The Hindu : Front Page : LTTE’s arms procurer held in Bangkok

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007
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LTTE’s arms procurer held in Bangkok

B. Muralidhar Reddy

He figures on Interpol’s Most Wanted list

COLOMBO: Kumaran Pathmanathan, considered to be the chief of the LTTE’s overseas arms procurement, was arrested by the Thailand police in Bangkok on Monday evening, according to the online edition of Bangkok Post.

He is wanted by Sri Lanka and India in several cases, including the conspiracy that led to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Palitha T.B. Kohona told The Hindu that Colombo confirmed the arrest “from other sources” though there was no official communication yet from Thailand. “We have confirmed the news about the arrest of Kumaran Pathmanathan, referred to as KP, from other sources. Once his identity is established beyond doubt, the Government of Sri Lanka will seek his formal extradition.”

The Sri Lanka Defence Ministry, in a report on the arrest, quoting intelligence sources claimed that LTTE wings were operating in a “mutually supportive manner” with other terror organisations. Jane’s Defence Weekly, in a recently released special report on the LTTE, identified KP as a key operator of the organisation with the mandate to raise finances and procure arms.

The Bangkok Post maintained that Mr. Pathmanathan apparently obtained Thai citizenship and continued to run the global network of LTTE offices and its weapon procurement, logistics and money laundering operations. “He has been on Interpol’s Most Wanted list for a number of years. He has also been implicated in several assassinations of political leaders,” the report said.

It quoted the online newspaper Asian Tribune describing him as “the kingpin of Tiger arms smuggling,” who “is a noted smuggler of arms and narcotics. Operating with bank accounts opened in London, Frankfurt, Denmar k, Athens and Australia ... he has had a free run so far.”

According to the paper, KP’s arrest followed the detention of three Tamil Tiger operatives in Ranong province last month trying to buy guns and 45,000 rounds of ammunition. All four were suspected of running a Tiger gun-running ring centred in Thailand.

“Pathmanathan, who also had a number of aliases, has recently been the subject of a manhunt that stretched to Johannesburg, Yangon, Singapore and Bangkok. Police said they believed he had bank accounts in London, Frankfurt Denmark, Athens and Australia and had over 200 passports.

“He and his group are suspected of running weapons purchased in Thailand and neighbouring countries to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The Tigers have been designated as a terrorist group by most western countries, but not Thailand,” the paper said.

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