The Ceylon News

by Gamini Gunawardane(Rtd. Snr. DIG.Police)

The rarest commodity under the free market economy in this country today appears to be integrity. Not only in this country but in the whole world, judging by what is happening around the world including in the British Parliament.

Not only in public life, but even in personal life. It appears as if almost nobody could be trusted particularly with power, authority, money or property or even with love. We are told, "trust in God, but tie the camel". It no longer seems to be a cherished value in human relationships. It may be that it is not in vogue anymore; so much so that when one comes across integrity, it is looked upon as an embarrassment, an inconvenience, an irritant and a "pain in the neck".

A politician of today would regard the integrity of a public servant as insolence, non co-operation and /or a saboteur and the latest, ‘conspirators’, kumanthrana karayas!

I have come across young people who genuinely ask you, ‘what really is wrong in paying a bribe if that is the way to get something done?’ What’s the fuss? Then we are told by the younger generation, with a twinkle in the eye, of krama saha vidhi to open doors which seem closed according to rules and regulations. After all what matters is getting things done? It appears that in the new environment, the place of integrity has been usurped by expediency.

We have heard that C.W.W. Kannangara in his day had many powerful forces that opposed his free education project. But they could not stop him. In today’s terms, a thumping bribe deposited in a bank account abroad in his name would have settled the issue once and for all, for him to live the rest of his life comfortably. But they could not. And Mr. Kannangara lost his parliamentary seat and died a pauper.

But it is not even possible to realize fully today, the magnitude of the revolution his project achieved for our country in this era. Same with T. B. Illangaratne, who went ahead resolutely with nationalizing the foreign owned oil companies and insurance companies. And today, we have two great milking cows for the ‘robber barons’ to milk freely and get way with it. Those who tried to punish the miscreants are found fault with, for not following procedure.

Prior to 1977, we heard but rarely of a chink in the armour of our judiciary. Today we hear troubling stories regarding the integrity at the highest temples of justice. It seems they are ready to barter their integrity for surprisingly low incentives. I still hope all this is untrue.
This entire preamble was said, to focus on a silver lining in a dark cloud. A little spoken of important factor that contributed to the devastating success in the final Eelam war, was in my view, the integrity of the defence establishment.

It will be recalled that the bane of the all three previous attempts at war were the allegations of corruption, both in the purchase of military hardware at the top level and at the other levels of the military, even to the extent of illicit timber racketeering and thievery in every sphere of activity. The ‘war correspondents’ of the time were filling the newspaper columns with the gory accounts of these transactions. So was the grapevine. In fact a few military persons both big and small were charged with fraud, but hardly anyone was convicted. Yet some others are said to have acquired condominium complexes in Australia. The offspring of some highly placed officials were alleged to have been acting as local agents of foreign military equipment suppliers. Some said, probably mischievously, that the one reason for boom in the local stock market at that time was the unconscionable monies made by the arms dealers out of such shady transactions.

There are some others who are now unable to enjoy their ill-gotten commissions deposited in foreign banks owing to the money laundering laws now operating at both ends. In short, it was finally made out that this war could never be won due to this mass scale corruption. The war was called by the cynics, a hingannage thuwalaya, a beggars’ wound. It was believed by the public for this reason that both the governments of the time and the military too did not want to end the war which was a hen that laid the golden eggs, for some people, while some other people lost their life and limb in the battle field. The Island editor referred to such people in passing, in his editorial of October 14, "……..the failed military commanders of yore who enjoyed the perks of office, marked their time and retired leaving the war unfinished…." The "perks" included the filthy lucre that some of them made.

All these murky details had to be re-visited in brief in order to highlight the importance of the role of integrity of the current defence establishment as a key factor of success. Defence Secretary Gothabhaya Rajapaksa, who set about his task before a disbelieving public of his genuine intention of finishing the war, probably identified the integrity of the defence establishment, as a cardinal precondition. Perhaps, his experience as a serving officer in the army in his time helped him to gain this insight. And he may have realized that the allegations of corruption in the purchase of military hardware as the bane of a genuine military campaign. In order to put this right he apparently got the government to agree to the setting up of a state purchasing agency, a company owned by the Secretaries of Treasury and Defence Ministry, Chief of Defence Staff, the three service commanders and the IGP, under the Defence Ministry, named Lanka Logistics. The person who became its CEO was Jayantha Wickremasinghe, a little known self- effacing man yet of high integrity who was too simple a man that could be bought over for a high price. He operated from his unostentatious little office in the rear of the BMICH. He drove his own car unescorted by security crews, so attracted no threat.

This organization cut off the role for local commission agents of foreign arms dealers. The company directly dealt with the government agencies who supplied military equipment that the Services needed. So there was no role for the intermediaries. Thus, the government military purchases became transparent to that extent where the users had a direct role to play in the purchasing and selecting what their men required to prosecute the war successfully. They could not turn around later to say that what was supplied was not what they wanted or that what they ordered failed to deliver, on the battle field. They were accountable to themselves.

Another significant measure of corruption elimination undertaken by Defence Secretary had been the standardization of military equipment bought, to be reduced to three sources, thus cutting out complicated purchasing and promoting economizing. This had needed some heavy- handed measures by the Secy.

I think the 1970 ULF government had similar intentions when they vested the importation of food and provisions in the CWE. This effort failed mainly because of the corrupt, politically- selected officialdom that was appointed by the government, which was perhaps one of the reasons for its eventual downfall. Provisions lorries unloaded their goods in the stores of private dealers of Pettah instead of the Multi Purpose Co-op Union stores in Hanguranketha. Thus, the very people whom the government wanted to serve were starving while the black market thrived.

The rank and file was happy because they found the military equipment they required were available to them at the right time at the right place. And the ammunition did fire! Approvals came back sooner than they were asked. Hence they believed in the military establishment. That in turn raised their morale. This is special, in view of what we read in the newspapers these days regarding allegations of the many millions of US $ funneled into Pakistan by the US government to fight the terrorists, not being used on the military but diverted elsewhere. It was reported that Pakistan at war with Taliban had only a single serviceable helicopter on the battle front. Thus, fighting a losing battle.

There were, however, allegations in the newspapers on the MIG 27s that were bought for the Air Force. The defence establishment explained on their website the reasons why they were bought and what the advantages there were for buying them in the way it was done. These allegations were not countered by further facts by the accusers. Of course, it is not known whether they were made to shut up by any ‘extra judicial methods’. But we know that one such newspaper was taken to courts by the Defence Secretary, against it making spurious allegations and did not want to settle the matter outside court as offered by the respondents. It is difficult to imagine a person taking such a firm stand unless he was sure that his hands were clean. There have been only a few people in this country who have dared to challenge such newspaper accusers, because the newspapers always have the final say. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It was the same ‘controverted’ aircraft that successfully performed all the precision bombings and all the other heroics that we saw, particularly in the final phase of the war. Also pertinent is the fact that none of these aircraft either crashed or failed under operational conditions, unlike the previous purchases.

In the meantime, Lt. Gen, Sarath Fonseka, in his heavy- handed ruthless style, is reported to have minimized the corruption within the army, and driven hard the field commanders who had the daring, towards their goals. He was uncompromising in his approach. As a result of these dual strategies, at the height of the war, the energies of the defence establishment were not squandered in fighting the media, the political opposition of the government and the rumour machines churning out corruption charges. It left them with little room for allegations. We saw the disgraceful levels to which the opposition descended in scraping the barrel for allegations to make. Some ‘war correspondents’ probably went out of business. Thus, the defence establishment became free to concentrate on the battle field strategies, with less distractions.

Of course, Gothabhaya had a huge advantage on his side, which a normal public servant would not have had. He had as his brother, the President of the country who had unreserved confidence in him. He gave him a free hand. On the other hand, Gothabhaya on his part, never abused his position or over- played his hand, unlike say, Sanjay Gandhi. This indeed is integrity. He passed down all that insulation to the three Services. In fact, he did unto the armed services what the 17th amendment was intended to do to the public service and the police etc. Why he did not give the same insulation to the police which was under the same ministry, is not known.

