For full details, click here

South Africa supports President Kumaratunga

Daily News : 17 Nov 1998

PRETORIA, Monday (Reuters) - South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo told his Sri Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar on Monday that the island's security was an internal matter in which South Africa would not interfere.

Sri Lanka has expressed concern that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were trying to set up its headquarters in South Africa.

"South Africa supports President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's program for devolving power in Sri Lanka and believes that the conflict in that country is an internal matter which should be resolved by the Sri Lankan people themselves," Nzo said in a statement after meeting Kadirgamar, who arrived in the country on Sunday.

South Africa has a population of about one million people of Indian origin, the majority of them Tamil.

Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry officials have said the LTTE planned to move its base to South Africa after Britain announced it would tighten laws against terrorism.

Pretoria and Colombo established diplomatic ties in 1994 following South Africa's first all-race election, and Nzo said he and Kadirgamar had committed their countries to boosting ties.

"The Ministers committed themselves to creating a Joint Bilateral Commission with the aim of expanding cooperation between the two countries," Nzo's statement said.

Two-way trade between South Africa and Sri Lanka reached 253 million rand (US$ 41.26 million), an amount both ministers agreed should be increased.

Kadirgamar leaves South Africa on Thursday.

LTTE links in SA to be probed

The Times of India : 18 Nov 1998

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has agreed to investigate reports suggesting the Tamil Tigers are shifting their base to the
country from London in view of the stringent anti-terrorism laws introduced by the United Kingdom.

``If our investigations reveal that there are deep contacts then something will have to be done,'' South African foreign minister
Alfred Nzo said after a meeting his visiting Sri Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar.

``We will also have to investigate whether the LTTE has approached the Indian community in South Africa for financial
assistance,'' Nzo said.

He said a proposal for the formation of a joint commission ``to manage future relations'' between South Africa and Sri Lanka
was under consideration. (PTI)

Mandela will not permit LTTE office in South Africa

Daily News : 18 Nov 1998

South African President Nelson Mandela has said "the LTTE will never be allowed to open an office in South Africa," said a press release issued by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Pretoria. This categorical assurance was conveyed through South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar and was announced at a joint press conference held by the two ministers at the conclusion of their bilateral talks held in Pretoria on Monday. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister is currently on a tour day visit to South Africa for consultations with government leaders.

South African Foreign Minister Nzo observed that "the perception that possible support for the Tigers or various organisations on South African soil, including the possibility of their shifting their headquarters from London to South Africa was thoroughly discussed during his meeting with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister" and that "the Government of South Africa was in the process of making intensive investigations on this issue". During the talks the South African side informed that this would include possible front organisations of the LTTE. It was also disclosed that "a list was being compiled of persons who were said to have connections with the LTTE."

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Kadirgamar told the briefing that he was "very gratified to hear this statement from Minister Nzo and the reference by the South African side to the LTTE as a terrorist organisation". He said he was "going back home content that the South African government is well aware of the potential for enormous mischief that the LTTE is capable of
and is satisfied that the South African government will do everything possible to prevent the LTTE getting a foothold in this country and to that extent help Sri Lanka in the terrible battle it has to fight."

During the talks Foreign Minister Kadirgamar described his mission as one of sharing with his South African counterpart "Sri Lanka's apprehensions in regard to the activities of the LTTE worldwide, particularly as we have been receiving information that the LTTE might well want to make South Africa its next home", following possible denial of operational facilities in the UK and the west because of certain stringent laws that have been introduced. Further legislative measures were anticipated in consequence of the adoption of an UN Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. He said that despite its pretensions, "the LTTE must never be equated with the ANC". He observed that the LTTE was a fascist group which had no political capacity and sought merely to carve out a mono-ethnic separate state even engaging in ethnic cleansing.

Minister Kadirgamar gave the South African delegation a detailed account of the history and objectives, modus operandi and atrocities committed by the LTTE over the years both in Sri Lanka and abroad. He made particular mention of the LTTE's operations through front organisations and stated that Sri Lanka was very concerned about the role being played by
the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) which was known to be a front for LTTE fund raising, which had an office in Durban, South Africa. He said his "plea to the Government of South Africa was please do not encourage this ruthless band of terrorists to take root on your soil. If you allow that to happen you will rue that day". He noted that "a similar thing happened to the Government of India when this body was given free reign in the mid 80s that ended up in terrible tragedy in the murder of PM Rajiv Gandhi and India has now banned this movement and the leader of the LTTE Prabhakaran has been convicted of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi."

Foreign Minister Nzo who recalled with gratitude Sri Lanka's support, particularly as the NAM Chairman in 1976, for the anti-apartheid struggle, said that as the then Secretary General of the ANC he had led the ANC delegation to the Colombo NAM Summit in 1976 when Madam Bandaranaike hosted the Movement. He said South Africa and Sri Lanka "have very good relations and we are looking at the possibility of expansion of those relations and there is great scope for that". He said "the two Governments were studying documents that will be signed between our two Governments particularly on how to take forward economic cooperation in the form of a Joint Commission between South Africa and Sri Lanka."

Minister Kadirgamar who observed that the relations between Sri Lanka and South Africa are very solidly founded and that the setting up of a Sri Lanka High Commission in Pretoria last year had given added momentum to this, observed that "a new chapter in the relationship was being opened up which will have an economic thrust." In addition to the Joint Commission, which he described as an 'umbrella agreement', the Minister said an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, an Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, a Cultural Cooperation Agreement and an Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between the two countries were under negotiation. The Minister invited Foreign Minister Nzo to visit Sri Lanka in the first quarter of 1999, and expressed the hope that these agreements could be concluded on that occasion. Foreign Minister Nzo accepted the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Kadirgamar was assisted at the talks by Gamini Munasinghe, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to South Africa, Mangala Moonasinghe, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Dr. Rohan Perera, Legal Advisor of the Foreign Ministry, Ravinatha Aryasinha, Foreign Ministry Spokesman, R. D. L. S. Kumararatne, Economic Counsellor and A. L. Ratnapala, Second Secretary of the High Commission in Pretoria. Foreign Minister Nzo was assisted by Ms. T. Mazibuko, Deputy Director General (Asia and Middle East) and Abdul Minty, Deputy Director General (Multilateral Affairs).

