ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 23 B
Posted on August 15th, 2021

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Norway was the second country to enter Sri Lanka to deal with Eelam. Norway operated as a sole mediator in Sri Lanka.  MichelsenInstitute, in its review ‘Pawns for Peace ‘said that Norway did not work in collaboration with any powerful state.  However, Michelsen records that Norway felt it had to consult the US and India, regarding Sri Lanka, US was consulted as the world’s superpower and India as the regional hegemon.” This means that Norway was not working alone in Sri Lanka.

It is suggested that Norway accidentally stumbled into the Eelam issue. It is difficult to accept this.  Norway was selected for the role. The Norwegian selected was Erik Solheim, a Member of Parliament. His entry has been dishonestly publicized as purely fortuitous” said Kamal Wickremasinghe.

 The story is that Solheim spent two months (January-February 1998) in the home of Arne Fjørtoft’  in Colombo, writing his autobiography. Arne Fjortoft had   been living in Sri Lanka for several decades, during which he had been involved in all sorts of projects with various Sri Lanka governments. He was the founder of Worldview International Foundation (est. 1979). Solheim’s visit was sponsored by this Foundation.

Through Fjørtoft, Solheim had met a number of prominent politicians and developed a personal interest in the ethnic conflict. After returning to Oslo, Solheim got in touch with Tamils living in Norway. Solheim then went to Paris to meet with the LTTE.

In October 1998, LTTE approached Solheim with a request to help Anton Balasingham out of Sri Lanka for a kidney operation. This was achieved after lengthy, top secret discussions with Sri Lankan officials. Balasingham left through Katunayake.  Norway was then asked by Balasingham to take on the role of facilitator.

In 2000 Solheim was granted a leave of absence from Parliament to serve as special advisor on Sri Lanka to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Solheim attempted to mobilize US pressure on the Sri Lankan government in 2001 Solheim helped negotiate the Ceasefire Agreement of 2002. In 2005, he was appointed Minister of International Development in Norway. In this position, he was able to continue his work on the Sri Lanka issue.

Solheim was joined by Jon Westborg who served as the Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka from 1996 to 2003. Westborg should not have been accepted as ambassador in this country, said diplomat Bandu de Silva. Westborg was earlier the head of Redd Barna where it is alleged he took Tamil estate labor and settled them in north. 

Equipment for the clandestine LTTE run Voice of Tiger radio was imported in a consignment addressed to Norwegian ambassador in Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg. The Sri Lanka government did not expel the ambassador. Ranil Wickremesinghe who was Minister of Foreign affairs shielded him, said Bandu de Silva.

Norway was never neutral. Norway was always on the side of the LTTE. Norway supported LTTE in many ways. Karuna said in an interview, Solheim always told Prabhakaran in my presence that Norway was with LTTE. Solheim instructed Prabhakaran, showed us military bases and gave us transmitters, said Karuna. LTTE political leaders were sent round the world courtesy Norway, said critics. Norway helped  to set up LTTE office abroad. Norway tried unsuccessfully, to take Sri Lanka before the Un Security Council.

Norway   encouraged Tamil immigration into Norway. Today, Norway had around 10,000 – 13,000 Tamils most of whom are Sri Lankan refugees. Around 7,000 Tamils live in the capital Oslo. Bergen has about 400 Tamil families and is the centre for Tamil activity. A Sri Lanka NGO network was established in Norway.

In 2011 Norwegian embassy had secretly helped 12 LTTE cadres reach Norway. The embassy had bought the tickets, driven them to the airport, said the Norwegian newspaper “Aften Posten.” The action was defended by Erik Solheim, who said that Norway had a long tradition of helping people at risk.

Norway had strong links with the two LTTE international negotiators, Anton Balasingham and KP. LTTE has consulted the Norwegian government about appointing KP, (Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam known also as Kumaran Pathmanathan) as international negotiator, on the death of Balasingham in 2006.

KP has been supplying arms to LTTE since 1984. He lived Thailand and was married to a Thai . He managed the LTTE ships, procured supplies and provided guidance to the finance network..,  KP was wanted by Interpol, for the murder of Rajiv Gandhi, and Interpol had placed a red notice on him.

 Norway ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tore Hattrem (2007-2010)  undertook a clandestine visit to Malaysia to meet KP,  in order to facilitate a meeting between KP and   UN’s  Undersecretary for Humanitarian affairs, Sir John Holmes. That did not materialize.

