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| Sunday,13 November 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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LTTE tentacles spread Southwards Bull's Eye by a Special Defence Correspondent The LTTE through its proxy- the TNA - announced last week that the organization would remain neutral in the Presidential elections as a mark of disapproval of both main candidates Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Not only military authorities but even an ordinary man in this country would not take the LTTE at its word. Government intelligence has already received information that their hidden agenda during the election period is to create incidents thereby creating a fear psychosis in the public mind. By creating such a fear psychosis, the LTTE would have expected to reduce the morale of the people especially voters gathered en bloc around the UPFA candidate Rajapakse. This situation together with the false propaganda by the UNP could compel the voters to have second thoughts before going to the polling stations. Wickremesighe's campaign with repeatedly exaggerated claims that the UNP has a better approach to the Tigers could lure the ordinary voters fearful of war. Security authorities do not reject possible attempts to create last minute panic and tension in order to disturb business in the city, which could discourage voters. Election monitoring bodies claiming to promote democracy have also warned through media of possible violence and requested people to vote early. Early signs of such tension to be created by the LTTE have already appeared in the Colombo city when police found a suicide kit at 13th Lane in Colombo 3, and several hand grenades in Bambalapitiya last week. These are proof of the pudding that the LTTE has a hidden agenda in the elections. The LTTE has no reason to leave a suicide kit behind a city lane accidentally and this type of acts could convey a wrong message that the black tigers are preparing to attack the city again. However, similar incidents could very well be the conspiracies of operational groups belonging to political parties concerned. Meanwhile, military intelligence has received information that Keerthi and Ramanan, two black tigers turned LTTE intelligence experts from Batticaloa are now in Colombo to lead the LTTE agenda. It is learnt that the duo is given full cover and other facilitation by several top businessmen, high officials and leaders of several contract killer gangs comprising Sinhala youth to enable Keerthi-Ramanan clique to make their mission a success. The daunting task that would devolve on the candidate whoever becomes the President of the country after November 17 is to fight against LTTE terrorism and curb contract killers in the city. The new President has to take vital and firm decisions towards this prime duty. This would include the disbanding of clandestine inside operations in certain Government departments which have contributed immensely to bolster terrorism, commercial fraud and other crimes in the country. Such heinous acts led by high ranking officials of certain Government departments came to light in the past and four major departments in which these sinister acts occurred are the Sri Lanka Customs, Department of Registration of Persons, Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Department of Registration of Motor Vehicles. Intelligence authorities have now found out that certain high ranking officials of these four departments have connections to the network of fraud where the LTTE is playing a lead role. The officers concerned have received black money amounting to millions of rupees during the past. It is believed that certain officers at the Customs would have cleared pathways to the agents of the LTTE by relaxing fixed rules to enable their collaborators to skip compulsory scanning of goods and clear them. Some have released containers of mystery goods at the Customs that are now believed to be caches of lethal weapons to Tigers. Police found contraband of such arms and ammunition in an abandoned container at a leading Cargo Yard belonging to a Sinhala cargo dealer in Colombo recently. Apart from taking bribes from ordinary merchants to release goods without duty, releasing dangerous goods to LTTE is a total crime which should be given due attention by the new President in his effort to combat terrorism. A full probe into the function of these departments, the behaviour of all officials, their personal wealth and other sources of private income and their connections to the outside world should be imperative to curb these acts. Genuine officers who receive money as rewards proportionate to their successful raids would agree that such a probe would help to round up the culprits and clear the name of the department, the dignity of the service and the performance of genuine officers. Similar incidents at the Department of Registration of Persons were reported and certain top officers had to resign on allegations of his involvement in issuing identity cards to LTTEers on fake documents. The department takes at least three months to issue a normal Identity Card if necessary documents are forwarded but there are instances reported that certain agents have obtained Identity Cards on fake documents within eight working hours. If a stranger can obtain the most vital document in the country through the office