PRETORIA, Tuesday (AFP) - South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo on Monday reassured his Sri Lankan counterpart that Pretoria would discourage any attempt by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers to set up a bureau in the country, the foreign ministry said.

Nzo told Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshaman Kadirgamar in talks in Pretoria that South Africa would discourage the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to the extent allowed by its liberal constitution.

"We allayed their fears that South Africa was intent on recognising this group at the expense of the legitimate Government of Sri Lanka," a Government source told AFP.

A Foreign Ministry statement issued after the meeting said South Africa was aware that Sri Lanka had legitimate security concerns "relative to the conflict in the northern parts of the country".

The statement said Nzo had emphasised that South Africa "recognised the legitimacy and sovereignty of the Sri Lankan Government."

"Furthermore, South Africa supported President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's program for devolving power in Sri Lanka and believed that the conflict in that country was an internal matter which should be resolved by the Sri Lankan people themselves," the statement said.

South African officials have expressed concern that the movement may seek to raise funds within the country's sizable Indian community.

The statement said the Ministers had committed themselves to creating a Joint Bilateral Commission with the aim of expanding cooperation between the two countries.

LTTE will not be allowed to function in SA: Mandela

The Times of India : 19 Nov 1998

By Mohan Das

COLOMBO: South African President Nelson Mandela has assured Sri Lanka that the LTTE will not be allowed to open an
office in South Africa.

This assurance was conveyed to visiting Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who is on a four-day visit to
Pretoria, by his South African counterpart Alfred Nzo, a statement issued by the foreign ministry here said.

``The perception that possible support for the Tigers or various organisations on South African soil, including the possibility of
their shifting their headquarters from London to South Africa was thoroughly discussed during the meeting between the two
leaders,'' the statement said.

South Africa was in the process of making investigations on these issues and this would include possible front organisations of the LTTE and a list was being compiled of persons who were said to have connections with the LTTE, Mr Nzo announced at the conclusion of their bi-laterlal talks held in Pretoria on Monday.

Mr Kadirgamar said he was very gratified with the assurance and the reference by the South African side to the LTTE as a
``terrorist organisation.'' The South African government was well aware of the potential for enormous mischief the LTTE was
capable of and was satisfied it would do everything possible to prevent the LTTE getting a foothold in that soil and help Sri
Lanka in the terrible battle it has to fight.

Mr Kadirgamar described his mission as one of sharing with his South African counterpart saying ``Sri lanka's apprehensions in regard to the activities of the ltte worldwide is particularly because we have been receiving information that the ltte might
well want to make s. Africa its next home.'' the issue had come up in the wake of possible denial of operational facilities in the
united kingdom and the west because of certain stringent laws that have been introduced.

Sri lanka's concern over the possibility of shifting the activities of the ltte to south african soil was first conveyed by sri lankan
president chandrika kumaratunga when she met mr mandela during the nam summit in edinburgh in october 1997.

Mr kadirgamar said the relation between sri lanka and s. Africa are very solidly founded and several agreements had been signed between the two countries.

Earlier this month, a team of South African diplomats visited Sri Lanka and announced that though most of the Sri Lankan
fears were unfounded, their government had launched an investigation into the matter. They also reiterated that the
conflict was Sri Lanka's internal matter.

They conceded there was support for the LTTE among the Indian community, a majority of whom are Tamils but said
that suchsupport was not backed by the South African government. ``Sri Lanka is more important to us than LTTE
politics,'' one of the diplomats declared at a press conference here.

With South African President Nelson Mandela saying that the LTTE would not be allowed to open an office in South Africa, Sri Lanka has scored yet another triumph in its efforts to isolate the Tigers internationally. Reports said earlier that the Tigers were compelled to switch overseas operations frmo London to Pretoria, following the passing of tough anti-terror legislation by Britain. With President Mandela issuing a firm 'no' to its plans, the LTTE will be hard pressed to keep its overseas activities on course.

President Mandela's ruling could be considered yet another diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka's resourceful Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. As is well known, Minister Kadirgamar has been conducting a vibrant crusade against the Tigers in the councils of the world and this time round too he was in consultation with South African Government leaders when President Mandela's decision was announced. Particularly reassuring was an announcement by the South African Government that it would be also probing, thoroughly, LTTE front organisations operating on South African soil.

Foreign funding is the jugular nerve in LTTE operations here. If this is cut, LTTE fire and fighting prowess could be considerably undermined. It is then vital that all fund-raising activities of the LTTE in the West in particular, are crippled. The South African firmness promises just this.

Convincing the South African Government that there are no similarities between the African National Congress and the LTTE, has been a vital component of the Lankan Foreign Minister's programme in South Africa. The ANC is as different from the LTTE as chalk is from cheese. The ANC sought to end man's inhumanity towards man, in this context symbolised by the hated apartheid system of race relations. The Tigers, on the other hand, are the purveyors of ethnic chauvinism. They are hell-bent on carving out a separate ethnic enclave in North-East Sri Lanka at whatever cost.

Besides recognising the true face of the Tigers, the South African Government cherishes memories of how the Lankan Government staunchly defended the ANC in the past, in its long struggle against apartheid. It remembers with gratitude in particular, the United Front Government headed by Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike, which in 1976, as the Chairman of
the Non-Aligned Movement, gave the ANC all the moral backing it needed.

South Africa was also reminded by Minister Kadirgamar of the fate which befell India in the early Nineties. The Tigers displayed their gratitude to India, for the support extended to it, by assassinating former Premier Rajiv Gandhi. South Africa has done well to drink deep of the lessons of history.

Foreign Minister briefs South Africa groups on Sri Lanka situation

Daily News : 20 Nov 1998

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar who is currently on an official visit to South Africa, on Tuesday and Wednesday held a series of meetings in Pretoria and Johannesburg with representatives of South African political parties, interest groups and academic bodies in discussing developments in Sri Lanka.