During the far and apart media interviews they gave, both Gothabhaya and Sarath Fonseka scrupulously refused to be drawn into controversial issues with political overtones, despite cajoling by the shameless Wandibhattas of the state electronic media who coined such cheap expressions of self-praise, such as, Wishvayama wismitha kala Wijayagrahanaya, "the victory that astounded the entire universe". Such was the depths to which the professionalism in journalism descended in their desperate attempts to please the political bosses. Both these gentlemen steered clear of such despicable temptations of praise offered to them, to entice them into traps of vulgarity. It was indeed a tribute to the professional integrity of both who refused to be drawn into such vulgarities. Gen. Fonseka was particularly impressive with his sharp & crisp replies strictly observing the norms of professional integrity of a military man. Indeed he seemed to be conscious that he, as a service commander, enjoyed less freedom of expression, compared to the Secy. Defence.

This was not the only occasion when Gen. Fonseka displayed high integrity. It may be recalled that when he was Jaffna Commander during the infamous Ceasefire Agreement, Norway, pressed by the LTTE wanted the then government, to remove the High Security Zone around the Palaly Camp. This was the time that the LTTE cardres/ sympathizers were showing their posteriors to and also urinating in front of army camps and guard posts in order to provoke the soldiers to react. Gen. Fonseka took a firm stand refusing to agree to the suggestion with a very professional report, leaked to the press too. Ranil Wickremesinghe the then PM was disappointed and angry at this reaction, as this was the only officer who stood up against his great desire to please the LTTE. By today’s standards what is usual is, do as ordered and qualify for the next promotion. One does not need battlefield skills to do this. Hence, the great opportunities for mediocrites.

He thus, won the admiration of the whole nation for his courage in this instance.

Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda too took a similar bold stand in regard to Trincomalee Harbour High Security Zone when the Wickremesinghe government tried to deny the presence of LTTE artillery positions within striking distance of the Trincomalee naval area. This revelation turned out to be crucial when Eelam IV began from the Eastern Province.

This is not to say that these two people or even the other commanders are impeccable characters. They may be having their personal weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. Who does not? Nidos kenek mediyatha ipadenne netha - ‘There are no perfect people born in this world’. The only exception may be the mythical characters of Mahaoushadha Panditha in the Jathaka Tales and Arjuna in the Mahabharatha. Hence none of them could be assessed on what they are not. We assess people not on their failings but on their achievements. In this case, on their integrity in relation to their cause – ridding this country of the scourge of terrorism.

The test of integrity is how one behaves in a crisis. It is also the best situation where a person’s integrity is on display, when his very survival is challenged. Perhaps, Gen. Fonseka has not developed the skills of dealing with the hostile political environment in peace times. He may be finding the political mine fields far more mind- boggling than those that he encountered in the battlefield. This is evident from the manner he behaved in the latest political whirlpool that he fell into. In this unfamiliar field, he adopted a natural defence: Tunhi bhavo "noble silence". He refused to be enticed by civilian/ political office with which he is unfamiliar. He spoke as less as possible. But in this vicious political environment even silence, however noble it may be, is still dangerous because it gives the media and other political minions to go to town with their own mischievous interpretations.

One could not envy President Rajapaksa who has to deal with this on a daily basis.

Perhaps, Gen. Fonseka is not alone in this predicament. I believe, Gen. Patton and even Douglas McArthur experienced the same once the WW II was over. The government did not know what to do with them. Of course, the only difference was that both of them had the knack of shooting their tongues without thinking at times. However, McArthur was later entrusted with the task of helping in re-building Japan –possibly a way of keeping him happy and also away from the main theatre of post- war United States. Only Gen. Dwight Eisenhower the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, who perhaps had ‘on the job training’ managing the politics among all those great and difficult generals - Montgomery inclusive and also perhaps Sir Winston Churchill - was able to graduate to the position of US President, after the war.

The corrosive flames of politicization have already consumed the citadels of public service, police and the judiciary. It is fast reaching out to the defence establishment too. It may not be saved. What Gothabhaya had said when asked of assuming political power, is elegant: " I was trained to defend the country in a different capacity and I believe I have done my part. The war is over and the country is free." He said he had no interest in politics and nothing made him feel better than being in sarong, breathing the fresh air of his native village. (The Island Oct.19). With their mission accomplished, people with professional integrity must renounce (abhikkama) in time, before being contaminated with intoxication of power. The Buddha describes such conditions, as hino, gammo, anario, pothajjaniko – vile, vulgar, ignoble and (too) worldly. For, intoxication with political power, is the worst of them all.

PS.
Rather than eulogizing personalities as such, one purpose of writing this essay is to illustrate how even a few people could make a huge difference with a modicum of integrity in a fleeting situation despite flourishing corruption, which could produce such astounding achievements for a nation. Let such fleeting moments be more frequent and let there be more people of such courage.

YANGON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe left Nay Pyi Taw for Colombo Thursday to pay a state visit to Sri Lanka, official sources from Nay Pyi Taw said.

The four-day Colombo visit of Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, is a reciprocal one to Nay Pyi Taw by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in June this year. Both visits happened in the same year to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Than Shwe's visit also represents the one of a head of state of Myanmar to Sri Lanka after a lapse of more than four decades.

Colombo sources said the most significant aim of Than Shwe's visit is to pay homage to the temples of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka's central town of Kandy and the top leader will also visit Sri Lanka's ancient capital of Anuradhapura during his stay in the Indian Ocean island.

During his June Myanmar visit, Rajapaksa met with Than Shwe and had talks with Prime Minister General Thein Sein on promotion of cooperation in the two countries' bilateral ties, religious affairs, trade, economy, education, agriculture, forestry, hotels and tourism and transport as well as regional cooperation and mutual cooperation in international arena.

On that occasion, Myanmar and Sri Lanka signed an agreement on mutual exemption of visas for diplomatic passport and service passport holders of the two countries and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in tourism.

Moreover, the Myanmar government made a cash donation of 50,000 U.S. dollars as a humanitarian assistance to the Sri Lankan government for that country's internally displaced people in the northern part, while Sri Lanka helped establish a village, called Mitta, in Myanmar's cyclone-hit Kungyangon township in Yangon division.

Sri Lanka has so far injected one million U.S. dollars' investment in Myanmar since 1988, Myanmar statistics show.

The two countries set up the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in 1996.

In early August this year, the JCBC met for the second time in Sri Lanka's Kandy city.

Meanwhile, indirect air link exists between the two countries via Bangkok with Sri Lankan Airlines connecting the Bangkok flights of the Myanmar Airways International (MAI) and the Thai Airways International (TG) and transiting passengers from Yangon to Colombo.

In November last year, Myanmar agreed with Sri Lanka to establish direct air and sea links to effectively boost bilateral trade ties between the two countries as proposed by Sri Lanka.

Currently, trade between Myanmar and Sri Lanka is transacted through Singapore.

Myanmar and Sri Lanka, which established diplomatic relations on June 7, 1949, have enjoyed cultural and religious ties since the 11th century.

Both Myanmar and Sri Lanka are members of the subregional grouping of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which also comprises Bangladesh, India and Thailand.

Myanmar remains as an observer of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sri Lanka is joining Israel as a country facing a war crimes investigation for effectively fighting back against terrorism. America should support the Sri Lankan government or keep its nose out of Colombo's business.

Last week, Stephen Rapp, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, filed a report to Congress on incidents during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka that "may constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity." The report focuses in particular on January to May 2009 when, after 12 years of conflict, the Sri Lankan military surrounded and destroyed the major armed formations of the Tamil Tigers and killed the terrorist group's leaders.

The report chronicles allegations of war crimes by both Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat whose subcommittee on the State Department and foreign operations requested the report, is calling for "a full and independent investigation" so those responsible can be "held accountable."

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights joined in the call for an investigation of Sri Lanka's war, saying there are "too many questions" left unanswered. U.N. Human Rights Spokesman Rupert Colville drew a direct comparison to the Gaza Fact-Finding Mission overseen by South African Judge Richard Goldstone. Sri Lanka and Israel are both pursuing internal investigations and have rejected the idea of international involvement in the process.