concerned in this manner, the consequences of such illegal issue and its abuse by the recipient is beyond imagination. The Immigration and Emigration office which is popularly known as the passport office is said to be another den of irregularities. When one fails to obtain an Identity Card, the person's next try is with the passport office because the passport is accepted as a document of identity. It is also believed that passports are issued on fake documents after taking bribes and the officers concerned make excuses using loopholes in the Government machinery whenever they are taken for questioning on any incident. The passport is also a vital document with which one can not only engage in crimes locally but commit offences abroad disgracing the name of the country. The LTTE is heavily profiteering out of these criminal acts supported by certain Government officers, and as a measure of combating terrorism, it is of paramount importance to get rid of this wantonness in these offices. Registering and transferring of motor vehicles are another source of earning black money. Theft of vehicles is a common scene these days, and it is believed that many such vehicles were taken to LTTE controlled areas through Omanthai security check point. Organised groups inside and outside the Department of Registration of Motor Vehicles are believed to be hurriedly preparing false documents for such vehicles to enable the LTTE agents to take the vehicles to the Vanni through Omanthai. The sentries at check points have no clue to identify these vehicles as theft since they carry unsuspecting documents. Consequences of these dangerous underground acts have already befallen on the society, threatening the national security on the one hand and on the other hand pillaging millions of rupees as tax revenue to the state coffers. Special investigations should be launched promptly to probe into the existing commercial and other criminal frauds being committed, and concrete measures should be taken to prevent them immediately. When the top officials are engaged in such operations, giving official patronage to enable the LTTE to carry on their crimes under the cover of the official seal, it is a shame for the Government service of this country and no force is competent including CID, Intelligence or NIB men to stop the perpetrators. The operations in these institutions are no secret to other innocent officials but nobody dares to object or act against them because the consequence could be death. Authorities concerned would also be afraid to take action against these criminals as they have firm rapport with top politicians too who might come to the rescue of such officers if rounded up. History has enough evidence of such incidents and it is pathetic that many connive in these crimes. The murder of a senior Customs Officer Sujith Prasanna Perera, who was investigating a commercial fraud on May 24, 2001 is one good example of the involvement of high officials in these crimes. One of the main suspects in Sujith Prasanna murder was a senior customs administrator Anura Weerawnsa. This bears testimony to the inside crimes and retaliation against those brave and committed officers. The LTTE has its agents in Colombo who got companies registered with the Registrar of Companies under Sinhala and Muslim names to operate at Katunayake airport as well as at the Colombo Habour with stores and offices in the city and suburbs. At the beginning, these companies import cheap multi goods such as plastics, toys, trinkets and fruits etc. Later they get familiar with the ordinary officers of the Customs and schedule to get contraband, weapons and other lethal articles when their collaborators are on duty. This secret official network of all four departments has become a strong support to the LTTE cause in different ways and certain officials attached to separate sections of the four departments are believed to be earning millions of rupees of black money for providing illegal services to the LTTE network intentionally or not. In the same manner, a German national who was assembling a light aircraft in a location close to the Katunayake airport was nabbed sometime ago. It was revealed that the person was helped by certain customs officers to clear the assembling parts without any hassle at the Katunayake airport. The danger of such an incident has not been evaluated or action has not been taken yet to prevent such illegal and terrorist activities. The result could be the LTTE's possession of light aircraft in Vanni. After the Sri Lankan Navy started constant surveillance operations in the Eastern, Northern and the North Western seas in collaboration with Indian Navy, the LTTE found it difficult to smuggle weapons and narcotics through the lone beaches of Mullaitivu and Wilpattu. The group worked on measures to get their goods delivered to their hide-outs in Vanni or in Colombo through alternative paths. So much so that they are shrewd enough today in getting them under the cover of legal means where respective officers or the police are helpless to act against them. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Velupillai Pirabaharan would not keep quiet issuing this statement. He
has ordered Pottu Amman, head of LTTE intelligence unit - Tamil Organisation
of Security Intelligence Service known as Tossy to rush his two experts to
Colombo with a special mission to launch during the elections. 