At a meeting at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg with a delegation of the ANC headed by its Treasurer-General, Mendi Msimang, the ANC reiterated its gratitude to Sri Lanka for the role played particularly by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike during its anti-apartheid struggle. Having received a full briefing from the Foreign Minister, Mr. Msimang said his part was in full sympathy with Government of Sri Lanka with regard to the situation it faced and would not tolerate any movement that sought to promote terrorism. He assured that the ANC would do all within its power to ensure that South Africa is not used by such groups. Mr Msimang noted that this was not a favour but a duty given the support Sri Lanka gave the ANC during its struggle against apartheid. Associated with Mr. Msimang were Mr. Ebrahim Ebrahim MP and Chairman of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ms. Mavivi Myakayaka, Head for International Affairs and Mr. Smuts Ngonyama, Head for Communications.

Minister Kadirgamar also visited the Headquarters of the National Party in Pretoria and met with Dr. B. Geldenhuys, Minister of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and Mr. Desmond Padiatchy, National Party Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. Upon being briefed on the situation in Sri Lanka, the National Party representatives said they condemn terrorism
as a vehicle for political change and in no way would support any group which seeks to use South Africa as a spring board for the perpetration of violence in another country. The NP representatives noted that they were fully committed to the winning of minority rights through negotiations and would encourage all parties to the Sri Lankan conflict to do so. Foreign
Minister Kadirgamar appreciating the support expressed urged that the National Party also join in resisting efforts by the LTTE to engage in activities inimical to Sri Lanka's interest using South African soil.

The Minister also addressed a group of researchers and interest groups concerned with developments in Sri Lanka at the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg where he spoke on "Nation Building and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka". He also received at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Pretoria delegations from the Dravidians for Peace and Justice (DPJ)
group led by its Chairman, Dr. P. Lingham and the People Against Sri Lankan Oppression (PASLO) group led by its Chairman, Mr. T. Padotan.

The Minister clacified all matters raised by these delegation. He observed that regrettably many groups supporting the LTTE's cause were ill-informed of the true situation in Sri Lanka and were going by mere propaganda churned out by the LTTE. He emphasised that while there had been mistakes committed by the Sri Lankan regimes of the past which had aggravated ethnic tensions, the present Government had gone the extra mile to work towards redressing the grievances of the Tamils including entering into unconditional negotiations with the LTTE which were unilaterally abrogated by the latter. However it had not given up the quest and had proceeded to present to Parliament a package of proposals for the devolution of power which sought to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the minority communities.

In response to suggestions made by these groups for third party meditation.Minister Kadirgamar pointed out that while the Government did not see the need for mediation by a third party in the present situation, it was not averse to some sort of facilitation if there are genuine signs that the LTTE is willing to work towards evolving a political settlement. He emphasised that notwithstanding the set backs in the government's abortive attempt at talking to the LTTE in 1994/95, President Kumaratunga had not closed the door to negotiations with the LTTE provided there were credible signs that they were serious and were willing to renounce violence.

He urged these groups, if they had contact with the LTTE, to prevail upon the LTTE to renounce violence and to work towards evolving a durable political settlement to the ethnic problem.

The South African connection

The Island / Mid Week Mirror : 18 Nov 1998
By Nalin de Silva

The current visit of Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamer to South Africa will naturally lead to speculation among many individuals and groups. It has been known for some time that the LTTE is planning to shift its headquarters from London to South Africa. It is also an open secret that the LTTE has been very active in South Africa for some time and that it has links with some organisations there. The LTTE and the African National Congress (ANC) have had close ties and that after Mr. Mandela
came to power, the LTTE, with support from some members of the ANC, has been able to organise training camps in South Africa.

According to Mr. Rohan Gunaratne, (The Sunday Leader of 15th November) a fourteen member delegation of the LTTE leaders has met Mr. Mandela in his office around the same period Mr. Kadirgamer was visiting South Africa in early 1996. Mr. Mandela has apparently taken some action against the LTTE training camps only after Ms. Kumaratunga had brought the LTTE activities in South Africa to his attention when they were attending the commonwealth heads of government
meeting in Edinburgh in October 1997. However some of the measures that were taken against the LTTE activities have been relaxed subsequently.

Is Mr. Mandela playing a double game or is he trying to satisfy the 600.000 strong Tamil/Dravidian community in South Africa? Or has he been converted by the propaganda of Tamil racism in general and the LTTE in particular.

Mr. Rohan Gunaratne in the article quoted above mentions that the LTTE was able to obtain a message from Mr. Mandela for a so- called human rights conference held in June 1996, in Australia. The person who had obtained the message is one Mr. Gordhan, who is an ANC ideologue. He has been engaged in drafting the newly completed constitution of South Africa. Mr. Gunaratne further states: "Some South African colleagues of Gordhan believe that he had been duped by the LTTE
into believing that the LTTE struggle against Colombo is similar to the erstwhile conflict between White and Black South Africans. Even some of the better educated South Africans, particularly those of Indian Tamil origin, view the LTTE struggle through the lens of Apartheid."

As Tamil racism was created by the British and sponsored by the western powers that are neither Buddhists nor Hindus, one finds a section of the Christian and Catholic churches among or behind the Tamil racists. Thus it does not come as a surprise to find, from the article of Mr. Rohan Gunaratne, that Dr. S. J. Emanuel, the former Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese, has been a key figure in the organisation of the LTTE propaganda network in South Africa.

It cannot be denied that the Tamil racists have been very successful with their propaganda. If some people in South Africa believe that the situation in Sri Lanka is similar to what was in apartheid South Africa then nobody but the governments, present and past, have to be blamed. All the governments have failed in their duty to project the true picture of the country to the outside world.

The fault lies with those who gave the leadership. Most of then were only after power and were not interested in the welfare of the country. Some of them did not have the courage to confront Tamil racism as they did not want to be branded as Sinhala chauvinists. It has become a fact of life that those who oppose Tamil racism and Muslim racism and the associated propaganda are branded as Sinhala chauvinists etc.