The Rapp report is not comprehensive, more a list of allegations than a fully documented indictment. Most of the offenses listed are either directly attributable to the Tamil Tigers, such as forcibly recruiting children to fight for them, or the consequence of terrorist activities, such as Sri Lanka shelling hospitals being used by the Tigers as command posts.

The tone of moral equivalence in the Rapp and Goldstone reports is most objectionable. War is by its nature violent, complex and tragic. Rules exist to mitigate war's suffering but can never eliminate it. Terrorist groups like the Tamil Tigers, Hamas and al Qaeda do not consider themselves bound by the rules of war and violate them as a matter of doctrine by targeting noncombatants, using civilians as human shields, torturing and executing prisoners, and by using hospitals and religious sites as headquarters and sniper platforms.

Any war against such an enemy will impose a degree of tragedy on people who under other circumstances would be spared war's horrors. But this is part of the terrorist tool kit, and reports such as these play into their hands. By placing the terrorists' systematic offenses against human dignity on par with the unintentional or otherwise regrettable actions of the regime trying to defeat them, such reports level a moral playing field that by rights the terrorists have no right even to set foot on.

Mr. Leahy should control his zeal to pursue what he views as justice in Sri Lanka. Any objective comparison of Sri Lanka's war against the Tamil Tigers or Israel's offensive against Hamas to America's struggle against al Qaeda would cast the United States in the same light, and elevate our enemies to a status they do not deserve. It hands the enemies of freedom unearned victories even as they are being defeated.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna is Head of International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research, and Professor of Security Studies at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. A former senior fellow at the United States Military Academy at West Point and at the Fletcher School for Law & Diplomacy, he is also a member of George Washington University’s Homeland Policy Security Institute and a member of the Advisory Council of the Institute for Counter Terrorism, Israel. He has interviewed many terrorists worldwide, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. He is the author of 12 books, including “War and Peace in Sri Lanka”, “Indian Intervention in Sri Lanka”, “International & Regional Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency” and an international bestseller, “Inside Al Qaeda”, published by Columbia University Press in New York
The Nation met Prof. Gunaratna in order to obtain his expert opinion on the challenges the country is facing in the post war period.
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Q: You have claimed that ‘the post-Prabhakaran LTTE is an ideological movement, not an operational organisation’. But the Security forces are still discovering caches of hidden weapons, and it is admitted that there are suicide cadres and other operatives still in Colombo. Also, it is estimated that over 10,000 refugees have escaped from the IDP camps, many of whom are suspected of having links with the LTTE?
A: The capacity and the capability of the LTTE to mount sustained terrorist operations against the infrastructure and the people of Sri Lanka is over. The LTTE has been downgraded from a highly capable terrorist and guerrilla group into an ideology. Certainly, there are a few individuals with intentions to reorganise and disrupt the safety, security and stability that has been achieved. That is why it is so important for the government to continue to build and maintain an intelligence network that can detect and neutralise threats. Government must continue to debrief detainees, to elicit operational intelligence of LTTE attempts to reorganise and build networks, to prevent terrorist attacks.
The fight against the LTTE is far from over. As long as the LTTE is active overseas, Sri Lanka faces a threat. Government is aware of that threat, both at home and overseas. Government is planning to detect and neutralise terrorist cells, both support and operational cells overseas, from India to Malaysia and in the West. There are many former LTTE supporters and sympathisers who have realised that they were misled by Prabhakaran, as one who brought untold suffering upon Sri Lankans, especially the Tamils. Today, most Tamils are looking for opportunities to abandon the vicious ideology and the daydream of creating a mono-ethnic Tamil State. As Tamils have suffered the most in this conflict, the Government and the elite of Sri Lanka should develop strategies and organisations to help them move on with their lives. This is the time for the Sri Lankan Government to build platforms, both in Sri Lanka and overseas, to reach out and engage the Tamil diaspora. Government is developing a range of activities to reduce the long term strategic threat to Sri Lanka, by working together with the Tamil community, both at home and overseas. By doing so, Sri Lanka will strategically prevent advocacy, support and participation in terrorism.
Q: Although we have captured KP, Vishwanathan Rudrakumaran is still in the USA, and their activities in the West and in India are still continuing? What is the current state of international LTTE activities?
A: Both Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa have built strong ties with India, Malaysia and a few other countries where the LTTE is planning and preparing to reorganise. The same way KP was deported to Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka will build the legal and institutional framework to bring home V. Rudrakumaran, the new LTTE leader, and others planning and plotting to disrupt the hard won peace in Sri Lanka. Rudrakumaran has been working to revive the LTTE, a group designated by the US, Europe and many Asian governments as a terrorist group. The current Sri Lankan leadership will not tolerate any terrorist support activities against the Sri Lankan State from within or overseas.
The few foreign governments heavily lobbied by LTTE propagandists are now beginning to understand the ground reality. The US, in particular, have realised that no civilians were deliberately killed in Sri Lanka, and civilian fatalities and injuries in Sri Lanka are much lower compared with the numbers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. As the Sri Lankan Government’s capacity to counter LTTE propaganda overseas was limited, some Western governments relied on highly exaggerated figures of civilian fatalities and injuries planted by the LTTE in Tamil Net and other websites. Today, after clarifying the reporting and debriefing the medical doctors forced by the LTTE to provide exaggerated figures, Western governments are beginning to understand what truly happened in Sri Lanka in the final campaign.
Q: There is a massive campaign to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka internationally. Last month Channel 4 telecast a video depicting Sri Lankan soldiers executing a Tamil civilian, and this week, Hillary Clinton alleged that rape had been used as a weapon in Sri Lanka’s successful war against the LTTE. Have we been successful in countering these allegations?
A: The Channel 4 video is a fabrication. Just as the SBS in Australia was penetrated by an LTTE agent, investigations have revealed that Channel 4 too, has been penetrated by an LTTE agent. Unfortunately, the Sri Lankan Government, especially its foreign ministry, has always been late in responding to false propaganda. Although the main mission of the foreign ministry is to advance Sri Lanka’s national security goals, it has no dedicated staff and budget to counter LTTE propaganda. Before the LTTE and those opposed to Sri Lanka reache out to media outlets like Channel 4, it is the duty of Sri Lankan consulates, embassies and High Commissions to build ties with foreign media personnel.
The Sri Lankan delegation that visited the US recently, to engage their US counterparts, were assured of US friendship by US Assistant Secretary of State for Sri Lanka, Robert Blake. Nonetheless, the Sri Lankan Government was puzzled by a reference made to Sri Lanka by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, when she addressed the UNSC on September 30, 2009. Mrs. Clinton informed the UN Security Council that rape had been used as a tactic of war in Sri Lanka. The whole world is aware that Sri Lanka has never been accused of such a heinous crime. Those who knew the ground reality were fully aware that, as the Sri Lankan forces advanced, the LTTE withdrew with the civilians. Historically too, rape has never used as a weapon of war in Sri Lanka. Until Mrs. Clinton made this statement, the Sri Lankan military has never been accused of rape, either by a foreign government or an NGO. Furthermore, even the LTTE had never made such an accusation. The US military is fighting in two tough theatres: It is important for US leaders to be careful not to be carried away by terrorist lobbying or propaganda. By examining Mrs Clinton’s statements against Obama, she is quite well known for making unsubstantiated statements. As Mrs Clinton and those around her accepted funds from LTTE lobbyists, it is likely that they are susceptible to LTTE propaganda. To prevent this accusation from being repeated, it is essential for Mrs. Clinton to set the record straight at an appropriate venue. Otherwise, statements made by the US government, especially the State Department, will not be taken seriously.
Q: The fact that the government is still playing tough with Western governments, a reason for this hostility. And in the long run, wouldn’t Sri Lanka be the loser of a fight with the EU and the USA?
A: Operating through front, cover and sympathetic organisations, the LTTE was able to effectively lobby and reach out to a few key politicians in Europe and North America. It is a fact that the LTTE paid for the political campaigns of prominent politicians, and also exercised constituency pressure from Canada to the UK and Australia. As such, the statements that came out from a few Western governments were not driven by what was happening on the ground in Sri Lanka, but by the LTTE’s sustained lobbying and vicious propaganda.
Sri Lanka expected continuous support from the West, to end the terror campaign that had devastated its economy for quarter century. As Sri Lanka was the first country in South Asia to adopt a market economy, Sri Lanka and the West enjoyed an unprecedented relationship. Both the people and the government have always been pro-West. As the government of India armed, trained, financed and directed the LTTE from 1983 to 1987, Sri Lanka built enduring partnerships with the West. Similarly, we have more to share with the Europeans than with the Chinese or the Iranians. As such, it was quite natural for Sri Lankan leaders to be annoyed at the twofaced approach of a few Western governments. Some Western governments were silent at a million displaced in tribal Pakistan, but were deeply concerned of the impending death of the LTTE leadership! Instead of continuing to support the fight against the most ruthless terrorist group in the world, some Western governments were asking to negotiate with the LTTE. Prabhakaran himself waited for the West and Tamil Nadu to intervene and save him!
