Contrasts in Justice
Satha Sarachandran, a Sri-Lankan Canadian convicted in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn of aiding terrorism by procurement of arms, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. His attorneys informed the court that the 30-year-old who had been arrested while attempting to obtain surface-to-air missiles in Long Island, New York, yearned to live a good life, one his parents would be proud of. His emotions, however, had been caught in the Tamil cause for a homeland of their own."During the course of his young life he was simply unable to resolve his emotional response to horrific violence in a more productive positive manner", they wrote in his defence. Conspiring to assist in the violent upheaval of a country for any cause, however seemingly worthy, perhaps has no defence. But, declared Siemon Wezeman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, "Are these not more or less misguided people?"
The plot which Satha Sarachandran undertook to lead had its beginning as talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers were collapsing, and Sri Lanka resumed bombing the Tigers stronghold. Such 'rebel' groups (referred to as terrorists in other circles, and outlawed as such within Canada) are anxious to take possession of surface-to-air missiles.
"They're highly sought after. Anybody who attempts to acquire missiles on U.S. soil really runs a risk of being napped in a sting operation", explained Matt Schroeder who manages the arms sales monitoring project at the Federation of American Scientists. Terrorists favour them for targeting commercial airlines if they can, like the Mombasa attack on an Israeli airliner in 2002.
Mr. Sarachandran was a "leader and role model for younger Tamil children", testified his lawyers; he was involved in volunteering at the Tamil Youth Organization in Scarborough, Ontarioand serving as a counsellor. He became distraught after visiting his homeland, witnessing the assaults committed by the Sinhalese-majority government against Tamils. He organized a rally back in Canada to try to move that government to protest.
After the devastating South Asian tsunami, he helped to raise critical funding for humanitarian relief, in his position as national president of the Canadian Tamil Students Association. And then - he involved himself on a mission under the direction of the Tamil Tiger agent who was the mastermind behind the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi - to procure a shopping list of weapons.
The deal that was made with undercover FBI agents was for 10 missile launchers, 20 missiles, 500 AK-47s and the services of a trainer for the princely sum of $937,500 (likely raised within Canada). The arms to be delivered to a rebel ship located in the Indian Ocean. And this was when an undercover officer launched the police action arresting Satha Sarachandran and his team.
Satha Sarachandran has descended from the heights of attainment and a bright future to the depths of criminal arraignment and incarceration for almost as many years as he has lived. His criminal activities designed to aid and assist a terrorist group equally brutal in their disregard for human life as was the Sri Lankan military has resulted in the surrender of his freedom.
This, in stark contrast to the prison sentences handed out to members of the 'Toronto 18' jihadis who plotted to wreak havoc and destroy countless lives in Canada. Where home-grown Islamist jihadists angered by the prosecution of a war across the Globe, determined to demonstrate their bona fides as terrorists by committing their atrocities on Canadian soil.
And for their vicious and determined plots, foiled before they could be triumphantly carried out, they received a relative avuncular slap on the wrist, and are now free to resume their lives as citizens with an unfortunate past, but looking into their new and near future with great hope and anticipation.
Guarantees? There are none.
Labels: Canada, Justice, Terrorism, United States
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, January 23, 2010
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