For example in this country when a Muslim minister appoints 425 Muslims, out of about 450, to positions in the port it is not racism, but a Sinhala person who questions such appointment is branded as a chauvinist. With all the problems in the country it is all right to take steps to declare Sitaeliya a Hindu sacred city, based on mythology and not on any concrete historical facts. Sitaeliya has nothing to do with Sita of Ramayanaya.( Sita in this case means cold and the short vowel ‘a’ in Sita has been converted into the long vowel ‘a’ by the English pronunciation with the emphasis on the second syllable. The Sinhala imitators of the English, who make female Nanda(r)s out of male Nandas with their imitative pronunciations, have done the rest). The Sinhala people who oppose the move, however, are branded as chauvinists who are a threat to the ethnic harmony in the country.

The situation in Sri Lanka is, in fact, somewhat similar to what was in South Africa, though not the way it is presented by the Tamil racists. In South Africa the Europeans who came very late to the country as conquerors ruled over the original people of the country using force and discriminating against them. Probably they would have preferred to ‘solve’ the problem of the original people by massacring them, the way it was accomplished in the countries in North America, Australia and New
Zealand.

The Tamil racists have been going around the world propagating the myth that the Tamils were the original people of Sri Lanka and that the Sinhala people who arrived later conquered and reined over the destinies of the Tamils. However there are so many versions of this story that there is no agreement even among the Tamil racists as to what is supposed to have happened in the distant past. Some are of the view that there were two kingdoms, a Sinhala kingdom in the south and a Tamil
kingdom in the north, for two thousand five hundred years. They claim that the Jaffna kingdom, which was finally ruled by the British, was handed over to the ‘Sinhala imperialists’ when the former left in 1948.

Whatever the version is, the Tamil racists are agreed that, at present the Tamils are ruled by a Sinhala government and that the Tamils have an aspiration. There are some Tamils who still claim that they have grievances but they will not deny that the Tamils are a separate nation, that the northern and the eastern provinces are the traditional homeland of the Tamils and that the Tamils have the right of self determination. The picture presented finally by almost all the Tamil racists is that the Tamils are discriminated against by the Sinhala people who arrived in the country after the Tamils.

Of course, there are the ‘enlightened moderates’ who would claim, as if it was a concession given to the Sinhala people, that the original people of the country are neither the Sinhala people nor the Tamils, but the Veddas. This seemingly innocent view has the sinister motive of claiming equal status for the cultures and histories of the ethnic groups in the country with the culture and history of the Sinhala people within the context of the last two thousand five hundred years or so.

The past governments, as well as the present government, have failed to tell the world that Sri Lanka is a Sinhala Buddhist country with a Sinhala Buddhist history and a culture, in which the citizens belonging to a number of ethnic groups live as equal citizens with the Sinhala people, retaining their ethnic identities. They have not presented the historical background of the problem and have allowed the Tamil racists to gain the upper hand.

If the governments had done their duty by the country, the outside world, excluding of course the sponsors of Tamil racism who are also responsible directly or indirectly for the propagation of the myths, would have known that as in the case of apartheid South Africa, it is an ethnic group of recent origin that dictate terms, with the help of the western powers, to the people who built a unique culture in the history of the country.

Dr. Karthigesu Indrapalan in his Ph. D. thesis states categorically that the early history of the country is Sinhala. Even Prof. Ranaweera A. L. H. Gunawardane, whom the Tamil racists are very fond of quoting, does not deny the history of the Sinhala people. His argument, which was very ably met by Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa whom the Tamil racists conveniently forget, deals with the concept of the Sinhala nation and not with the Sinhala history. The fact, that the Tamil racists have tried to deny the Sinhala people their history, itself shows how dominating the Tamil racists are and how they have been dictating terms to the Sinhala people.

While in South Africa, Ms. Kumaratunga would have come across at first hand the LTTE activities and their myths that have been propagated. The only way to confront Tamil racist propaganda is by exploding these myths. Thus it is natural that Ms. Kumaratunga selected South Africa to tell the truth that the Tamils are not the original people of Sri Lanka. However it is unfortunate that an attempt has been made by a section of the government to deny Ms. Kumaratunga her due credit for standing up to Tamil racist propaganda. The behaviour of this category of people reveals once again the dominance of the Tamil racists. The country is in such a siege that the head of the state cannot tell the world the truth regarding theTamils in this country.

What is most deplorable is the attitude of Mr. Ranil Wickremasingha and the UNP on this issue. Acting opportunistically, in order to win the support of the Tamil racists at the next election, they have asked the government to resign for telling the truth. In other words the UNP prefers to lie only to please the Tamil racists. Who said that there is discrimination against the Tamils in this country?

It should not be concluded that it is now too late for the government to embark on a propaganda campaign against the myths propagated by Tamil racism. Ms. Kumaratunga with her statement in South Africa has taken a step in that direction.

Funds raised for the LTTE in South Africa are being channelled by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) in Durban via its office in Australia. Addressing a Press Conference in Pretoria on Thursday at the conclusion of his 4-day visit, Minister Kadirgamar disclosed that the People Against Sri Lankan Oppression (PASLO) Group to whom be had given a patient hearing during his current visit to South Africa had said that they indeed collected large sums of money in South Africa which was channelled through Australia. Foreign Minister Kadirgamar had in bilateral talks with South African Foreign Minister Nzo on Monday, already drawn attention and expressed Sri Lanka's concerns about a well-known front organisation involved in LTTE fund-raising.

The Minister told Thursday's press conference that funds raised on behalf of the LTTE by numerous such front organisations that masquerade as religious cultural humanitarian and human rights bodies throughout the world, including in South Africa, were going directly to the LTTE's war chest. He said this was a chief contributory factor to the prolongation of the military conflict in Sri Lanka despite viable political proposals for devolution of power that were acceptable to all other Tamil Groups being placed before the people by the Government of President Kumaratunga.

The Minister said such fund raising has drawn increased international focus in recent times and that following a recent French proposal the United Nations would soon as a sequel to the UN Convention of Terrorist Bombings be embarking on a convention directed specifically to curb fund-raising for terrorist activities. The Minister said, that he had discussed with the South African Authorities Sri Lanka's concerns on this aspect of fund raising by front organisations on behalf of the LTTE, the possibility of the LTTE opening an office in South Africa as well their using South African soil in the smuggling of arms,
narcotics and people to bolster its coffers and fight the war.