The Sri Lankan Government was privy to these developments. As such, it adopted a tough posture. But today, after having reached its military objective, the Sri Lankan Government is rebuilding relations with those countries which lacked an understanding of what actually happened in Sri Lanka. Spearheaded by Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the government is planning its next phase. Like Mr Rajapaksa did with India, it entails building capacity to engage the West, especially EU and US, our traditional friends. For China and India to rise, and Asia to emerge as the epicentre of global power, it will take another decade!
Q: You have said that it is essential for government to continue to work with everyone, including diplomatic missions, NGOs, human rights lobbys and other actors who have been traditionally mislead or sympathetic to the LTTE. But the government has not reached out to these bodies?
A: Having defeated the world’s most ruthless terrorist group, Sri Lanka should develop a multi-pronged, multidimensional and a multi-jurisdictional strategy to win the peace. Most governments that succeeded winning wars, failed to transform rapidly enough to build the doctrines and structures to build peace. Making peace is as, or even more challenging than making war! It involves a deeper understanding of the various actors - governments, communities, civil society organisations - and a capacity to engage each one of them. It means recognition that, although all 10 fingers are not alike, they all are necessary to catch the ball.
To move in such a direction, the Sri Lankan Government must appoint the right person to the right job. The same way, President Rajapaksa appointed Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to head the Defence bureaucracy, the government must entrust the most talented leaders to spearhead these challenges’ portfolios. Basil Rajapaksa, who is politically astute, has the expertise to engage civil society organisations. He understands that NGOs are as important as governments. Similarly, Milinda Moragoda and Mahinda Samarasinghe have the skill to engage the international community.
It is important for government to appoint leaders with talent to build organisations and strategies to fight the next phase of the campaign. There are two challenging tasks. As human terrain is key, this involves working with the Tamil Diaspora. Unless the Sri Lankan Government is able to engage and influence the Tamil Diaspora to abandon violence and embrace peace, and give them a role in the development of the northeast, the LTTE will continue to lobby this segment of our society. As the LTTE threat overseas is active and is likely to grow, in parallel, there should also be investment to build robust platforms to counter propaganda, fundraising and engage in other activities such as extradition. This should also include building the capacity to take to court and sue both individuals and organisations that seek to fabricate and publicise false information with the malicious intent of damaging the reputation of Sri Lanka. Government can start with Channel 4, for airing a fabricated video and failing to apologise!
With the war over, the future for Sri Lanka is bright. However, Sri Lanka must now move fast. It must engage everyone, both foreign and domestic, with the single intention of providing security and safety for all, especially for the Tamils. It must not leave behind anyone! I am confident that, in the next five years, Sri Lanka will regain its status as the most developed country in South Asia, and within the next decade, will join the first world!
Q: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Service has been criticised for not being able to counter anti Sri Lankan propaganda. The removal of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka from Geneva and constant reshuffling of tried and tested diplomats has not helped our endeavours? We have also been appointing military commanders as ambassadors to many countries. How do you see this?
A: The next phase of the campaign will not be fought with guns and bullets, but with laptops and pens. We must select the right man for the right job. The criteria for appointing heads of missions and others to foreign postings should not be based on personal friendship or party loyalties. We have appointed as High Commissioners and ambassadors, who cannot express themselves in English, to English speaking countries, and we have appointed those who are sick and feeble to challenging postings. If we continue to do this, Sri Lanka’s name and image overseas will remain mud!
Sri Lanka must appoint its most capable sons and daughters to those postings. They can be from the Foreign Service, intelligence community, the military, the information ministry, trade and investment organisations, the private sector, etc. Irrespective of party politics, almost all Sri Lankans I have met, love their country. Without wasting talent, Government should also appoint those from the parliamentary opposition to represent Sri Lanka overseas. They must seek to forge excellent relationships with the bureaucracy, the business community and the political leadership. Sri Lanka has been ruined by divisions based on party, school, region, caste etc. Most of all, we must not allow petty politics, the art of division, to cloud our minds, intoxicate our communities and ruin our beautiful country.
Q: Are you satisfied with the handling of the IDPs?
A: Handling the IDPs is a complex challenge. It is the most difficult job in Sri Lanka. It must be handled with the greatest care and sophistication. Government is working towards resettling the Tamils as soon as possible. However, security is paramount. In addition to de-mining and securing the areas identified for settlement, government must create a security umbrella to prevent infiltration and revival of the LTTE. As we witnessed for quarter century, there cannot be economic development, or peace, without security. Government must build security systems before resettlement, to ensure that there will be no return to violence. There will always be unintentional mistakes made in a huge operation like handling quarter million IDPs. Major General Kamal Gunaratna handling the IDPs, is one of the most compassionate and bright leaders of Sri Lanka. Instead of criticising the government, it is paramount for all those concerned for the IDPs, to work with government and support the IDP resettlement plans and preparations.
Q: What about the Eastern Province and the activities of the TMVP, which is suspected of having a hand in smuggling out the IDPs for money?
A: The East is secure, because Karuna had the wisdom to break away from the LTTE! The Tamil groups, TMVP, EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF, EROS, ENDLF and others, that have abandoned violence in the North and East, should be engaged, supported and guided by the government. Tamil political leaders, Karuna, Siddharthan, Douglas Devananda and others like them have suffered more from the LTTE than any other politician. Their loved ones have been killed and they remain under threat. It is paramount for the current and future governments to continue to work with them and their parties. If we abandon them, some members of these groups will move towards criminality.
Leaders, members and family members of TMVP, EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF, EROS, ENDLF have suffered extensively at the hands of the LTTE. It is paramount for government to rehabilitate and reintegrate members of these groups. Government should provide them free land, housing and financial and technical assistance to move forward with their lives. Government working with foreign partners, INGOS and NGOS, should ensure that they will never go back to violence and will help develop Sri Lanka
Q: There are serious issues of corruption within the country, and the mechanisms set up to combat corruption, the COPE and the independent commissions have been sidelined by the government. This will have a negative impact, not only on our economy, but also on our reputation as a democratic country?
A: No country can develop without eliminating corruption. Today, corruption is the biggest challenge facing India and China. After ending terrorism, the next biggest challenge Sri Lanka is facing is corruption. Government must re-examine this whole issue of corruption and move rapidly. It is paramount to develop the legal framework to seize assets and give long sentences for corruption. For politicians engaged in corruption, it must institute the death penalty.
Q: Normally, after a war, the size of the military is reduced and the focus is on building special units like commandos and special forces. But the government is planning an increase in numbers?
A: As there is no substitute for development, government should transform the existing military into a development army. Already, the military is moving in this direction. Furthermore, government has plans to build roads, refurbish water tanks, establish industrial parks and develop agriculture in the northeast. As intelligence is the spearhead of counter terrorism, Government should expand their military intelligence and national intelligence. Government must maintain its elite forces, especially the special forces and commandos, and to maintain its readiness, should help other governments to fight terrorism globally.
The Sri Lankan military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are a national treasures. All those who fought and assisted in the fight should be given a piece of land. Increasing the military strength is acceptable, as long as they continue to play an important role in national development.
Q: What do you think of the Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka?
A: The time for ethnic entrepreneurship is over. We must not encourage divisive and ethnic politics. By sowing the seeds of ethnic hatred, an entire generation has suffered. The Tamil leaders must grasp this great moment in history. They must build bridges and work with the Muslim and Sinhala leaders. There is no better opportunity to work together to help the community that has most suffered in Sri Lanka, the Tamils. Tamil leaders have a huge responsibility to ensure that Tamils do not suffer anymore.
The late Appapillai Amirthalingam, the TULF leader clandestinely groomed Prabhakaran to eliminate and control his opponents. In the mid 1970s, when Alfred Duraiappah was assassinated by Prabhakaran, Prabhakaran was in and out of Amirthalingam’s home. As the LTTE developed its own momentum, the TULF hardliners lost control of Prabhakaran, and ultimately, Prabhakaran returned with vengeance, almost eliminating the entire TULF leadership.
The mainstream parties of Sri Lanka must reach out to the Muslim and Tamil leaders and work with them. Over time, Sri Lanka must move towards a culture of creating and sustaining non ethnic and non religious parties. The time for ethnic and religious politics should come to an end. As Sri Lanka belongs to all, it is a challenge for the Sri Lankan leaders to accept.

