Understanding relations between RAW & LTTE

“India’s RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) trained Liberation Tamil Tigers Ealem (LTTE) under the directions of Prime Minister Indra Gandhi on India’s soil. RAW being well aware of ins and outs of LTTE was in the knowledge of inner working of LTTE’s Intelligent Unit (IU) under Pottu Amman. However, the death of Indra Gandhi proved a serious below for the future of Tamil Tigers.”

by Afshain Afzal

(October 31, Islamabad, Sri Lanka Guardian) The issue of Eelam or homeland for Tamils is a central issue in Sri Lanka as well as in India that is under way from many decades. The issue gained public attention when it was proposed by the Tamil United Liberation Frount (TULF) in 1976. The TULF was a coalition of Tamil parties who campaigned in the 1977 elections for an independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In the 1977 elections the TULF was elected to parliament from the Northern and Eastern provinces.

In order to counter separatist tendencies, the government added a new clause to the constitution in 1978 requiring all MPs to pledge allegiance to the unity of the state, which resulted in the boycott of the parliament by the TULF. The Tamil Eelam’s movement is principally in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, where they claim as their traditional homeland. The people of Indian province of Tamil Nado have ethnic links with Tamils in Sri Lanka and both are striving for a separate homeland. Some of the early militant groups such as the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) adhered to a wider concept of Eelam, by which they meant all parts of the island of Sri Lanka with a Tamil majority, including the upcountry districts with an estate Tamil majority, traditionally part of the Sinhalese heartland. The EPRLF supported the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and have joined democratic mainstream therefore are high on the hit-list of the LTTE. Today, the demand for an independent state is limited only to the Northern and Eastern provinces. There are many other groups which have fought for Tamil Eelam’s independence including Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), Tamil Eelam Army (TEA), Ilankai Freedom Tamil Army (FTA), and Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation (SRSL). The portion of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka is under the control of the LTTE and being run as a de-facto quasi-independent state, with its own airports, banks, courts, Police force, Army, Navy and Air Force but these institutions are not formally recognized by any international government.

India’s RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) trained Liberation Tamil Tigers Ealem (LTTE) under the directions of Prime Minister Indra Gandhi on India’s soil. RAW being well aware of ins and outs of LTTE was in the knowledge of inner working of LTTE’s Intelligent Unit (IU) under Pottu Amman. However, the death of Indra Gandhi proved a serious below for the future of Tamil Tigers. After the death of Prime Minister Indra Gandhi there was a major policy shift in India. Instead of the Prime Minister and the parliament, the Central Committee and the policy makers started controlling the Indian agenda. These policy-makers made best use of the inexperienced new Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and contrary to the policies of ex Prime Minister Indra Gandhi, Rajiv period witnessed change in the Tamil policy. India sent its forces to Sri Lanka under a treaty in which she also lost more than 1200 of its soldiers in fight against Tamils. Rajiv Gandhi soon realized his folly and tried to repair the damaged relation with LTTE. Rajiv Gandhi promised investigation into the whole 1987 episode and met with the representative of the Tamil Tigers, in New Delhi in March 1991, to convey his message directly to the head of the LTTE. Surprisingly he got very positive response from the LTTE.

Tamil Tigers were well aware that RAW wanted to control them for their own vested interest and there was no sympathy for the cause for which LTTE was waging war. Most of the hierarchy in LTTE refused to entertain RAW officials. However, RAW was able to keep its links with some of the handlers of IU. In one of its move RAW penetrated into LTTE inner foils and was in contact wit Second in Command of LTTE for the elimination of LTTE Chief. The new circle of advisors to Mr. Gandhi failed him in Sri Lanka too. India couldn’t achieve its goal; establishing friendly Tamil administration in the North-East of Sri Lanka. India lost more than 1200 of its soldiers. Even today, there isn’t any monument for the Indian lost; there is no official list of death soldiers. Indian people were looking for answers. Mr. Gandhi wanted to undo the damages, and wanted to have a fresh friendly start with the Tamil Tigers. Mr. Gandhi promised a full investigation into the whole 1987 episode. Mr. Gandhi himself met with the representative of the Tamil Tigers, in New Delhi in March 1991, to convey his message directly to the head of the LTTE. And Mr. Gandhi got very positive response back from the Tamil Tigers.

Many in intelligence officers in India believe that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was not assassinated by the LTTE but it was group of Indian who were getting millions for running security projects in Sri Lanka . Indian policy makers wanted to put Sri Lanka under its sway but it failed as Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandhi realized his mistake and wanted LTTE to be on his side at any cost. For him, a relation with Sri Lanka was second priority. The new alliance between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Tamil Tigers was a devastating blow to some Delhi and Colombo establishments. As soon as the new alliance was formed, some senior Congress-I leaders with the backing of Italians established a “special operation team” without the knowledge and approval of Indian Prime Minister. Edvige Antonia Albina Maino, better known as Sonia Gandhi, widow of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, and current president of ruling Congress-Party of India, first introduced one of her closest friend, an Italian mafia boss, Mr. Ottavio Quattrocchi to Rajiv. Ottavio was the principal broker of now infamous Bofors deal (the largest scandal India ever seen – the Bofors scandal). The Bofors deal with the Government of India was signed on March 24, 1986, when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister.