Minister Kadirgamar said, he was dismayed by the fact that many of the Indian Tamil Groups in South Africa who carried a brief for the LTTE seemed to be totally misinformed of the objective situation in Sri Lanka at present and appeared to be using slogans which might have been relevant 10 years ago, unaware of the considerable change in the actual situation in Sri Lanka.

The Minister said he had received firm assurances from the Government of South Africa that the LTTE will never be allowed to open an office in South Africa, that the government of South Africa was in the process of making intensive investigations into the activities on which the LTTE may be engaged in South Africa, including the activities of numerous front organizations and that a list was being compiled of persons who are said to have connections with the LTTE.

The Minister said every single South African Authority he had spoken to takes this problem very seriously and that he was very gratified to hear these assurances from a friendly government and was going back home content that the South African Government is well aware of the LTTE's enormous potential for mischief. The Minister added that he was confident that the South African Government will do everything possible to prevent the LTTE getting a foot-hold in this country and in that context help Sri Lanka in the terrible battle it is presently fighting to restore peace in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Kadirgamar said:

During my stay I have had the opportunity to hold extensive consultations with Foreign Minister Nzo. I have also had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Kadar Asmal, the Deputy Minister of intelligence Services, J.M. Nhlanhla, the Deputy Minister in the Office of Deputy President M'bekke, Essop Pahad, the Chairman of
the Foreign Affairs Portfolio Committee, Ibrahim Ibrahim as well as a member of senior officials of the South African Government. I have also called on representatives of the ruling ANC and the opposition National Party. I have received delegations from the Dravidians for Peace and Justice and People Against Sri Lankan Oppression. I have addressed the Centre for Policy Studies on current developments in Sri Lanka and the South African Institute of International Affairs at the University of Witwatersrand on matters relating to South Asian Regional Co-operation. These interactions with a cross section of South African society, including presently with members of the press, have enabled me to reach as many people as
one can reach in a period of just over three days and have, I believe, helped to clarify issues.

The immediate purpose of my current visit to South Africa has been to explore certain apprehensions my Government has concerning the LTTE's activities on South African soil. We have received reliable information that the LTTE may be trying to shift its headquarters to South Africa in the wake of new laws that have been enacted in the United Kingdom to curb the activities of terrorist organisations. These laws have been enacted pursuant to the UN Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. There is also information that South African soil is being used by the LTTE to support its terrorist activities in Sri Lanka including the possible use of South African ports for arms smuggling. There is also concern about the role being played by several front organisations of the LTTE for instance the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), which has an office in Durban. These matters are of great concern to my Government. In the spirit of the long standing friendship that has prevailed between our peoples, we have brought these matters to the attention of the South African Government.

I have not come here to make any accusations, but to forewarn the South African Government of a possible danger and to ask for its help. The activities of the LTTE cause us much harm. They cause much suffering to the people of Sri Lanka. The LTTE's activities will also pose a considerable threat to South African society if this ruthless band of terrorists is allowed to take root in South Africa. It will be recalled that a similar situation occurred in India when the LTTE was given a free run in the 1980s which ended in the terrible tragedy of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi for which the LTTE leader Mr. Prabhakaran has been convicted of murder by the Indian courts and the LTTE has been banned.

I have used the opportunity of my visit to brief all those I have met about the continuing efforts of our Government since assuming office in 1994 to find a political settlement to the ethnic problem. I have also made clear that my Government has not closed the door on negotiations with the LTTE, provided there are credible signs that the group is serious and is willing to renounce violence. While we do not see the need for mediation by any third party in this situation, we are not averse to some sort of facilitation if there are any genuine signs that the LTTE is willing to work towards evolving a political settlement.

I have received firm assurances from the Government of South Africa that the LTTE will never be allowed to open an office in South Africa, that the government of South Africa was in the process of making intensive investigations into the activities on which the LTTE may be engaged in South Africa, including the activities of numerous front organizations that the LTTE masquerade as religious, humanitarian and human rights bodies and that a list was being compiled of persons who are said to have connections with the LTTE.

I have been very gratified to hear these assurances from a friendly government and I am going back home content that the South African Government is well aware of the LTTE's enormous potential for mischief. I am confident that the South African Government will do everything possible to prevent the LTTE getting a foot-hold in this country and to that extent to help Sri Lanka in the terrible battle it is presently fighting to restore peace in Sri Lanka.

Besides appreciating our legitimate security concerns, I am thankful to the South African Government for its appreciation that the conflict in Sri Lanka is an internal matter which should be resolved by the Sri Lankan people themselves. We are also heartened by the South African Government's whole-hearted support for the proposals for devolving power that have been announced by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

As you know the relationship between Sri Lanka and the ANC is a longstanding one as Foreign Minister Nzo and several members of the ANC whom I have interacted with during my stay have indicated. I find that there is deep gratitude for the role played by Sri Lanka, particularly by Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike, in the anti-apartheid struggle. It would be recalled that the 5th Non-Aligned Summit held in Colombo in 1976 marked a water-shed in the Movement's denunciation of the apartheid policy. Today, two decades later, a new chapter in our relationship has been opened, one in which we hope economic considerations would be significant. I have agreed at our meeting with Foreign Minister Nzo to work speedily towards setting up a Joint Commission which would serve as an umbrella framework to propel our relationship forward. Several agreements on investment promotion and protection, avoidance of double taxation, cultural co-operation and science and technology cooperation between the two countries are also under negotiation. I am hopeful that this process would be concluded speedily and that these agreements could be signed in the early part of next year when Foreign Minister Nzo visits Sri Lanka at my invitation.

I am happy to announce that at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka the Chairman of the portfolio Committee on foreign Affairs will head a multi-party parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka shortly to continue the dialogue and to further consolidate bilateral relations. This will be followed by a return visit by a similar group of Sri Lankan parliamentarians. I am
hopeful that we could similarly be able to have exchanges between the media, cultural and other groups as well in order to enhance people to people contact.

LTTE IN SOUTH AFRICA

FRONTLINE (India's National Magazine From the publishers of THE HINDU Vol. 15 :: No. 24 :: Nov. 21 - Dec. 04, 1998 )

Click here for full details

SA's strictly constitutional policy of tolerating all shades of opinion is creating some problems with these governments.