New LTTE leader barred from entering Germany
By Gagani Weerakoon
Persistent attempts by pro-LTTE organisations to bring LTTE’s new de-facto leader Visvanathan Rudrakumaran to Germany in the guise of a humanitarian activist, to address the Tamil community domiciled there have failed with German authorities refusing him entry into the country.

Sources in Germany said Rudrakumaran, who is a US citizen, and another pro-LTTE South Indian film director had been billed as the key speakers at a mass demonstration planned for last weekend, to which some TNA Parliamentarians still living abroad were also to join.

“Tamil Makkal Elutchi Kulu,” a front organisation of the LTTE, was responsible for organising the demonstration, which was to be staged opposite the Federal State Parliament, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) where the largest Tamil community in Germany is living,” sources said.
Meanwhile, the sources also disclosed that German intelligence, ever since the decimation of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, is getting more co-operation than before from the Tamil community about the activities of the LTTE front organisations in Germany.

“Many Tamils here are disappointed with the LTTE and feel that the Tigers deceived them on many occasions. Most Tamils in NRW are now demanding that they be paid back the money they donated to the LTTE believing in their pledge to build a separate state for the Tamils. There had been a number of clashes between the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Germany and the LTTE fund-raisers in the past few months. The NRW tops the illegal fundraising in Germany followed by Berlin,” sources in Germany said.
They also noted that the number of cases reported of Tamil houses being robbed by unidentified gangs also has increased rapidly in the recent past.

“Strangely, these gangs only robbed money and gold. In one instance, they have robbed 20 kilos of gold from a house belonging to a Tamil in Berlin. But none of these victims has made complaints to the German police in fear of being taxed, and income tax authorities could take tough actions against those people who did not reveal their assets,” they said.

The LTTE is under continuous watch by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungschutz) due to its being listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.
“However, its front organisations are continuing to operate, without any hindrance, from the law enforcing authorities, in Germany. We believe the decision not to allow Rudrakumanran entry into Germany was a wise move made by the Government of Germany to avoid any future embarrassment of being accused of aiding the activities of the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world,” they said.

FYI and further distribution, if you please.
Here's an example of a Sri Lankan Diplomat who appears to know why he has been sent to represent Sri Lanka on foreign soil and who seems to be doing the job he is paid for. Let's hope that other diplomats scattered all over the world would take a lesson and do likewise.
Regards
Rajah

Thursday, 03 September 2009 16:38
High Commissioner H.E Senaka Walgampaya’s letter to the Editor of The Canberra Times in response to the article titled “Terrorists or tomorrow’s allies?” written by Mr. Bruce Haigh and published on 01st September 2009.
2nd September 2009

Editor
The Canberra Times

I write with reference to the article which appeared yesterday in the Opinion Page of your newspaper titled “Terrorists or tomorrow’s allies?” by Mr Bruce Haigh. I wish to address you on two major concerns contained in this article i.e. the distortion of the national flag of Sri Lanka and facts presented by Mr Haigh on Sri Lanka.

At the outset, I place on record the objections of the Government of Sri Lanka that a reputed newspaper such as yours published a distorted version of the National Flag of my country which accompanies this article. The national flag of a country is not something to be made a mockery of as it is a source of pride and dignity for the citizens of that country. You would agree, many citizens of Sri Lanka live and work in Australia and contribute immensely to the growth of this country. They would be appalled to see the national flag of their country insulted in such an undignified manner. It is a totally unethical act and unprofessional conduct on your part to let this go to print. I should hope that your Newspaper would take appropriate steps to address my concerns in this regard.

In the aftermath of the conflict several so called ‘experts’ have emerged in the Australian media, one being Mr Haigh, claiming to know the facts on the situation in Sri Lanka. I have read with interest the several articles he had written in the past and thought it ill advised to respond to such rants. However, I feel it is important at this stage to state some facts for the benefit of your readers so that they become aware of the correct situation in Sri Lanka. I presume that you will accord the same publicity as you have done to Mr Haigh in your newspaper to my response, hopefully accompanied by the correct national flag of my country.

Mr Haigh categorizes the conflict in Sri Lanka as a civil war, which it was not. It was a conflict between a ruthless terrorist organization and a Government military. During the course of the conflict over 54% of the Tamil population of Sri Lanka lived outside the North and East together with the rest of the ethnic communities. Throughout the course of this conflict persons of Tamil ethnicity have been elected and have served in the Sri Lanka Parliament, have had access to Government and Private sector jobs at the highest possible levels (several leading CEOs of blue chip companies in Sri Lanka have been of Tamil ethnicity) and during the peak of the conflict the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka was an ethnic Tamil i.e. the Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar.

The LTTE, which was infamous for crushing dissenting views, has been at the forefront in assassinating moderate Tamil leadership since the inception of their struggle. Beginning with the killing of the Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiappa in the 1970’s they continued to assassinate moderate Tamil leaders and intellectuals such as Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam (intellectual and constitutional expert), A Amirthalingam (leader of the TULF & former Opposition Leader), Kumar Ponnambalam (Leader of the Tamil Congress), J Pararajasingham( Tamil National Alliance MP), Nadarajah Raviraj (TNA MP), Ketheshwaran Loganathan (Deputy Secretary General of the Government Peace Secretariat), and Former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, to name but a few. While Mr Haigh presents the view that the LTTE were fighting for the rights of the Tamils, the question then remains what exactly were they doing killing eminent ethnic Tamils in the country. This is not all. The terror of the LTTE was not just directed at ethnic Tamils it was also directed at the Muslims. In 1990 the LTTE killed 103 Muslims and 70 others while they were praying at the Meera Jumma Mosque in Kattankudy. Later in the same year the LTTE engaged in ethnic cleansing evicting 90,000 Muslims from Jaffna. The purpose of the LTTE was to create a mono ethnic separate state in Sri Lanka, a country which has had a long tradition of a multi ethnic social fabric. The atrocities of the LTTE are endless. They were directed at civilians, civilian installations and the military alike. In placing before you the aforementioned facts my attempt is to make it clear to your readers that the LTTE were not freedom fighters as Mr Haigh attempts to portray them, but a ruthless terrorist group.

Interestingly, Mr Haigh cites examples from history on attacks on Tamils by the Sinhalese but avoids mentioning the fact that since 1983 no such attacks have taken place despite extreme provocations by the LTTE with their suicide attacks which resulted in the deaths of several hundred civilians and vast destruction and damage to property.

He also avoids mentioning the fact that the Sinhala only policy has long since been abandoned and the Tamil language is recognized by the Constitution as an official language. A glance at a passport of any Sri Lankan citizen would make this clear.

