By Noor Nizam – Peace and Political Actvist and Political Communications Researcher, May 12th., 2021.

RENOUNCED INDIAN JOURNALIST M.R. NARAYAN SWAMY SAYS – “IN REALITY IT WAS NOT”.

I fully disagree with the statement – M.R. Narayan Swamy has made in an article published by the https://www.themorning.lk/were-norway-and-solheim-pro-ltte/ the above dated May 9, 2021, “that Norway was pro-LTTE when in reality it was not”.

NORWAY WAS INDEED PRO-LTTE SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MILITANT MOVEMENT IN 1976 BY VELUPILLAI PRABHARAN AS THE SUCCESSOR TO AN ORGANIZATION HE HAD FORMED IN THE EARLIER 1970s.

NORWAY WAS PRO-LTTE TILL THE LTTE WAS DEFEATED BY THE SRI LANKA TRI FORCES ON MAY 17th., 2009. AND FORMALLY ANNOUNCED ON MAY 19th., 2009. Norway is home for some of the frontline lobbying NGO’s of the LTTE and has provided operational facilities to many of the hardcore LTTEers who had located themselves as refugees and naturalized now as Norwegian citizens and still active in propergating their ideology and doctrine.

Norway’s involvement with Sri Lanka goes back to the meeting between a Norwegian TV journalist and one Anthony Rajendam, from the fishing community of Gurunagar in Jaffna peninsular who went in a motorbike in the 1950s with another friend to reach UK, when they met in London, accidently. This journalist invited him to Norway, and thus started the relationship with Norway and Sri Lanka.

With the Norwegian NGO’s supporting the “MUKTI BAHINI” with arms and ammunitions in the aftermath of the war that began after the Pakistani military based in West Pakistan launched “Operation Searchlight” against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971, the violent attacks of the “MUKTI BAHINI” in East Pakistan against the Pakistani army were filmed by this journalist and telecasted in Norway. With close relationship with the Norwegians and India through these incidents, Norway got involved in the geo-politics of Sri Lanka and India viz-a-viz support to the self determination of so-called minority Tamil people of the North, according to them.

Erik Solhiem’s involvement with Sri Lanka begins in 2002 after he was assigned as the Peace Negotiator and what did he know that took place between 1970’s and 2000 regarding the type of support that Norway gave Prabaharan and his groups?

Journalist M R Narayan Swamy is thus challenged by this writer that ” that Norway was pro-LTTE when in reality it was not” as a FALSE STATEMENT.

NORWAY INDEED WAS PRO-LTTE, EVEN NOW. This does not mean that all the Norwegians are pro-LTTE, only those who believed in their false propaganda. The Norwegians do not like violence. They are indeed a “PEACE” loving Nation.