the article...
Wednesday morning the Tamil Tigers struck at a bus of civilians, initially using a roadside bomb to blow the bus off the road, and then shooting at the fleeing survivors. 26 were killed with another 62 injured.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa commented, ''This is a brazen demonstration to the whole world of its unchanged commitment to terrorism and the absolute rejection of democracy and all norms of civilized behavior in the pursuit of its unacceptable goal of separation.''
The Tamils are labeled as a terrorist group in both the US and the EU.
In class the other day we were discussing the desire of terrorist organizations to do things that would get the attention of the media and the world. However, it seems that the Tamil Tigers are not in the mood to accept responsibility for the attacks they make. This is interesting because it is so different from the frequency other groups, such as Al-Qaida, claim responsibility for attacks they have perpetrated. In class we also discussed the possibility of a group claiming responsibility for attacks it did not commit, but the idea of not claiming responsibility was not discussed, and at least I did not even consider it. Perhaps this is the Tamil's way of trying not to appear as a terrorist organization...?
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It would be interesting to consider a "terrorist" organization, yet again, avoiding the label of "terrorist". The LTTE apparently wants and seeks to be viewed as legitimate and that they have used violence legitimately. The LTTE does not view itself as an inherently bad organization, but as an organization with real greivances which must be addressed and like most groups of this type the only tactics they see available are terrorist in nature.
Thus, while some groups openly claim to have perpatrated specific acts of violence others may avoid being implicated, especially in the case of the Tamil Tigers, because they want recognition as a valid and legal organization. And having agreed to a ceasefire they would want to avoid any implication that they were involved in illegal activity.
I think that falls under the idea that most terrorists do not claim to be a terrorists per se. They see themselves as our early revolutionaries saw themselves, they are trying to make drastic changes in their society.
Even Al Queda didn't directly claim one of their attacks until the late 90's after they had been operating for several years. I think the fact that Al Queda began operating in the open shows that their motivations changed from trying to change the lives of Arabs to a direct assault on the west. I think that the change of tactics shows the loss of their cause. With the Tigers I think they still honestly believe they are working towards freedom. AS long as the organization believes they are the good guys they will not openly accept blame for terrible crimes, because that would tarnish their name. Al Queda is no longer a radical reform group, they are mow the leaders of a radical assault on all things Western. Perhaps it is a sign of the devolution of the group from a guerrilla revolutionary group to a full blown terrorist group.
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