Karuna said  that  Norway   gave Balasingham 16 million Kroner in London, in his presence.  LTTE bought arms with the money. ‘Norwegians Against terrorism’ (NAT)   said that Karuna’s statement was correct. LTTE  received funds  from the government of Norway as well as Norway’s  municipal governments .

Norway helped LTTE to obtain    weapons. Norway had set up the LTTE –Eritrean network after the  China- North Korea route was exposed. Norway had helped the LTTE to establish relations with Eritrea. Eritrea allowed   LTTE to purchase arms  from China on Eritrean end user certificates. Norway   flatly denied this, but KP confirmed  it.

A chance detection made by Tamilnadu authorities in Oct 2007 exposed a secret Norwegian supply route which enabled the LTTE to obtain urgently needed weapons for the Vanni front.   The route lay from Norway via Tamilnadu. 

In June 2000 Thai police stumbled on a shipyard making submersibles for the LTTE. The  key man was a Norwegian national Lawrence , a Tamil from Sri Lanka . He was he arrested together with all sorts of sophisticated equipment meant for LTTE. His so called tourist operation was a cover up for smuggling arms via the Andaman Islands to the LTTE. He was convicted by Thai authorities but mysteriously disappeared from Thailand.  He  had been deported to Norway on the intervention of Norway.    Bandu de Silva said Norway had helped to improve the LTTE navy.

Under cover of diplomatic immunity  Norway brought into Sri Lanka   in 2002, a total of six tons of electronic equipment,  consisting of VSAT high frequency equipment use in modern satellite communications and other sophisticated hi-tech communications equipment.

VSAT is software driven earth station used for the transmission of data, video or voice via satellite. In the hands of the LTTE it would enable them to transmit voice, pictures or video films without any interception from Sri Lanka or abroad compromising the security of Sri Lanka and India. This came without a prior license from the government ,  and was handed over to LTTE via SCOPP, reported the media.

The transmitter had already been purchased in Singapore and  was on the way by sea. The letter dated 1.10.2002 requested customs clearance and duty free importation and no delay. Norway stepped in at the right moment to have the equipment delivered to the LTTE, observed Shamindra Ferdinando. Government  paid  the taxes.  Treasury used funds received from Sweden for this purpose.

A media report had said that on 27.11.2002 a container with sophisticated communication equipment form Colombo escorted by a police inspector in a Defender jeep crossed the Omanthai security checkpoint and moved onto the LTTE controlled areas without any checking.

 Ven. Walpola Piyanandana stated in an interview with Daily News that when he visited Sela Pabbata vihara in Toppur, he found twin radio towers on the top of the hill. A self contained radio broadcast station   had been   set up, on the vihara site, complete with twin radio towers, used by the LTTE.  The equipment  had been imported from Norway in a  large sea container.  It had been smuggled  into the area. No customs duties, nothing  declared, the  container came by truck from shipyard to the LTTE in Trincomalee, said Ven. Piyanandana.

LTTE  also  had an unauthorized  radio station, Voice of Tigers, at Kilinochchi. After the Cease fire Agreement, master minded by Norway,  they obtained a broadcast license from the government and upgraded its Voice of Tigers transmission. The UNP had taken immediate action to issue the licence at the request of the LTTE.  LTTE was then able to set up its own high powered broadcasting and TV relay station in Vanni. This beamed out to Europe and North America.

Norway helped train LTTE in warfare. LTTE cadres were taken to a Norwegian Special Forces Training camp at Rena in 2003. All expenses were paid by Norway.  A video showing the LTTE receiving instruction at Rena on weapons, tactics and military strategies was circulated. This was not contested by the authorities. LTTE was also able to watch sophisticate military exercises and demonstration and to video highly skilled military operations at Rena.

Norwegian Special Forces had trained  LTTE sea tigers in underwater demolition   in Thailand’s Tran Province. Canadian Intelligence had confirmed this, said Norwegians against Terrorism. Another LTTE group was taken to Northern Ireland for community police training.

Norway was very generous in giving funds to the LTTE and to NGOs working for Eelam. Norway had given NOK 2.5 billion (about US$ 320 million) to Sri Lanka during 1997 -2009, reported Michelsen Institute. Michelsen said Norway had spent NOK 210 million kroner, approx 28 million USD , between 2001 and 2004 . 99% of this was received by ten organizations.

