Boat people issue:

Australian FM, envoy arrive tomorrow

by Manjula FERNANDO

Australian Foreign Minister Steven Smith accompanied by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudds special envoy John McCarthy will arrive tomorrow to discuss a common strategy with Sri Lanka to counter the issue of boat people and illegal migration. He will be here on an invitation from his Sri Lankan counterpart.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said Sri Lanka was party to Bali Democratic forum where there is a special focus between Indonesia and Australia for the prevention of illicit migration.

He said evidence was emerging that the LTTE is behind the incidents of human smuggling reported recently.

The Foreign Ministry in a release on Friday said Alex, the spokesperson of the 255 boat people in the Indonesian craft detained at Merak Port after being intercepted by the Indonesian Coast guard, was a known LTTE human smuggler, who has his office in India.He was identified as Kulendrarajah Sanjeev, a 28 year old deportee who has been a member of the Kannan Gang involved in street fights in Canada.

He has a brother who is also involved in human smuggling and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is on his trail.

Alex had denied this allegation and told AFP that he picked up his North American accent while working at a call centre.

The boat in question and another Australian Coast Guard vessel with 78 alleged Lankans on board are currently being held in Indonesia. All passengers are demanding asylum in Australia. Another 27 survivors of a craft which shipwrecked last Sunday killing 12 of their members are now in Australia's Chrismas Island detention centre.Meanwhile the investigations by Canada and its intelligence partners have revealed that the MV "Ocean Lady" which brought 76 illegal immigrants to its west coast was in "fact the LTTE vessel" "Princess Easwary", once used by the Tigers to transport arms and ammunition.

Although Canadian Tamil Congress lawyers fought for the release of the passengers and the crew, the Canadian Government has now decided to detain them based on security inputs by the state agencies and their partners overseas.

Their intelligence agencies have indicated that a good number of passengers and the crew were serving members of the LTTE and the traces of C4 explosives found on the clothing of the passengers have thwarted the argument by the Tamil congress lawyers, an alleged LTTE front, that the boat people were genuine refugees.

International terrorism expert Dr.Rohan Gunaratne says LTTE leader, Kandeepan Manikkawasagar, found on board the vessel had been a key procurement officer for the LTTE and a member of its suicide wing, the Black Tigers.