{"id":117158,"date":"2021-08-15T15:58:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-15T22:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=117158"},"modified":"2021-08-15T15:58:29","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T22:58:29","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-23-b-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/08\/15\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-23-b-2\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 23 B"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Norway was the second country to enter Sri Lanka to deal with\nEelam. Norway operated as a sole mediator in Sri Lanka.  Michelsen<\/em>Institute,\nin its review \u2018Pawns for Peace \u2018said that Norway did not work in collaboration\nwith any powerful state.  However, Michelsen<\/em>\nrecords that Norway felt it had to consult the US and India, regarding Sri\nLanka, US was consulted as the world\u2019s superpower and India as the regional\nhegemon.\u201d This means that Norway was not working alone in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is suggested that Norway accidentally stumbled into the Eelam\nissue. It is difficult to accept this. \nNorway was selected for the role. The Norwegian selected was Erik\nSolheim, a Member of Parliament. His entry has been dishonestly publicized as\npurely fortuitous\u201d said Kamal Wickremasinghe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The story is that Solheim spent\ntwo months (January-February 1998) in the home of Arne Fj\u00f8rtoft\u2019  in Colombo, writing his autobiography. Arne\nFjortoft had   been living in Sri Lanka\nfor several decades, during which he had been involved in all sorts of projects\nwith various Sri Lanka governments. He was the founder of Worldview\nInternational Foundation (est. 1979). Solheim’s visit was sponsored by this\nFoundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Fj\u00f8rtoft, Solheim had met a number of prominent\npoliticians and developed a personal interest in the ethnic conflict. After\nreturning to Oslo, Solheim got in touch with Tamils living in Norway. Solheim\nthen went to Paris to meet with the LTTE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October\n1998, LTTE approached Solheim with a request to help Anton Balasingham out of\nSri Lanka for a kidney operation. This was achieved after lengthy, top secret\ndiscussions with Sri Lankan officials. Balasingham\nleft through Katunayake.  Norway was then\nasked by Balasingham to take on the role of facilitator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2000 Solheim was granted a leave of absence from Parliament to\nserve as special advisor on Sri Lanka to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign\nAffairs. Solheim attempted to mobilize\nUS pressure on the Sri Lankan government in 2001 Solheim helped negotiate the\nCeasefire Agreement of 2002. In 2005, he was appointed Minister of\nInternational Development in Norway. In this position, he was able to continue\nhis work on the Sri Lanka issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solheim was\njoined by Jon Westborg who served as the Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka from\n1996 to 2003. Westborg should not have been accepted as ambassador in this\ncountry, said diplomat Bandu de Silva. Westborg was earlier the head of Redd\nBarna where it is alleged he took Tamil estate labor and settled them in\nnorth.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipment for\nthe clandestine LTTE run Voice of Tiger radio was imported in a consignment\naddressed to Norwegian ambassador in Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg. The Sri Lanka government\ndid not expel the ambassador. Ranil Wickremesinghe who was Minister of Foreign\naffairs shielded him, said Bandu de Silva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway was\nnever neutral. Norway was always on the side of the LTTE. Norway supported LTTE\nin many ways. Karuna said in an interview, Solheim always told Prabhakaran in\nmy presence that Norway was with LTTE. Solheim instructed Prabhakaran, showed\nus military bases and gave us transmitters, said Karuna. LTTE political leaders\nwere sent round the world courtesy Norway, said critics. Norway\nhelped  to set up LTTE office abroad.\nNorway tried unsuccessfully, to take Sri Lanka before the Un Security Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway   encouraged Tamil\nimmigration into Norway. Today, Norway had around 10,000 – 13,000 Tamils most\nof 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\nactivity. A Sri Lanka NGO network was\nestablished in Norway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2011 Norwegian embassy had secretly helped 12 LTTE cadres reach\nNorway. The embassy had bought the tickets, driven them to the airport, said\nthe Norwegian newspaper “Aften Posten.” The action was defended by\nErik Solheim, who said that Norway had a long tradition of helping people at\nrisk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway had strong links with the two LTTE international negotiators,\nAnton Balasingham and KP. LTTE has consulted the Norwegian government about appointing\nKP, (Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam known also as Kumaran Pathmanathan) as international negotiator, on the death of\nBalasingham in 2006. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