Earlier this week visiting DRC Foreign Minister, Jean-Charles Okoto Lolakombe, openly accused South Africa of harbouring rebel groups which are now fighting to topple his government a charge strongly rejected by South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo.

And according to some observers, differences are emerging between the SA Government and the Sri Lankan government over how to deal with the LTTE

movement the notorious Tamil Tigers who are fighting a war of secession.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar met Nzo in Pretoria this week to seek assurances that SA would not allow the LTTE to open an office in SA.

He said Sri Lanka believed the LTTE was planning to move its headquarters from Britain to SA, because of new anti-terrorist legislation being introduced in Britain.

He also accused the Durban-based Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) in SA of being a fund-raising front for the LTTE.

The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pretoria raised a few eyebrows in diplomatic circles when it issued a statement after the meeting saying that President Mandela had given Sri Lanka the assurance that "the LTTE will never be allowed to open an office in South Africa".

The high commission said Nzo had conveyed this "categorical assurance" from Mandela to Kadirgamar. But it is understood that Nzo's assurances were not quite that strong and that he actually told Kadirgamar that SA would prevent any terrorist activity from being planed from SA and would also strongly discourage anyone from associating with the LTTE in SA.

This was not quite the same thing as promising that the LTTE would never be  allowed to open an office in SA, commentators noted, adding that SA's constitution enshrines freedom of expression, which prevents it from banning an organisation purely on what it says.

If the LTTE opened an office in SA without conducting terrorist activities from this country, it would be difficult to justify banning it, they suggested.

Asked if his government had not put the SA Government's assurances too strongly, Kadirgamar said he thought not, because it was generally understood that the LTTE was a terrorist organisation.

He was speaking in a briefing at the SA Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg.

In an interview afterwards, he said he had merely issued a "friendly warning" to Nzo about the dangers of allowing the LTTE to operate in SA.

Kadirgamar said in the Sri Lankan High Commission statement that Sri Lanka was very concerned about the role being played by the TRO in Durban,"which was known to be a front for LTTE fund-raising".

He noted that "a similar thing happened to the Indian government when this body was given free rein in the mid-80s.

It ended up in the murder of prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and India has now banned the movement and the leader of the LTTE, Prabhakaran, has been convicted of the murder of Gandhi".

– Johannesburg Star

Three pro-LTTE organisations in South Africa have been identified as President Nelson Mandela assured Sri Lanka that the LTTE would not be allowed to set up a political base there.

Consistent with the fragmented nature of organisations of the Indian Diaspora everywhere in the world, in South Africa too, there are several organisations espousing or claiming to espouse the Tamil separatist cause in Sri Lanka, the Madras-based Hindu newspaper reported.

Three of these organisations have been in the forefront — the People Against Sri Lankan Oppression (PASLO) with branches all over South Africa, Dravidians for Peace and Justice (DPJ) and Tamil Eelam Support Movement (TESM).

The first two groups recently formed the Peace for Sri Lanka Support Movement, with a cultural and humanitarian programme.

The TESM is the most explicitly pro-LTTE organisation in South Africa, reports said.

They also say support for the LTTE and for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause in general has included fund-raising ostensibly for the Sri Lankan Tamils affected by the conflict.There have also been reports of contacts with a well-known South African security 'outfit, 'Executive Outcomes', principally with a view to buying arms.

According to informed sources the LTTE has considered West Asia as well as South Africa as possible areas for relocation. At least two senior LTTE leaders are believed to have made scouting visits to South Africa in the past few months.

South Africa with more than a million citizens of South Asian origin, nearly half of them claiming or being credited with a 'Tamil' origin, would be an excellent place for the LTTE to relocate, especially in view of its strong official emphasis on a Culture of human rights,' a card which every side in every murderous civil strife has cynically exploited, the Hindu said.

Kadirgamar warns South Africa against LTTE

Date: 23-11-1998 :: Pg: 14 :: Col: c
By M. S. Prabhakara
PRETORIA, Nov. 22.

Describing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as ``the deadliest terrorist organisation in the world today,'' the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, has said that he had warned the South African Government of the ``threat to South African society'' from the LTTE, were it allowed to gain a foothold in this country.

He told presspersons here during his recent visit: ``I have not come here to make any accusations, but just to forewarn the South African Government of this possible danger and to ask for its help. These activities of the LTTE cause us much harm in
terms of the human suffering that has to be faced by the Sri Lankan people. The LTTE's activities will also pose a considerable threat to South African society if this ruthless band of terrorists are allowed to take root in South Africa.

Amplifying these points in answer to a question whether he had discussed this potential ``threat to South African society'' in terms of what it may mean to the ongoing process of consolidation of post-colonial South Africans across race and ethnic barriers as a people, Mr. Kadirgamar said: ``My suggestion to the South African Government was: Be careful. Do not allow these people to get a foothold over here, because you will not know at the beginning what they are going to do. And that point, I can tell you, is very well understood and appreciated by the South African Government. Beyond that I cannot tell you any more.''

Mr. Kadirgamar referred to the potential ``threat'' at the very beginning of his prepared statement, after briefly recounting the meetings and interactions he had during his visit. Apart from holding discussions with his South African counterpart, Mr. Alfred Nzo, Mr. Kadirgamar also met the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Mr. Kader Asmal, the Deputy Minister of Intelligence Services, Mr. Joe Nhlanhla, the Deputy Minister in the office of the Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, Mr. Essop Pahad, the Chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ebrahim Ebrahim, and representatives of the ANC and the National Party which has recently re-invented itself as the ``New National Party.''

He also received delegations from Dravidians for Peace and Justice (DPJ) and People Against Sri Lankan Oppression (PASLO), the two of the several organisations in this country which have been publicising and mobilising support for
the Tamil separatist cause in Sri Lanka. He later described both of these, in response to a question, as ``ardent sympathisers and supporters of the LTTE.'' 

Mr. Kadirgamar also ruled out any mediatory role for the President, Mr. Nelson Mandela, to resolve the conflict in Sri Lanka. ``We have had no suggestion or request from the South African Government for any mediatory role for President
Nelson Mandela. We do not consider mediation necessary,'' Mr. Kadirgamar said.

