Malin Abeyatunga

Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) became the newest “slum dog millionaire” overnight just two months before LTTE leader Prabhakaran died when he was appointed by now-dead Prabhakaran as the primary point of contact for engaging with the international community. Pro LTTE Tamil Net reported his appointment as follows:

“The Tamil Net reported Jan 30 that the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran – had “recently” made the appointment and described Pathmanathan as “a high profile representative of the movement”. “Pathmanathan will be representing the movement in any further peace initiatives and will be the primary point of contact for engaging with the international community, according to a letter sent to various international actors by the LTTE’s Department of International Relations,” it said.

Tamil Net added that Pathmanathan will work abroad “with required mandate from the LTTE leadership” and that he had “begun corresponding with international actors”.

If the officials are correct, then KP is the same one who is listed in the records of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Interpol liaison in India, as Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam.

With the humiliating death of LTTE Leader Prabhakaran at the hands of our gallant soldiers, KP became the custodian of annual collection of $300 millions dollars (according to Jane’s Intelligence Reports which says the LTTE collections by various means amounts to $200-$300 million a year)from the Tamil Diaspora mainly from the western block of countries including Australia.

Who is this Kumaran Pathmanathan aka KP? He is a fugitive wanted by Interpol for drugs trafficking, human cargo smuggling, and gun running and wanted by India for financing the assassination of her premier Rajiv Gandhi. His profile as appears in the Interpol website (Google sources) is as follows who carries many aliases to suit the circumstances, type of activity and the country involved.

KP is the brain behind all LTTE international illegal activities as mentioned above and a fugitive wanted by Interpol. He was once arrested by Thailand Police (known to be married to a Thai woman) but as usual The Money Talked and he disappeared and Thailand Police thereafter claimed that they did not arrest such person. It is now alleged that he is operating from Malaysia. Internationally, he is more dangerous than dead Prabhakaran as he is supposed to be in close association with many politicians and influential people in the western block including former peace facilitator Eric Solheim of Norway . Whilst the Sri Lankan Government is seeking assistance of the Interpol and other countries to arrest him, UN agents are having a Tango with this fugitive.

He appears to have mastered maneuvering smoothly across borders and is said to be in possession of numerous passports. He is known to have several aliases and once possessed many Indian and Sri Lankan passports.

If he is arrested, it will be a big breakthrough to get more information and details of the international net work of LTTE with links to drug and human smuggling, procurements of illegal arms and details of the illegal arms dealers, money laundering and all other underworld activities spread around the world.

KP has for decades been the LTTE’s chief procurer of arms, ammunition and electronic equipment. He is supposed to have helped raise finances abroad in the initial years of the LTTE and set up its many offices in foreign countries. More importantly, he is the brain behind the clandestine LTTE shipping network that became the Tigers’ virtual lifeline.

The CBI began to hunt for him because he was believed to have procured the grenades and grenade pellets linked to Gandhi’s killing and the earlier slaying of K. Pathmanabha of a rival Tamil group. Both men were murdered in Tamil Nadu.

Connection with BIGS

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He is an Artful Dodger who is able to go through from the top man to the lowest without being suspected.. Now as the $300 million dollar custodian, he can buy the most important corrupted connections to keep the LTTE alive in the International arena. Sri Lanka has requested Interpol and the International Community to help to arrest him. With so many aliases and many forged passports and with $300 millions dollars at his disposal, he can do wonders unless the Tamil Diaspora blocks the funds? He can even get a plastic surgery done to avoid detection with spending a couple of thousands of Tamil Diaspora ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”s wealth which is now in his custody. There was a faint cry from a Canadian Tamil disputing KPs appointment as current leader of now defunct LTTE and claiming the leadership of LTTE may be he is also after the BIG MONEY.

The question is will the pro-LTTE apologists and activists in the Tamil Diaspora accept KP as the leader and WHAT’S NEXT on the agenda when there is no room for Eelam cry in Sri Lanka anymore.

It’s only the Tamil Diaspora who can help him arrested for having taken over the liquid assets of LTTE overnight and becoming the second “Slum dog Millionaire”.

He may sometimes use this money to buy some politicians in the west and then vanish with the rest of the money. If that happens, what’s the Tamil Diaspora going to do? Gaze at the sky and wait.

KP’s alliance with UN Officials

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The recent discussions by Kumaran Pathmanathan aka Selvarasa Pathmananthan aka KP with two officials of the august assembly UN throws light how powerful and influential he can be. It is alleged that Norwegian Minister Eric Solheim the architect of the infamous CFA which gave blood transfusion to LTTE had arranged KP to meet Sir John Holmes, the UN Undersecretary for Humanitarians Affairs. He has admitted meeting with KP. Is it the right thing to do for an UN official to meet secretly an Interpol fugitive wanted by Sri Lanka and India for crimes that he has committed in Sri Lanka and India? I’ll not be surprised if he gets an interview with the Commissioner of Human Rights Ms Naveen Pillai one of these days.

Then comes the infamous “Toilet Diplomacy” KP had with Vijay Nambiar the special representative of UN Secretray General Ban-ki Moon in attempt to give oxygen to dying LTTE and save its leader Prabhakaran and the top rank Tamil Tigers. I believe with the modern technology, his whereabouts could be tracked through the telephone conversations he had with the infamous trio Sir John Holmes, Eric Solheim and Vijay Nambiar. This trio should have some information where this fugitive is hiding and it’s the responsibility of these trio to inform the Interpol, Sri Lanka and CBI of India where about of this criminal so that arrest can be made before he does a plastic surgery.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is what the role of Interpol according to their website.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “Interpol exists to coordinate international police-to-police communication by creating channels of communication and maintaining a massive centralized records system. The mission of Interpol, in its own words is: “To be the world’s pre-eminent police organization in support of all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is preventing, detecting, and suppressing crimes.”

Contrary to popular belief, Interpol officers do not travel around the world investigating cases in different countries. Each member country employs its own law enforcement officers to investigate criminal activity in accordance with its own national laws.”

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ” This shows that the onus of arresting KP is left with the Sri Lankan and Indian law enforcement authorities and not the Interpol but needs the assistance of the law enforcement authorities of the rest of the world to track him down. The above mentioned TRIO and the anti-LTTE Tamil Diaspora would be able to throw some light of his where about.