The simmering tensions in London among rival Tamil gangs exploded in all its fury when 20-year-old Naganthan Manivannam was shot at the LTTE sports festival held at South Hall on August 30. The incident was reported in both the London Times and the Daily Telegraph.
This shooting occurred when the feud between two fund-raising gangs – one based in Eastham and the other in Walthamstow, both in East London -- clashed at this sports festival which drew Tamils from all over Europe and Canada.
Southall police arrested 27-year-old Velautha Bignanathan who is living on the dole. He was charged with causing grievous bodily harm and for theft of two credit cards. According to Southall police, the search carried out by them at the LTTE Sports Festival had led to the recovery of swords, machetes and baseball bats. Southall police are also investigating this shooting and firebombing incident in the vicinity of Biganathan's home-town, Manor Park. Police suspect a connection between the two.
Tamil violence has erupted from time to time. There have been Tamil gang wars and murders not far from Southall in West London. Some of the convicted Tamils are still serving jail sentences. In the latest incident of violence at the United Tamils Organisation's (UTO) Tamil Sports Festival, there is photographic evidence to establish that the key organiser was AC Shanthan, the LTTE supremo in London.
Few years back the Enfield Advertiser (a local north London newspaper) reported of a Tamil man being abducted by a Tamil gang, who used garden pruning clippers to cut off all the man's fingers in one hand. This was over a drug deal. In all these instances, although there was suspicion of LTTE involvement there was no direct evidence to link the LTTE to the violence because of the manner in which it operates Sri Lankan Tamils all over the world live in fear of the LTTE "Mafia". The highest concentration of expatriate Tamils in Italy are in Palermo. Interpol has connected the LTTE agents to the Mafia drug ring. In Melbourne several drug-runners were imprisoned at Pentridge in the eighties.
The Canadian authorities had to establish a high powered "Tamil Task Force" to control the violence unleashed in the streets of Toronto by rival Tamil gangs. Several brutal killings had occurred from attacks ranging from automatic gunfire to machete attacks in broad day light in the crowded city. Tamil terrorist violence has now reached London. It is only a matter of time before it appears in Australia, for example in Lowe, NSW - "the Tamil capital in Australia", as gleefully identified by Mr. Murphy, Labour MP for Lowe.
The Sri Lankan community has warned Australian authorities, time and again, of the potential for Tamil violence to explode in Australia, particularly in the season of Olympics. International terrorist organisations have exploited these high-profile events for publicity. Spokespersons for the Sri Lankan community have expressed disbelief with the apparent casual response of the Australian authorities. (Sources : London times, Daily Telegraph and Sri Lankan newspapers).