The Government continues to make efforts to implement in full the 13th Amendment to the Constitution so that Tamil language is used more widely by the Police and Administrative Officials.

Attributing the heinous crimes committed by the LTTE as “random acts of terror” to the Tamils, he is doing innocent Tamil civilians a great disservice. The Tamil Tigers do not represent and are not the sole representatives of the Tamil people.

The allegations made by Mr Haigh that the Sinhalese employed the use of torture and terror is totally unsubstantiated and false.

With regard to references made to conditions in the camps, the Government has currently given access to 52 International Non Governmental Organizations and other non governmental organizations to work side by side with Government officials in complementing the efforts of the Government in catering to the needs of the IDPs. Several UN agencies are working in each and every one of the welfare camps. Since January 2009 over 170 international media personnel and groups have been given access to the North to visit liberated areas and have been provided access to IDP welfare camps.

Mr Haigh has deliberately subverted the truth stating that “around 300,000 were rounded up and put in concentration camps”. Mr Haigh ought reasonably to be aware that the 300,000 or so persons were in fact kept hostage and used as human shields by the LTTE in the last phase of the conflict and were rescued by the security forces.

In the task of resettling the IDPs the Government is faced with several interlinked challenges. Apart from the provision of humanitarian relief services to the IDPs in temporary accommodation facilities, de-mining, restoration of civil administration, infrastructure development, provision of a means of economic survival through livelihood development and ultimately the restoration of popular political institutions that will enable democratic decision making by the people through freely chosen representatives are some of the main tasks to be achieved.

Allied with this is the rehabilitation of child combatants (the LTTE recruited children as young as 14 years) and the demobilization, disarming and reintegration of other ex-combatants throughout the country which are also high on the list of priorities. In order to sustain these initiatives the Government needs to guard against any attempts to revive and revitalize separatism, disunity and destabilization. The Government of Sri Lanka will continue with its efforts to weed out terrorists who have infiltrated the ranks of IDPs and the civilian population. Towards that end a screening process has been introduced in the IDP welfare camps and those identified as LTTE cadres are sent for rehabilitation in established centres. These are enormous challenges which Sri Lanka faces. Arm chair critics such as Mr Haigh, sitting in the comfort of his home, can scarcely begin to grasp the enormity of the task at hand. Hence his comments of the Government taking too long to resettle the IDPs are to be expected. The Government of Sri Lanka more than any other entity, organization or individual is supremely cognizant of the need to resettle these people early. The responsibilities to the citizens of our country are paramount to us and will never be taken lightly whatever their ethnicity maybe.

Successive Governments of Sri Lanka with the truest and sincere intentions of restoring peace and normalcy held six rounds of peace talks with the LTTE. However, every such period was used by the LTTE to regroup, rearm and induct new cadre and to recommence terrorist activity.

Certainly it is disappointing to see a former diplomat, who has served in Sri Lanka, lacking in any real affection for a country in which he has served and attempting to malign its name by distorting the truth.

I wish to recall excerpts from a statement made in 2003 by Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar who was then an opposition Member of Parliament:

“Mr. Speaker, Sri Lanka has become a carnival ground for international players, a sort of Hawkers Street for foreign experts peddling their wares. Do we really need foreign experts to advise us on how to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State. Surely, our own Service Commanders, native to our soil, know best what needs to be done. What we in the Opposition say to these worthy experts, there are many from different nationalities, who come to advise the government is this please remember that the Sovereignty of Sri Lanka is precious to us its citizens, to the members of this House, to our people. It may be a plaything in the hands of others, to us it is not a marketable commodity; it is not negotiable; it cannot be compromised. If any of these expert reports make recommendations that impinge on our sovereignty we of the Opposition will be duty bound by our people to denounce such reports whoever the author may be. He who pays the piper calls the tune.”

The Government of Sri Lanka will continue to take all measures to maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and crush terrorism in all its forms, as it has so successfully done in May of this year. Had it not been for his assassination by the LTTE, Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar, an ethnic Tamil and former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka would have lived today in a country free from terror, a goal which he relentlessly pursued and for which he laid down his life.

Senaka Walgampaya, P.C.
High Commissioner

Sri Lanka has imported equipment to speed up mine clearing in the former war zone in the island's north, the defence ministry said Saturday.

The mine-clearing machines imported from Slovakia would be used to accelerate resettlement of people driven out of the area during the height of fighting, the ministry said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's army and eight other organisations were involved in removing thousands of mines, but most of the work was done manually, K. Kumarasiri, secretary to the Nation Building Ministry, told AFP.

"Only 10 square metres (about 100 square feet) can be de-mined daily (by one mine clearer) through manual work," added Major General D.M.D. Alwis, coordinator of the Sri Lanka Humanitarian Demining Project.

"But these machines can clear 5,000 square metres," he said.

Sri Lankan troops crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by killing the rebels' leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran in mid-May, ending a decades-long separatist conflict that had claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The army has said it was sending more troops for mine-clearing operations to speed up the resettlement of nearly 300,000 people displaced by the recent fighting.

They are being detained in the northern district of Vavuniya under tight security to be screened for remaining Tamil Tiger rebels.

Colombo has come under growing international pressure to release the civilians.

The government promised UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who visited the island in May, that 80 percent of the refugees would be returned home before the end of this year.

The rebels had been fighting since 1972 to carve out an independent Tamil homeland in the north of Sri Lanka.

Investigative Report by Hassina Leelarathna

‘Nothing international about the all-Tamil ‘International Medical Health Organization’(IMHO)

IMHO is spreading LTTE propaganda, raising funds, establishing conduits to support LTTE – under guise of ‘healing & reconciliation’

· IMHO’s ‘material support’ to LTTE included ‘Thileepan medical centers’ and ambulances that were operated by the Tigers.

· IMHO board members are also TRO operatives and run other LTTE fronts such as the Tamils of Northern California (TNC). Documented evidence shows hundreds of thousands of dollars being given to the TRO by TNC and other fronts.

· IMHO is not a registered NGO in Sri Lanka. It ‘partnered’ with Centre for Healthcare (CHC) in LTTE ‘capital’ Killinochchi and now claims to be partnering with the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) – which works hand in glove with Norwegian NGOs Berghof Foundation and FORUT whose directors have been deported for working with the LTTE to undermine Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

IMHO founder Sujanthy Rajaram spread LTTE propaganda by alleging ‘chemical warfare by Sri Lankan military’ on the website of ‘Tamils for Obama’ – identified by KP alias Kumaran Pathmanathan as another LTTE front that supported the Obama campaign.

GOSL & the Sri Lankan mission in Los Angeles have refused to endorse IMHO’s fundraiser to be held August 22 in Southern California.

Following the victory of the Sri Lankan army over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant outfit once considered by many as an invincible force, Pakistan has asked Sri Lanka to provide training to its military personnel.

The government of Pakistan wants the Sri Lankan military to train its personnel in counter-insurgency operations, the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Lt-Gen Jagath Jayasuriya, told journalists on Thursday.

He said several other countries had also sought information about the strategy and tactics adopted by the Sri Lankan armed forces to decimate the LTTE in just three years of intense fighting.

Pakistan helped Sri Lanka fight the LTTE by supplying arms when other countries had put an embargo on arms sales to the country.

Adm Wasantha Karannagoda, a former naval chief who is currently the National Security Adviser, had said at an international naval seminar in the UK that the strategies and tactics used by the Sri Lankan navy to tackle the LTTE’s naval arm could be of use to other navies because in the conflicts of the future navies would be facing not battleships and destroyers but small and fast boats of non-state rogue navies which could be indulging in insurgencies, piracies and trafficking of various kinds.

