Extremist TN politicians and TNA support terrorist rump:
Signs of increasing LTTE activity in T’Nadu
Recent LTTE arrests in Tamil Nadu by its ‘Q’ branch sleuths revealed an ongoing attempt by the LTTE rump to target strategic locations here and have ignited fears in Sri Lanka that before long the country could be dragged into another cycle of violence.
The four men who were arrested were led by Suresh Kumar, 34, a former LTTE explosives expert. They were reportedly planning a revival of an LTTE youth group. A part of their plan was to target important installations in Sri Lanka.
An intelligece source who wished to remain anonymous owing to his official obligations said the LTTE is pumping money to extremist Tamil Nadu politicians and film industry personalities to get their support to create a haven to regroup.“These people are trying to steal our smile and happiness and the peace we have enjoyed for three years, since the end of LTTE terrorism in May 2009,” he said.
“Their passion and sympathy towards the banned outfit may ultimately sound the death knell for Sri Lankans,” he warned.
The ‘source’ who is closely monitoring LTTE international activities alleged that V. Gopalasami alias Vaiko, Seeman, Nedumaran and M.K. Stalin, son of former TN Chief Minister Karunanidhi as well as a few other Tamil politicians and film personalities have received money and other forms of assistance from the LTTE.
“These extremist Tamil Nadu politicians are helping the LTTE to re-emerge in Tamil Nadu as a political organisation.”
But true to their name, the LTTE has been exploiting this opportunity to set up a number of training facilities. These centres also help carry out indoctrinations and explosives training. A few dozen Sri Lankan Tamils have been trained in these places so far. During 1983 to 1987 nine batches of new LTTE recruits underwent training in India, including T.Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, the Rajiv Gandhi assassin.
According to the Times of India, Suresh Kumar who has lost both his lower limbs in the battles in Sri Lanka and moves about in a wheelchair had headed an LTTE wing that made explosives during the time of terrorism.
“He specialised in making electronic circuits,” the newspaper said quoting a Q branch officer.
The four men, Suresh Kumar, Udaya Doss, 39, T.Maheswaran, 33 and K.Krishnamurthy, 29 were arrested in their rented house on Nallathambi Street near Pallavaram on December 19 on information shared by the Sri Lankan Army investigating the arrests of two Tamil men here. The two men had revealed that they were undergoing explosives training at an LTTE cell in Tamil Nadu under Suresh Kumar.
Suresh Kumar had trained Sri Lankan youth living in Tamil Nadu after they were befriended and brought to him by Krishnamurthy. They were later dispatched to Sri Lanka with bomb making material.
The intelligence official said this TN operation is spearheaded by LTTE leader Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyawan who is based in Norway. Nediyawan is operating through several front organisations including the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO), Tamil Coordinating Committee, Tamil Rehabilitation Organization and several other front, cover and sympathetic groups.
A former bodyguard of Prabhakaran, Nediyawan was the deputy to Castro who was the head of the LTTE international network. Nediyawan is under investigation by several governments for propaganda, fund-raising and procurement.
“The intention of Nediyawan is to recruit Tamil youth in Sri Lanka using the Internet and through personal contact, bring them to Tamil Nadu, train them and send them back to conduct acts of terrorism.”
He alleged, Nediyawan is also operating through the TNA. TNA is poisoning the minds of Tamil youth so that they will be vulnerable and ready for terrorist recruitment by Nediyawan. “The TNA is a very important link to the LTTE,” he said.
“The TNA led by some of its extremist politicians, is criticising, radicalising and militarising young Tamil minds. Nediyawan is exploiting this for his recruitment.” He alleged the TNA campaign is making the Tamil minds ripe for terrorist recruitment.
Speaking of the looming threat the source said the Sri Lankan authorities must double its efforts to engage the Indian Central and TN state governments to make them aware of the situation. The Government should also work with Norway to get an extradition order on Nediyawan and get his front organisations that are raising funds ‘big time’ in a number of foreign countries, especially Canada, France, the UK and Australia where the LTTE is officially proscribed. He said Nediyawan is also working through the Tamil media to influence the minds of Tamil youth and students. “The strategy for Government to prevent this is to build partnerships between Tamil schools in the North with Sinhala schools in the south and have exchange programs. The youth clubs in the North and South too can play a strategic role via robust exchange programs,” he said. The Indian central government and Tamil Nadu State government are now investigating these extremist politicians and a few others who have been actively supporting the LTTE.
The LTTE disrupted the traditional Tamil values of moderation, tolerance and coexistence. Tamil communalism was first introduced to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu in the 1940s and ‘50s. Until then Tamils in Sri Lanka lived in harmony with its Sinhalese neighbours. With the dismantling of the LTTE, Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils together enjoyed the dividends of peace for the past three years. This is being disrupted by a few extremist politicians, and the LTTE activists operating overseas.
“The TN arrests that indicate the possibility of LTTE bombs going off in cities once again is a fear and feeling that no Sri Lankan not even Tamils would welcome because explosives cannot differentiate between ethnicities. They know to kill and kill all in range. And if the TN politicians and sympathisers believe that such acts would do good to Sri Lankan Tamils, their conscience must be checked”, he said.
The massive financial power the LTTE continues to possess has been the biggest catalyst for the organisation to re-emerge. It was said that the LTTE before 2009 raised US $ 200-300 million through illegal trades such as arms deals, drugs, human trafficking, money laundering and extortions as well as via charity.
The funds today are mostly funnelled from their sympathetic front groups operating in Western soil and are used extensively to politicise, radicalise and mobilize Tamil youth in Sri Lanka and revive terrorism, he said.
The source also claimed that former TN Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi’s Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organization (TESO) is advancing the aims and objectives of the LTTE and has directly as well as indirectly facilitated LTTE revival in Tamil Nadu thus posing a threat to Sri Lanka’s security.
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