Media Bytes – Questions on LTTE

[Answers to questions from the media based upon the earlier blog “Media Bytes – LTTE Activity in Tamil Nadu” dated May 8, 2009]

Do you think LTTE has got sleeper cells, which co ordinate suicide missions in India?

Given the style of LTTE operations, I am sure it has sleeper cells operating covertly in Tamil Nadu; these should not be confused with the noisy and overt pro-LTTE elements and acolytes like Nedumaran and Kolathumani. Though I have no access to intelligence reports here, LTTE's pattern of operations in other countries like Canada and UK would indicate the possibility of financial investments in benami business operations of LTTE in Tamil Nadu also. Chennai was an important transit centre for Sri Lankan Tamils before direct flights to Delhi was introduced. As a corollary for fleeing or transiting LTTE cadres, local support can be provided by sleeper cells in Tamil Nadu. There had been cases in the past of local elements acting as interface for LTTE operations to import goods for onward despatch to Sri Lanka, manufacture of parts required for bomb and fuse making, procurement of alloy metals for manufacture of weapons, electronic goods etc. These were all probably acts of sleeper cell.

Usually LTTE plans suicide missions at the highest level in great secrecy mission, so local sleeper cell may not even know about the planned mission. This was not so in the days when the Rajiv assassination plot was hatched; the local sleepers had knowledge about the mission. Other senior leaders also probably knew. But I think the LTTE has now tightened the security of such missions as revealed by some of the suicide bombers caught in Sri Lanka either before they could carryout their task or subsequently. So it is not necessary sleepers in India will have prior knowledge of planned suicide mission. They are likely to provide background information and interface for local facilitation for the operatives.


How important is it for Pottu Amman to be captured alive, given all that he knows about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and various other conspiracies and tie ups with other militant groups?

While Prabhakaran is vital for the resurrection of LTTE once again, capture of Pottu is vital for those who are trying to eradicate LTTE's vast intelligence network both at home and abroad. Apart from Prabhakaran, he is perhaps one leader who is probably in the know of all nuggets of information relating to the entire operation of the super secret organisation.

So Sri Lankans would be looking for Pottu much more than anyone else because he had been controlling the foreign intelligence network operations of LTTE and that in turn would be linked to LTTE resources and assets overseas. These are said to be sizeable. So I am sure SLSF would like to capture him alive. He would also know about the LTTE linkages with Islamist Jihadi groups, Maoists, and ULFA insurgents and probably PKK.

Compared with these priorities Rajiv assassination is of lesser importance (though politically more important for India). However, if at some stage LTTE wants to be rehabilitated in Indian eyes, Pottu can become a credible scapegoat to be saddled the infamy of being the mastermind of Rajiv Gandhi assassination plot.