by Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Investigations into TigersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ weapons procurement reveal

The Norwegian government helped the LTTE to establish relations with Eritrea, which allowed the group to purchase arms, ammunition and equipment from China on Eritrean end-user certificates and other documents needed to legally buy weapons, according to well informed sources.

Sources said the tripartite understanding had been reached in Norway as far back as 2002-2003, when it facilitated negotiations purportedly aimed at ending Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s war. Sources said the on-going investigations had revealed that Norway facilitated the meeting between Eritrean representatives and the LTTE.

Responding to The Island queries, sources said the then Sri Lankan government had not been aware of NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s surreptitious move to strengthen the conventional fighting capability of the LTTE. Sources added that some members of the LTTE negotiating team, too, had been involved with the Eritreans. Government sources said that the international community should investigate the Norwegian role in destabilizing a UN member state.

The interrogation of Kumaran Padmanathan aka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ captured by Sri Lanka over two months ago had confirmed the Eritrean deal, sources said.

India is also seeking to interrogate ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ though New Delhi never allowed Sri Lanka access to LTTE terrorists arrested during eelam war IV. Over 90 per cent of all heavy equipment, including a range of artillery pieces and 14.5 mm four barrelled anti-aircraft guns captured by the army were of Chinese origin.

Sources said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, though unable to shed light on terrorist operations in Sri Lanka could help expose the vast international network of supporters, including the direct involvement of Norway in supporting terrorism. According to sources, the Norwegians, during bilateral talks with the LTTE had promised the outfit to develop ocean resources. Discussions had centred on oil exploration as well as the fisheries sector, sources said adding that the far reaching Norwegian project was believed to have started as far back as the arrival of NORAD in Sri Lanka.

Sources said that the LTTE had used Eritrean and also North Korean end-user-certificates to procure arms from China and smuggled them in several consignments before the Sri Lanka Navy destroyed eight floating arsenals on the high seas between September 2006 and October 2007.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sources revealed that the Norwegian embassy in Colombo had gone to the extent of contacting the Maldivian government in May 2007, when the Maldivian Coast Guard intercepted a trawler carrying LTTE cargo. But, the Norwegians failed to save Sri Krishna, belonging to Indian fishermen from destruction and the SLN intelligence got an opportunity to question captured LTTE cadres as well as the Indian Captain of the vessel.

The then Chief Norwegian facilitator Erik Solheim had been directly involved in forming the Eritrean-LTTE relationship, sources said. An official said that the bottomline was that Norway had eyed Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ocean resources and ministers, who had represented Sri Lanka in negotiations, had been totally unaware of what was going on behind their backs.

Sri Lanka recently decided to establish diplomatic relations with Eritrea. Although the former Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda revealed the LTTE relationship with an African country shortly after the killing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in May, in an interview with the ITN. The Island was the first to name the country.