, academic,
government, police, intelligence and so on, and we're trying to learn
what other people know about the problems of organized crime and law
enforcement in different parts of the world," said Charters.

Detective Inspector Terry Pearce, from the Anti-Terrorist branch of
Scotland Yard, presented the initiatives used by the United Kingdom to
track terrorists.

"Since September 11th, we've been identified as a target so we really
have to harden our resolve," said Pearce.

The Detective Inspector has been on the police force for 29 years,
spending the last 12 years focusing on countering terrorism.

"We have had many arrests within the last two years that are linked to
terrorism," said Pearce.

According to Thompson, almost every terrorist group in the world has
representation in Canada. He believes Canadians have the attitude that
it's "not our problem," and this attitude is hurting people.

"We're paying for other people's misery," said Thompson. "It doesn't
stand to reason that we ignore these things as [simply] other people's
problems."

Although there is organized crime throughout the world, Thompson
believes it's important to know where the money from stolen goods or
illicit drugs is going.

"Marijuana," he joked, "is only grown by our Vietnamese gangsters and
upscale, outlaw bikers - at least you can smoke that with a clear
conscience because you're not supporting terrorism."