Between 2004-2208, the most funds were given to Kumar Rupesinghe’s  Foundation for Co-Existence NOK 35 million (about USD 6 million), said Michelsen. Followed by Milinda Morogoda Institute (MMIPE), Centre for Policy alternatives, National Peace council, Tamil Rehabilitation Organization(TRO), and  Transparency International.

Funds were also given to National Anti-War Front ( led by Kumar Rupesinghe), National Christian Council, Redd Barna,  Tamil Women’s Organization, Tamil Health Organization, and World view Foundation. Norway also provided initial funding for the government’s Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) and helped fund the Peace Secretariat of the LTTE (2003). Annual donation received by SCOPP from Norway was Rs 12 million.

  In 2007 ‘Norwegians Against Terrorism’(NAT) gave a list of local  organizations funded through NORAD  which included   Tamil Rehabilitation  Organization (TRO)  LTTE, several  pro LTTE NGOs,  a leading opposition politician and a Sinhala journalist.

TRO got about USD 2.3. million and LTTE Peace Secretariat got USD 900.000 (around Rs 30 million). The politician in question had received over  8.4 million NOK (1.2 million USD) National Peace Council had been paid the equivalent of USD 300,000.

 Sri Lankans were suspicious about Norway’s activities in the country. Norwegian People’s Aid, a Norwegian Government-funded NGO said its heavy earth-moving vehicles, trucks & tractors had been stolen” by the LTTE.  Sri Lanka did not believe this. NPA had been implicated in smuggling arms to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. . Jatika Hela Urumaya said Norway  supported terrorism in East Timor, Indonesia, Sudan  and Sri Lanka and played to the agenda of the US and the west.

Norway tried to please the suspicious  Sinhalese by supporting Buddhist activities.. Norway funded the establishment of a Buddhist academy in Kandy (2009), and supported the reconstruction of Buddhist temples destroyed by the tsunami on the south coast. The inauguration of the temples after reconstruction was attended by Erik Solheim.

in April 2009 Sri Lanka  removed Norway  from its role as peace facilitator between the government and the LTTE. Reacting angrily over its mission coming under attack by Tamil protesters in Oslo, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian Ambassador Tore Hattrem, lodged its “official protest” and informed him that it “deeply regretted that the Norwegian government has failed in discharging of its obligations under international law to provide adequate security to the Sri Lanka Mission in Oslo”. “In these circumstances, the government of Sri Lanka perceives that it is no longer feasible for Norway to act as facilitator in the peace process,”.

The Eelam war ended  soon after, but Norway’s efforts to create the state of  Eelam  did not come to an end.  Norway is still in the Eelam game. Norway had  discussions with the  Global Tamil Forum  in Geneva before the UNHRC session of 2012.

Rajiva Wijesinha said that Norway founded  Bodu Bala Sena.  Since 2012, certain groups with shady links to Norway hit on the idea of using monks to destabilize the country, observed Chandraprema, referring to Bodu Bala Sena and its leading monks.

This is an unusual situation ,one that had not been faced by any government in the entire history of the island, Chandraprema said. Monks can get away with much, due to the yellow robe.  Authorities are reluctant to arrest or baton charge them. The BBS monks,  uttering uncouth language,   breaking the law in full view of the public, are    engaged in subversion and are trying to incite. These monks are a Trojan horse, Chandraprema  said.

The moment the government changed in  2015, Chandraprema continued,  there was a sudden decrease of activity of these the mad monks who were around in the 2014. The fact they  went suddenly quiet showed  who their master was.   If this was a  genuine patriotic group then the activity should have increased.

Norwegian State Secretary Tore Hattrem visited Sri Lanka  in May 2016 . He  was to meet  Foreign Minister Hon. Mangala Samaraweera,  speaker Karu Jayasuriya,  other  Yahapalana government ministers, and representatives of civil society.  He was also to  meet the leader of the opposition, Hon. Sampanthan, as well as the Governor and Chief Minister of the Northern Province, and the Commander in Jaffna. In the Northern Province, Hattrem was to  make a field visit to recently released land areas in Valalai, which is part of a Norwegian supported project.

 The Norwegian Ambassador visited Jaffna and Kilinochchi in January 202O. She was there for the opening of Sri Lanka’s first-ever floating solar plant with a capacity of 42KW located at the Kilinochchi Campus of the Jaffna University. The project is a result of the research collaboration since 2017 between the University of Jaffna and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences supported by the  Norwegian Embassy in Colombo.  ( continued in 23C)

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