KP has been supplying arms to LTTE since 1984. He lived Thailand\nand was married to a Thai . He managed the LTTE ships, procured supplies and\nprovided guidance to the finance network..,\n KP was wanted by Interpol, for the\nmurder of Rajiv Gandhi, and Interpol had placed a red notice on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Norway ambassador to Sri\nLanka, Tore Hattrem (2007-2010) \nundertook a clandestine visit to Malaysia to meet KP,  in order to facilitate a meeting between KP\nand   UN\u2019s  Undersecretary for Humanitarian affairs, Sir\nJohn Holmes. That did not materialize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karuna said  that  Norway  \ngave Balasingham 16 million Kroner in London, in his presence.  LTTE bought arms with the money. \u2018Norwegians Against\nterrorism\u2019 (NAT)   said that Karuna’s\nstatement was correct. LTTE  received\nfunds  from the government of Norway as\nwell as Norway\u2019s  municipal governments .\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway helped\nLTTE to obtain    weapons. Norway had set\nup the LTTE \u2013Eritrean network after the  China- North Korea route was exposed. Norway\nhad helped the LTTE to establish relations with Eritrea. Eritrea allowed   LTTE to\npurchase arms  from China on Eritrean end\nuser certificates. Norway   flatly denied\nthis, but KP confirmed  it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A chance\ndetection made by Tamilnadu authorities in Oct 2007 exposed a secret Norwegian\nsupply route which enabled the LTTE to obtain urgently needed weapons for the\nVanni front.   The route lay from Norway\nvia Tamilnadu.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2000\nThai police stumbled on a shipyard making submersibles for the LTTE. The  key man was a Norwegian national Lawrence , a\nTamil from Sri Lanka . He was he arrested together with all sorts of\nsophisticated equipment meant for LTTE. His so called tourist operation was a\ncover up for smuggling arms via the Andaman Islands to the LTTE. He was\nconvicted by Thai authorities but mysteriously disappeared from Thailand.  He  had\nbeen deported to Norway on the intervention of Norway.    Bandu\nde Silva said Norway had helped to improve the LTTE navy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under cover\nof diplomatic immunity  Norway brought into\nSri Lanka   in 2002, a total of six tons\nof electronic equipment,  consisting of\nVSAT high frequency equipment use in modern satellite communications and other\nsophisticated hi-tech communications equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

VSAT is software\ndriven earth station used for the transmission of data, video or voice via\nsatellite. In the hands of the LTTE it would enable them to transmit voice,\npictures or video films without any interception from Sri Lanka or abroad\ncompromising the security of Sri Lanka and India. This came without a prior\nlicense from the government ,  and was\nhanded over to LTTE via SCOPP, reported the media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ntransmitter had already been purchased in Singapore and  was on the way by sea. The letter dated\n1.10.2002 requested customs clearance and duty free importation and no delay.\nNorway stepped in at the right moment to have the equipment delivered to the\nLTTE, observed Shamindra Ferdinando. Government  paid  the taxes.  Treasury used funds received from Sweden for\nthis purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A media report had said that on 27.11.2002 a container with\nsophisticated communication equipment form Colombo escorted by a police\ninspector in a Defender jeep crossed the Omanthai security checkpoint and moved\nonto the LTTE controlled areas without any checking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Ven. Walpola Piyanandana stated in an\ninterview with Daily News that when he visited Sela Pabbata vihara in Toppur,\nhe found twin radio towers on the top of the hill. A self contained radio\nbroadcast station   had been   set\nup, 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,\nnothing  declared, the  container came by truck from shipyard to the\nLTTE in Trincomalee, said Ven. Piyanandana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE  also  had an unauthorized  radio station, Voice of Tigers, at\nKilinochchi. After the Cease fire Agreement, master minded by Norway,  they obtained a broadcast license from the\ngovernment and upgraded its Voice of Tigers transmission. The UNP had taken immediate action to issue the licence at the request\nof the LTTE.  LTTE was then\nable to set up its own high powered broadcasting and TV relay station in Vanni.\nThis beamed out to Europe and North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway helped\ntrain LTTE in warfare. LTTE cadres were taken to a Norwegian Special Forces Training\ncamp at Rena in 2003. All expenses were paid by Norway.  A video showing the LTTE receiving\ninstruction at Rena on weapons, tactics and military strategies was circulated.\nThis was not contested by the authorities. LTTE\nwas also able to watch sophisticate military exercises and demonstration and to\nvideo highly skilled military operations at Rena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norwegian\nSpecial Forces had trained  LTTE sea\ntigers in underwater demolition   in\nThailand\u2019s Tran Province. Canadian Intelligence had confirmed this, said\nNorwegians against Terrorism. Another LTTE group was taken to Northern Ireland\nfor community police training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Between 2004-2208, the most funds were given to Kumar Rupesinghe\u2019s\n Foundation for Co-Existence NOK 35\nmillion (about USD 6 million), said Michelsen. Followed by Milinda Morogoda\nInstitute (MMIPE), Centre for Policy alternatives, National Peace council,\nTamil Rehabilitation Organization(TRO), and  Transparency International. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funds were\nalso given to National Anti-War Front ( led by Kumar Rupesinghe), National\nChristian Council, Redd Barna,  Tamil Women\u2019s\nOrganization, Tamil Health Organization, and World view Foundation. Norway also\nprovided initial funding for the government\u2019s Secretariat for Coordinating the\nPeace Process (SCOPP) and helped fund the Peace Secretariat of the LTTE (2003).\nAnnual donation received by SCOPP from Norway was Rs 12 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  In 2007\n\u2018Norwegians Against Terrorism\u2019(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\njournalist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRO got about USD 2.3. million and LTTE Peace Secretariat got USD\n900.000 (around Rs 30 million). The\npolitician in question had received over \n8.4 million NOK (1.2 million USD) National Peace Council had been paid\nthe equivalent of USD 300,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Sri Lankans were suspicious about Norway\u2019s\nactivities in the country. Norwegian People\u2019s Aid, a Norwegian\nGovernment-funded NGO said its heavy earth-moving vehicles, trucks &\ntractors had been stolen\u201d by the LTTE.  Sri Lanka did not believe this. NPA had been\nimplicated in smuggling arms to the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Army. . Jatika Hela Urumaya said Norway  supported terrorism in East Timor, Indonesia,\nSudan  and Sri Lanka and played to the agenda of the US and the west. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway tried to please the suspicious  Sinhalese by supporting Buddhist activities..\nNorway funded the establishment of a Buddhist academy in Kandy (2009), and\nsupported the reconstruction of Buddhist temples destroyed by the tsunami on\nthe south coast. The inauguration of the temples after reconstruction was\nattended by Erik Solheim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in April 2009\nSri Lanka  removed Norway  from its role as peace facilitator between the\ngovernment and the LTTE. Reacting angrily over its mission coming under attack\nby Tamil protesters in Oslo, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian\nAmbassador Tore Hattrem, lodged its “official protest” and informed\nhim that it “deeply regretted that the Norwegian government has failed in\ndischarging of its obligations under international law to provide adequate\nsecurity to the Sri Lanka Mission in Oslo”. “In these circumstances,\nthe government of Sri Lanka perceives that it is no longer feasible for Norway\nto act as facilitator in the peace process,”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eelam war\nended  soon after, but Norway\u2019s efforts\nto create the state of  Eelam  did not come to an end.  Norway is still in the Eelam game. Norway had \ndiscussions with the  Global Tamil\nForum  in Geneva before the UNHRC session\nof 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rajiva Wijesinha said that Norway founded  Bodu Bala Sena.  Since 2012, certain groups with shady links to\nNorway hit on the idea of using monks to destabilize the country, observed\nChandraprema, referring to Bodu Bala Sena and its leading monks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an unusual situation ,one that had not been faced by any government\nin the entire history of the island, Chandraprema said. Monks can get away with\nmuch, due to the yellow robe.  Authorities are reluctant to arrest or baton\ncharge them. The BBS monks,  uttering\nuncouth language,   breaking the law in\nfull view of the public, are    engaged\nin subversion and are trying to incite. These monks are a Trojan horse, Chandraprema  said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment the government changed in  2015, Chandraprema continued,  there was a sudden decrease of activity of\nthese 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\nshould have increased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norwegian\nState Secretary Tore Hattrem visited Sri Lanka  in May 2016 . He  was to meet  Foreign Minister Hon. Mangala\nSamaraweera,  speaker Karu Jayasuriya,  other  Yahapalana government ministers, and representatives\nof civil society.  He was also to  meet the leader of the opposition, Hon.\nSampanthan, as well as the Governor and Chief Minister of the Northern\nProvince, and the Commander in Jaffna. In the Northern Province, Hattrem was to\n make a field visit to recently released\nland areas in Valalai, which is part of a Norwegian supported project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The Norwegian Ambassador visited Jaffna and\nKilinochchi in January 202O. She was there for the opening of Sri Lanka\u2019s\nfirst-ever floating solar plant with a capacity of 42KW located at the\nKilinochchi Campus of the Jaffna University. The project is a result of the\nresearch collaboration since 2017 between the University of Jaffna and the\nWestern Norway University of Applied Sciences supported by the  Norwegian Embassy in Colombo.  ( continued in 23C) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u2018Pawns for Peace \u2018said that Norway did not work in collaboration with any powerful state.  However, Michelsen records that Norway felt it had to consult the US […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}