Extremist TN politicians and TNA support terrorist
rump:
Signs of increasing LTTE activity in T’Nadu
By Manjula Fernando
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. |