CBI filed a case against Mr. Quattrocchi, Win Chadha, Rajiv Gandhi, the defence secretary S. K. Bhatnagar and a number of others. Mr. Quattrocchi is the only living key figure of those accused, today. Rajiv made a deal with CBI; he pledged full corporation, including naming all who were involved to save his political career. In return, CBI promised some probation, not criminal record for Rajiv. This deal agitated some very powerful Congress-I party members, and their associates, including Ms. Maino (Sonia) and Mr. Quattrocchi. The same Bofors arms dealers and their cronies with multiple bogus-postbox corporations are handling arms supply to Sri Lankan Government too. Some of the special projects are directly benefiting the top officials of Sri Lankan Government and its National Intelligence top officials.

The Rajiv’s agreement with LTTE and CBI, not only was going to expose all the culprits in the Bofors matter, but also was going to cut all the special project funds – with respect to Sri Lankan conflict. The following people were in trouble:

• Indian top leaders who get a portion of the special project funds – including former heads of RAW

• The Bofors dealers – the Italian mafia and their closest associate in India

• The Indian High Commission top brasses in Colombo who were responsible for special projects including arms supply

• Sri Lankan Government which gets military hardware from India as part of the special projects
• Lankan Military Intelligent officials who do the dirty works for India

The threat for the group mentioned above was the reelection of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. They assembled a very secretive team in Delhi to eliminate the threat.

While the Bofors-deal was being investigated, and while he was working on reelection campaign, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991. This group was very clever in implicating some low-ranking LTTE members, and intermediate handlers for the task.

The same group cooked the evident that let to the conviction, without a due investigation. The LTTE was blamed. After the death of Rajiv, Congress Party came to power under Narasimha Rao. Mr. Rao and Sonia Gandhi rejected all the meaningful investigation into the killing, for good reasons. In 1998, Bharatiya Janata Party – BJP came to power under Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and within months it established a well-funded-independent investigating arm of CBI, called MDMA. In 2004, Congress-I came to power. The new administration under Dr. Manmohan Singh, and under Congress-I leader Sonia Gandhi, MDMA was weakened; investigation turned into some clerical work. Investigation is muted; not funded. MDMA will soon be abolished by the same people – Sonia Gandhi and her associates in crime.

The following interesting events happened after Rajiv’s death, you be the judge who really killed him:

• Mr. Quattrocchi left India for Malaysia while Narasimha Rao was in office

• On January 16, 2003 the Indian Supreme Court directed the Indian government to ensure that Mr. Quattrocchi did not withdraw Bofors payoff money from the two bank accounts in London, when BJP was in power

• In December 2005, the Mr B. Datta, the additional solicitor general of India, acting on behalf of the Indian Government and the CBI, requested the British Government that two British bank accounts of Mr. Quattrocchi be de-frozen.

• On January 16, 2006, the British Government released the funds based on a request by the Indian Government led by Sonia Gandhi

• The CBI on January 23, 2006 admitted that about USD $4.6 million, in the two accounts had been withdrawn

Mr. Quattrocchi is currently living in Argentina. There is no extradition treaty between India and Argentina. Mr. Quattrocchi is on the top of the Indian-arms-dealers pyramid, and he is comfortably collecting his portion while in retirement.

There is another fog of assassination, this time in Sri Lanka; Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, under President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Mr. Kadirgamar was to replace Mrs. Kumaratunga as the head of her ruling party. He had a bright future; most probably he could have been a president of Sri Lanka. That dream was shattered when Lakshman was assassinated on August 12, 2005, just when his name was floating as a potential candidate for the top office under the ruling party in the up coming election.

Chandrika realized that then Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa was an extremist after she appointed him to the post. That was her third mistake. Sri Lankan Military Intelligent agents with the help of low-ranking ex-LTTE, was able to pull trigger twice, in the very high security zone to kill him. Now the whole world knows who is capable and responsible for ordering this assassination, and many other political opponents. Sri Lankan leaders are over using its military intelligent for its dirty work. Mr. Rajapaksa was “mysteriously” elected, and he became the next President of Sri Lanka. Just after his election, India increased funds for its “Special Projects” in Sri Lanka. President abolished the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) on 03 January 2008, and started war with Liberation Tigers. The President and his brothers were able to bank millions of dollars – kickbacks from all the arms-deal (An example). While Sri Lankan leaders are stealing millions of dollars from its public, the usual Delhi establishment is also banking Indian tax-payers money, as recent as April 20, 2008)

Minister Jayaraj feranandopulle was murdered by Pilliyan, TMVP, a paramilitary group working with Sri Lankan Government, just before the election in the East of Sri Lanka. Jayaraj, mouthpiece of Rajapaksa-clan, was interested in the Chief Ministerial post too in the Eastern Province. This time, it was Pilliyan’s decision on Jayaraj’s life. Mr. Rajapaksa was able to put a puppet administration in the Eastern Province, and now Pilliyan is disposable to him. There is a need to please Muslims in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is predicted that Mr. Rajapaksa-clan will eliminate Pilliyan in the near future, and replace with M.L.A.M. Hizbullah in the East. Ignorance is bliss; truth is ugly. Things are not what they seem; it is fog of assassination.

-Courtesy: Daily Mail - Sri Lanka Guardian