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and expatriates in Switzerland contributed the most to the LTTE’s war chest, the captured LTTE leader, Selvarasa Patmanathan alias KP, reportedly told his interrogators in Colombo, the weekly Nation reported in its latest issue.KP told Nation that he was not aware of the total collection received by the war chest as the LTTE founder V Prabhakaran had entrusted those functions to others. However, he confessed that the bulk of the money came from Switzerland, followed by UK, South Africa, Australia and Canada, the paper reported on Sunday.The Island daily reported on Monday that KP had tried to send an arms-laden ship to the Mullaitivu coast in the closing stages of the war. The ship was due to land on May 20, but since the war ended on May 18, the vessel had to return.Lankan officials grilling KP had been asking him about the four vessels which the LTTE’s front organisations were using for legitimate trade in the South China Sea. Lanka could act against these vessels if their owners had any connection with the LTTE.Lankan investigators reportedly dismissed KP’s claim that he had convinced Prabhakaran to give up the military option and go for political talks with the Lankan government in the closing stages of the war. KP had been in the business of supplying weapons to the LTTE till the very last moment, Sri Lankan officials think.KP WILL FIRST BE TRIED IN LANKA: According to Nation, Lankan officials had made it clear that KP would have to face the judicial process in Lanka before he was handed over to India for investigations into his role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It is learnt that India may not want the custody of KP, as he was not directly involved in the plot to kill Rajiv Gandhi. He was not charge-sheeted by the Special Investigating Team of the CBI in 1992. But India may want to know about the LTTE’s links with international arms smuggling and drug traffickers.US pledges food worth $15 million: The U S Agency for International Development has pledged food worth $15 million to support the early return of people displaced by the war in north Lanka.

Tamil Tiger rebels have acknowledged their new leader has been arrested in Malaysia and handed over to the Sri Lankan military.

Notably, there is a contradiction regarding the place of LTTE chief’s arrest. According to rebels, Selvarasa Pathmanathan was arrested in Malaysia, but Sri Lanka's Defence Minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had earlier claimed that the Tiger rebel was detained in Thailand.

In a statement, LTTE says that Selvarasa Pathmanathan was captured near a hotel on Wednesday by the Malaysian Royal Intelligence Corps.

The confirmation by rebels came hours after the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry verified the reports that Pathmanathan, who was appointed the leader of the Tamil Tigers following the killing of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, has been arrested.

"Most wanted LTTE terrorist for Interpol and local security divisions Kumaran Padmanadan alias KP has been taken into custody by Sri Lankan law enforcement authorities," it was reported on the Defence Ministry website.

"The suspect is known to be responsible for cross-border terrorist activities of Liberation Tiger of the Tamil Elam (LTTE)," it added.

Sri Lanka's military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara says Pathmanathan was brought to Sri Lanka and is being questioned.

Pathmanathan has been sought by Interpol for smuggling arms for the Tamil Tigers.

As the new rebel leader, Pathmanathan said the LTTE had decided to silence their guns and would try non-violent methods to achieve their goal of a separate state for the Tamil minority, BBC reported.

Sri Lanka's military says it is interrogating Pathmanathan.

Meanwhile, Nanayakkara declined on Friday to say where and when Pathmanathan was captured.

Pathmanathan took over as the LTTE's leader after Prabhakaran was killed on May 18 in the island's north. Prabhakaran's killing had brought the curtains down on one of the world's bloodiest ethnic conflicts that ravaged this nation.

New Delhi: The new chief of the Tamil Tigers who is now in Sri Lankan custody was one of the rare few outside the group's intelligence set-up who knew months earlier that former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was to be assassinated.

Without taking Gandhi's name, Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP told a Sri Lankan Tamil in Tamil Nadu in November 1990 that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would soon target the "Indian leadership".

KP - as he is widely known - made the explosive revelation over telephone from a foreign country six months before a LTTE woman suicide bomber finally killed Gandhi at an election rally near Chennai May 21, 1991.

But KP, in contrast to a section of media reports, is not an accused in the Gandhi case and is not directly linked to the killing. He is merely a suspect in the eyes of the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Authority (MDMA), which is still probing the larger conspiracy angle related to Gandhi's killing.

KP's advance knowledge of the assassination has intrigued Indian security agencies.

Since secret decisions of the nature of Gandhi's killing were shared in the regimented LTTE on a strict need to know basis, questions have been asked how and why he came to know about the plot.

One logical explanation was the LTTE's absolute dependency on KP, who was the key international arms procurer for the Tigers, a role he performed with aplomb. He became the LTTE chief after the death of the group's founder leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in May this year.

The LTTE may have felt that KP needed to be told in advance since the international ramifications of Gandhi's killing might jeopardise the carefully laid out global network aimed at procuring arms and ammunition.

Another senior LTTE member outside its intelligence unit who too knew about the Gandhi killing in advance was Tiruchi Shanthan, who in 1990-91 was in charge of all Tiger operations in Tamil Nadu.

So, questioning KP could yield enormously useful information to India since the pellets, explosives and the Singapore Fragmentation Grenade (SFG) used in the assassination reached the LTTE courtesy the arrested man though they were meant for the war in Sri Lanka and not for the Gandhi killing per se.

However, if India decides to ask its security agencies to question KP, those picked for the task should be well clued into LTTE affairs.

There is a group of dominantly low-key officers in India, both serving and retired, who have followed the Tigers for decades. But it has been seen in the past that qualified people often get sidelined on such missions.

KP's link to the Gandhi case is a small part of the mammoth role he played in building up the LTTE since 1983. Just as there could have been no LTTE without Prabhakaran, there may have been no Prabhakaran minus KP.

KP never underwent military training. When he was in India, Prabhakaran decided in 1984 to set up an ultra secret group within the LTTE to buy and transport war material from around the world. KP was picked for the job.
KP rose to the occasion. A man with natural talent for forgery and disguises, he soon acquired multiple identifies as well as passports (including Indian) and slowly built up the LTTE's procurement division.

He set up several front companies (in which he was a master) in several countries to smuggle gold and narcotics. He used the money to buy war material. In India, he secretly operated a dairy farm in Tamil Nadu in the 1980s.

He also set up a secret shipping network for the LTTE that was used to transport weapons brought abroad to Sri Lanka. He operated in total secrecy, reporting only to Prabhakaran.

It is courtesy KP that the LTTE gained thousands of tonnes of arms and ammunition, including advanced defence systems, anti-tank weapons, sniper rifles, mortars, rocket propelled grenades, ammunition, night vision devices, metal detectors, fibreglass boats as well as sophisticated radio and wireless communications.

Except in the last few years when he was known to be mostly in Malaysia, KP was constantly on the move in the 1980s and 1990s, always a step ahead of all his pursuers. One Indian official said he was "the most elusive of all pimpernels".

Using several identifies, he visited Lebanon, the Thai-Cambodia border, France, Britain, Sweden, Greece, Cyprus, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Myanmar, Malaysia and Australia. He was known to have been in Britain in 2006 when LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham died.

It was due to KP that the LTTE got its first small aircraft.

However, KP's meteoric rise generated jealousy in the LTTE. Prabhakaran sidelined the man from 2003, bringing in place another loyalist known by his nom de guerre Castro, who was no match for KP's natural talents.

As the LTTE began to sink, Prabhakaran realised the folly and resurrected KP this year. It was too late. Many LTTE watchers believe that Prabhakaran might still be alive if only KP's wings had not been clipped six years ago.

The new head of the Tamil Tigers, the separatist group defeated by the Sri Lankan military after a 25-year war, has been arrested in Thailand, Sri Lanka's military said on Thursday.

Selvarajah Pathmanathan was wanted on two Interpol warrants and took the reins of the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after their defeat in May.

"He has been arrested in Bangkok. That is all we know at the moment," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

There was no immediate comment from Thai officials.

Pathmanathan, better known as KP during his decades running the LTTE's arms and smuggling networks, took over as the public leader of the separatist group after Sri Lanka's military announced victory on May 18 after a 25-year war.

He was the first LTTE official to acknowledge the death of Tiger founder and leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed in the closing days of Sri Lanka's offensive on a narrow spit of northeastern coast where they had surrounded the rebels.

Security experts had long suspected Pathmanathan was hiding in southeast Asia.

A Western diplomat assigned to Sri Lanka met him somewhere in the region earlier this year, part of an effort to persuade the LTTE to surrender in the face of an imminent defeat and free civilians they were holding by force in the war zone.