The Foreign Minister's visit has taken place in the context of the widely known fact, admitted by sympathisers of the LTTE in this country, of fund-raising for the LTTE in this country; and the more recent report that the LTTE is considering moving its
international secretariat from London to an yet unidentified place in South Africa, in the wake of the adoption of strict anti-terrorist legislation by Britain. He dwelt at length on the LTTE's fund-raising activities and welcomed the initiative of France for a new and comprehensive United Nations Convention against terrorism dealing specifically with such fund-raising activities.

Mr. Kadirgamar said he had received a ``firm assurance'' from the South African Government that ``the LTTE will never be allowed to open an office in South Africa.'' He, however, declined to go into the question as to how South Africa could give such an assurance or enforce such a promise when the country, which had annulled apartheid legislation dealing with terrorists, had not adopted any new legislation against terrorism and so an organisation such as the LTTE even if formally identified as a terrorist organisation could not be prevented from openly and legitimately functioning in this country. Maintaining that these were ``internal matters,'' Mr. Kadirgamar said he had only brought to the notice of the South
African Government the concerns of the Sri Lankan Government. ``I am making a plea, to be careful in its own interests. That plea is very fully appreciated and understood by the South African Government,'' he said.

Apart from the political unrealism of the ``firm assurance'' the more basic problem which puts a question mark over such assurances is the innate lack of consistency in South Africa's foreign policy even in matters of far more immediate and vital
interest than the dangers the LTTE may pose. This is especially evident in South Africa's dealings with its neighbours, most notably in its stand on the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These reveal a virtual autonomy
of different lobbies, and even personalities, engaged in the making and execution of foreign policy.

Such being the case, any ``firm assurances'' given by South Africa in respect of what is still viewed as an issue of little concern to its long-term interests - except insofar as any position on this issue may influence the voting behaviour of a section
of South Africans in the elections next year, though not decisively as was the case in KwaZulu- Natal five years ago - have to be seen for what they are, just assurances.

LTTE IN SOUTH AFRICA

ROHAN GUNARATNA

India's National Magazine From the publishers of THE HINDU
Vol. 15 :: No. 24 :: Nov. 21 - Dec. 04, 1998

On the run in most other parts of the world organisationally, the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is in the process of finding a haven and even striking roots in South Africa. An investigation.

Click here for the full Report

S. Africa soil being used by LTTE says Kadirgamar

The Island : 20 Nov 1998

There was information that South African soil is being used by the LTTE to support its terrorist activities in Sri
Lanka including the possible use of SA ports for arms smuggling Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told a
press conference in Pretoria yesterday.

Addressing the press at the conclusion of his four day visit, he said that during his stay he had the opportunity to
hold extensive consultations with Foreign Minister Nzo, Minister of Water, Affairs and Forestry, Kadar Asmal,
the Deputy Minister of Intelligence Services, J. M. Nhlanhla, the Deputy Minister in the Office of Deputy
President M'bekke, Essop Pahad, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Portfolio Committee Ibrahim as well as a
member of senior officials of the South African government. These interactions with a cross section of South
African society, including presently with members of the press, have enabled him to reach as many people as one
can reach in a period of just over three days and have, I believe, helped to clarify issues, he said.

A foreign Ministry press release is as follows:

Sri Lanka received reliable information that the LTTE may be trying to shift its headquarters to South Africa in the
wake of new laws that have been enacted in the United Kingdom to curb the activities of terrorist organisations.
These laws have been enacted pursuant to the UN Convention on the Supression of Terrorist Bombings. There is
also information that South African soil is being used by the LTTE to support its terrorist activities in Sri Lanka
including the possible use of South African ports for arms smuggling. There is also concern about the role being
played by several front organisations of the LTTE, for instance the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO),
which has an office in Durban. These matters are of great concern to Sri Lanka. In the spirit of the long standing
friendship that has prevailed between our peoples, we have brought these matters to the attention of the South
African government.

Kadirgamar said that he did not come there to make any accusations, but to forewarn the South African
government of a possible danger and to ask for its help. The activities of the LTTE cause us much harm. They
cause much suffering to the people of Sri Lanka. The LTTE's activities will also pose a considerable threat to
South African society if this ruthless band of terrorists is allowed to take root in South Africa. It will be recalled
that a similar situation occurred in India when the LTTE was given a free run in the 1980's which ending in the
terrible tragedy of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi for which the LTTE leader Prabhakaran has been convicted of
murder by the Indian courts and the LTTE has been banned.

Sri Lanka has received firm assurances from the Government of South Africa that the LTTE will never be allowed
to open an office in South Africa that the government of South Africa was in the process of making intensive
investigations into the activities on which the LTTE may be engaged in South Africa, including the activities of
numerous front organizations that the LTTE masquerade as religious, humanitarian and human rights bodies and
that a list was being compiled of persons who are said to have connections with the LTTE.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has said, the funds raised on behalf of the LTTE by numerous front
ogranisations that masquerade as religious, cultural humanitarian and human rights bodies throughout the world,
including in South Africa, were going directly to the LTTE's war chest. He said this was a chief contributory factor
to the prolongation of the military conflict in Sri Lanka, despite viable political proposals for devolution of power
that were acceptable to all other Tamil Groups being placed before the people by the Government of President
Kumaratunga.

Earlier the Foreign Minister addressed a well-attended gathering of diplomats, academics and journalists at the
South African Institute of International Affairs, University of Witwaters rand on the theme ''South Asian Economic
Cooperation: Problems and Prospects''. Tracing the recent history of regional cooperation in South Asia, the
Foreign Minister Kadirgamar explained the key developments in the field of economic cooperation at the recent
SAARC Summit in Colombo, despite the prevailing political tensions in the region. Placing particular emphasis on
growing external linkages between SAARC and other regional organisations, he referred to the possibility of
greater interaction between SAARC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Associated with the Foreign Minister at these discussions were Mr. Gamini S. Munasinghe, Sri Lanka's High
Commissioner to South Africa, Mr. Mangala Moonesinghe, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Dr. Rohan
Perera, the Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Foreign Ministry
Spokesman.

