Sri Lanka calls for rebel assets

By Anbarasan Ethirajan
BBC News

[Mr Pathmanathan] was the person who ran a massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the LTTE for nearly 30 years Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The Sri Lankan defence secretary has called on foreign countries to hand over Tamil Tiger rebels and their assets, worth of millions of dollars.

The demand by Gotabaya Rajapaksa came weeks after the arrest of the new Tamil Tiger leader, Selvarasa Pathmanathan.

Mr Pathmanathan was arrested in a South East Asian nation earlier this month and brought to Colombo in a swift and secretive operation.

He is currently being interrogated by Sri Lankan security officials.

The Sri Lankan military declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels in May this year.

Overseas assets

Mr Pathmanathan is the most senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be caught alive by Sri Lankan security forces.

"He's a seasoned man, so he's coming out with information very slowly during interrogation. He was the person who ran a massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the LTTE for nearly 30 years," Mr Rajapaksa told the BBC.

Mr Pathmanathan is alleged to have provided arms for 30 years

The LTTE had a well-organised overseas network to fund their arms purchases.

Its investments abroad are said to range from grocery shops to real estate, from petrol stations to temples, from commercial shipping to financing movies.

But most of these activities were carried out under different names as the rebels were banned in many countries.

The estimates about the LTTE's assets and investments range from $300m (£182m) to $1bn. Mr Pathmanathan is believed to have substantial knowledge about these assets.

"Once it is proved that these assets belong to the LTTE, then concerned countries should hand over the assets as well as the remaining LTTE members to Sri Lanka," Mr Rajapasa said.

He said that "if the western world is serious about fighting terrorism" it would not provide safe sanctuary "to a terrorist organisation like the LTTE".

The arrest of Mr Pathmanathan is regarded as a significant blow to the LTTE's overseas operations, especially when it was desperately looking for a figurehead to revive the organisation and boost its sagging morale following its defeat on the battleground.