Pathmanathan was believed to have earned millions of dollars procuring weapons for the Tigers and running smuggling operations from bases across the region including Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Security experts say he had multiple passports.

Some estimates said the LTTE earned between $200-300 million from extortion, weapons sales and drug smuggling. Analysts said part of a brief struggle for Prabhakaran's mantle after the war was to take control of its financial assets.

After the war, Pathmanathan said the LTTE would try non-violent means to achieve its goal of a separate state for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils. Among his first initiatives was to try to form a transnational government-in-exile. (Editing by Richard Williams)

Prior to its defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan security forces, the LTTE received a whopping up to 12 million dollars annually through its fundraising activities in Canada, home to a large number of Tamils.

"Canada was one of the top sources of funding for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers rebels, providing up to 12 million (Canadian) dollars a year," the 'National Post' newspaper reported citing a secret intelligence report.

The funds received by the LTTE were mostly contributed by the large Canadian-Tamil population, it said.

Classified as 'Secret' and titled 'LTTE Threat to Canada', the intelligence report said the Canadian Tamil community was among the LTTE's largest sources of funds, having contributed up to 10 to 12 million dollars annually in past years.

"A copy of the report was released to the (National) Post under the Access to Information Act and was written last June, during the final months of a decisive Sri Lankan military offensive," the newspaper said.

Slain LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran's sister Vinothini and her husband Bala Rajendran also reside in Canada.

On whether he approved of the massive protest rallies organised by the LTTE sympathisers in Toronto where he and his family reside, the 67-year-old Rajenderan had told 'Globe and Mail' newspaper recently that "personally, I don't like these people going and blocking the roads".

	Passengers could travel through A9 without LTTE check points after 19 years

The road (the A9) came under government control this year during the final onslaught against Tamil Tiger rebels.

Before that it had been rebel-controlled for more than twenty years.

The highway was ceremonially opened to the public by Basil Rajapaksa, MP and Senior Advisor to the President, the government information department said.

It said 210 passengers were transported from Jaffna to Medawachchiya in five buses provided by the government.

'Not just elections!'

The passengers, who were stopped at Medawachchiya check point later joined the buses transporting them to Colombo and Vavuniya.

It is the first time since May 2006 passengers were allowed to travel through the A9. Until then, they were allowed through government and LTTE check points.

It is the first time in 19 years the passengers could travel through the highway without the presence of LTTE check points.

However the road is only opened at day time and it will facilitate the supplies through land says Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda.

"In weeks to come, we will try to normalise the A9. We have asked private bus owners to apply for route permits to operate from Vavunia to Jaffna," the minister told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.

"It is not just for elections!", the minister said refering to the forthcoming local government elections in Jaffna and Vavunia.

A BBC correspondent said the opening of the road illustrates government efforts to get infrastructure in Sri Lanka back to normal.

Sri Lanka's military says troops have recovered another submarine-type craft in an area formerly controlled by the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

Military officials say the submersible vehicle, capable of carrying a crew of three, was found late Saturday submerged about 500 meters off the coast of the northeastern district of Mullaittivu.

Several submersible devices had been found by the military in the final phase of Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war that ended two months ago with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers and the death of the group's leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Last week, the troops uncovered a large arms cache in the same district, containing more than 300 roadside bombs and huge quantities of ammunition.

Sri Lankan government has ordered tough measures to curb child pornography after it noticed that many websites containing obscene material are easily accessible in the country.

President Mahinda has instructed the Inspector general of Police to take tangible and tough measures to curb child pornography in Sri Lanka, an official statement said.

This includes an action against capturing and posting on the internet the photographs and video clips of unsuspecting persons, especially minors and women.

"The President issued this directive after it was brought to his notice that there were many websites containing such material, much of it obtained in clear violation of the law and moreover antithetical to accepted norms in Sri Lankan society," the statement said.

"The Sri Lankan government is strongly and unconditionally committed to creating an environment where children can grow up without their dignity being violated in any manner," it said.

The government has identified numerous websites that are been uploaded with obscene video clips and images featuring underage local children.

Sri Lankan Army Chief Gen Sarath Fonseka, who led the successful military campaign that wiped out the entire LTTE leadership, was on Sunday promoted to the post of Chief of Defence Staff by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Top commanders in the security establishment have been elevated to higher levels, effective July 15 by Rajapaksa, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Maj General Jagath Jayasuriya will succeed Gen Fonseka as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, officials said.

Gen Fonseka, who was injured in a Tamil Tiger suicide attack in April 2006, was promoted to the rank of General on May 18, hours after the military announced that it had vanquished the LTTE and killed its top leaders, including Tiger supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

The current Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and Competent Authority for the Internally Displaced Persons in the North Maj Gen GA Chandrasiri today took his oaths as the new Governor for the Northern Province.

Dixon Dela, who was Governor of the Northern Province, was today appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Maldives.

Incumbent Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda will assume duties as National Security Adviser to the President while Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe will take over as Commander of the Navy.

	Sri Lanka army says it was the first casualty since LTTE was defeated

According to the army, this was the first casualty that it's suffered since May, when it captured the last rebel stronghold and declared victory.

The soldier was was reported to have been about to search a boat in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, when a man on board grabbed his gun and shot him.

The army said the attacker was captured by other soldiers, and later identified as Nallaratnam Mohan, a regional rebel leader.

The security forces say they've killed more than a dozen guerrillas in recent weeks as they continue operations against the remnants of the Tigers.

The Sri Lankan army killed most of the LTTE's leaders when it defeated the rebels last month [AFP] The few surviving leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have announced that they are transforming the former Sri Lankan rebel movement into a "transnational government". In a recorded statement, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE international relations chief, said the organisation would continue to pursue its aim of a separate Tamil state despite the death of its leader. "The struggle of people of Tamil Eelam [the separate state the LTTE fought for] has reached a new state," he said. "It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom." The announcement comes nearly a month after Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE leader, and most of his deputies, were killed by government forces in an offensive that bought the island’s 26-year civil war to an end. Focus: Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's uneasy peace Profile: Velupillai Prabhakaran Q&A: Sri Lanka's civil war The history of the Tamil Tigers Timeline: Conflict in Sri Lanka According to rights groups, thousands of civilians in the north of the country were also killed in the fighting. An estimated 250,000 Tamil refugees are currently living in military-run camps for the internally displaced that have been criticised as internment camps. Pathmanathan, who worked as the LTTE's main international arms smuggler, said a "provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam" was being set up. He also said that Rudrakumaran Vishwanathan, their overseas-based legal adviser, would head a committee to decide a course of action that would be "within democratic principles". It is not clear from where Pathmanathan, who is wanted by Interpol for his arms smuggling operations, issued the recorded message. Diaspora support Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, who has covered Sri Lanka extensively, said the new entity would probably gain a lot of support among the more than one million-strong Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora across the world. Some 250,000 Tamil refugees remain in what critics call internment camps [AFP] Pointing out that the Tamil diaspora were still a tremendous source of funding for the LTTE, he said that they were "still incensed at the treatment of the internally displaced Tamils in the country and what they say is a lack of basic human rights". "But it is difficult to see how that will translate on the ground in Sri Lanka where all LTTE structure and hierarchy have been totally destroyed leaving what some say are only 'tame and compliant' Tamils to deal with the government," our correspondent said. "The statement by Pathmanathan speaks of a political process and makes no mention of resuming a guerrilla war. The question is will that still be the case if this transnational LTTE government is banned from the process of peace and reconciliation?" Meanwhile, the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website called for a "democratic and inclusive" organisation to continue a separatist agenda. "The need of the time now is the metamorphosis of the existing infrastructure into a democratic and inclusive transnational government of Eelam Tamils," Tamilnet said. "While the government-in-exile is a conventional phenomenon that needs a host country, the transnational government is a novel experiment that has no precedence," it said, while characterising the new set-up as a "symbolic" new start for the LTTE. The Tamil Tigers had been fighting for more than 25 years for a homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, saying they were marginalised by the ruling majority Sinhalese government.