COLOMBO, Tuesday (AFP) -South Africa is planning anti-terrorism legislation to prevent foreign rebel groups, including Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, operating on its soil, a report said Tuesday.

South Africa may take up the proposed new legislation in February to outlaw terrorist activities by groups like Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said The Island newspaper, a privately-owned daily.

It quoted Pretoria's envoy to Colombo, Jerry Matsila, as saying the anti-terrorism legislation would prevent terrorist activities aimed at other countries being carried out in South Africa.

Matsila, an Indian resident also accredited to Sri Lanka, spoke to the newspaper's New Delhi correspondent.

Last week, South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo reassured his Sri Lankan counterpart that Pretoria would discourage any attempt by Tamil Tigers to set up an office in the country.

Nzo told Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in talks in Pretoria that South Africa would block LTTE activity to the extent allowed by its liberal constitution.

Kadirgamar's visit was billed in Colombo as a diplomatic mission to try to block reported efforts by the Tamil separatists to shift their international secretariat from London to South Africa.

A South African foreign ministry statement issued after the meeting said it was aware Sri Lanka had legitimate security concerns "relative to the conflict in the northern parts of the country".

Sri Lanka said earlier this month that it believed the LTTE was shifting its operations from London to South Africa because of new anti-terrorism laws in Britain.

South African officials have expressed concern that the movement may seek to raise funds within the country's sizeable Indian community.

The US government last year designated the LTTE as a "foreign terrorist organisation," making it illegal for the guerrillas to raise money there for their separatist war at home.

COLOMBO, Nov 24: The Nelson Mandela government, which is probing Sri Lankan allegations of growing Tamil
rebel activities in South Africa, may soon bring about a legislation banning the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) and other ``alien'' terrorist groups.

Click here for full details

South Africa to outlaw LTTE and White mercenaries

Island : 24 Nov 1998
From S. Venkat Narayan Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: South Africa may soon pass legislation to outlaw terrorist groups such as the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers and activities of white South African mercenaries, who stage coups d’etat in neighbouring African countries for a hefty fee.

The proposed anti-terrorist legislation may be taken up in the upcoming parliamentary session in February next year. South African High Commissioner to India Jerry Matsila disclosed this to me in an interview here last week.

Matsila revealed this when asked how Pretoria proposes to ensure that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka do not open bases in South Africa. An assurance to this effect was given by South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo to visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in Pretoria recently.

Matsila, who is concurrently accredited as the South African envoy to Sri Lanka as well, said the Nelson Mandela government is planning to enact legislation to proscribe terrorist activities by alien groups such as the LTTE as well as those by white South African mercenaries.

The envoy said white South African mercenaries have been engaged in staging coups d’etat by taking large sums of money from rival groups in several African countries.

White South African mercenaries have been active in politically volatile African nations such as the Congo, Angola, Seychelles, the Comoro Islands and Sierra Leone in the recent past, he pointed out.

The idea is to pass legislation that will prevent terrorist activities on South African soil against foreign countries by South African as well as foreign terrorist outfits.

Such a law is necessary to support peace and democracy in countries that are likely to be hurt by such terrorist activities, Matsila explained.

Recently, Britain passed a law banning the plotting on its soil of terrorist activities in foreign lands by militant groups such as the LTTE.

No move to ban LTTE: SA

Hindustan Times : 26 Nov 1998

South Africa has denied a report in 'The Island' daily of Tuesday which said that the Mandela Government might soon pass legislation to outlaw terrorist groups as such as the LTTE.

Click here for the full news article

On the run in most other parts of the world organisationally, the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is in the process of finding a haven and even striking roots in South Africa. An investigation.

This is the first of a two part article.

by Rohan Gunaratna

Intelligence agencies and security personnel from around the world are focusing their attention on South Africa in the wake of recent reports about the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) having developed a clandestine political and military infrastructure in South Africa. This information did not come as a surprise to many people because unverified reports about groups such as the Hamas, the Hezbollah, the Partiya Karkera Kurdistan (PKK) and alleged terrorist leader Osama bin
Laden operating out of South Africa have been doing the rounds from time to time.

Click here for the Part I (The Island : 2 Dec 1998)

Click here for the Part II  ( The Island : 11 Dec 1998)

International and Regional Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency
by Rohan Gunaratne

Click here for full details

LTTE Tamil Tiger Atrocities

LTTE activities in Canada

British Suresh, the LTTE and the Canadians (Sunday Times : 21 December 1997)

H L De Silva incisively analyses the Suresh judgement in Canada (Sunday Island : 21 December 1997)

A university student was innocent victim in doughnut shop slaying in Scarborough in Canada (The Toronto Star : 30 December 1997)

Canadian LTTE chief to be deported to Sri Lanka (The Island : 11 January 1998)

Lankan refugee now sells Canadian citizenship (Sunday Times : 19 July 1998)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police does not get its man (sunday Times : 12 July 1998)

Tiger leader arrested in Canada (Daily News : 18 Sept 1998)

Top LTTE activist held in Canada (Hindu: 18 Sept 1998)

'Swiss Murali' arrested in Canada (Island : 18 Sept 1998)

WORLD OPINION

• LTTE is a Terrorist Organisation - US States Department
• Designation of Terrorist Organisations by USA
• US Senate is unanimous on identifying LTTE as a terrorist organisation (The Island July 1997)
• Violence and Terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE is totally unacceptable to Australia - Australian Foreign Minister
• International & Regional Security Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency
• Tiger International (The Secret International Network that keeps Sr Lanka's Tamil Guerrillas Alive - and Dangerous Report - ASIA WEEK
• The one-way fighter - The Child Soldiers of Sri Lanka: as a reward, death is waiting
• A Tamil Tiger Primer on International Arms Bazaar
• International Condemnation of LTTE Bombing in Colombo
• Asia's Latest Master of Terror - The New York Times (28 May 1995)
• Terror in Sri Lanka - The Economic Leader (10 February 1996)
• Sri Lanka's Agony - New York Times Editorial (2 February 1996)
• British Government condemns the Colombo Central Bank bomb blast (Island : 17 October 1997)
• LTTE links with South African mulitants suspected (Sunday Times : 28 December 1997)