Ex-LTTE fighters trying to revive militant group in Sri Lanka: Report

A group of former high-ranking Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders living abroad are trying to stealthily revive the group by exploiting the financial woes of surrendered Tamil Tiger guerrillas in Sri Lanka, a Jaffna-based magazine has revealed.

The Jaffna Monitor says the masterminds of this covert operation are Sivarasa Pirunthapan, a former pilot in the LTTE's air wing and now a French national, and Pukalenthi Master, who was in the LTTE intelligence wing.

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These two men “are said to be the real architects of the clandestine network, pulling the strings from abroad”, the fortnightly says in its latest issue, adding that those getting ensnarled in the web are young men and women who were once LTTE fighters.

Recalling the past

Some 12,000 LTTE guerrillas surrendered to the Sri Lankan military in 2009 both before and after the Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by troops, ending an insurgency that lasted a quarter century and almost broke up Sri Lanka.

Around the same time, hundreds of LTTE fighters escaped from the island nation, some by sea and others by bribing various officials. Almost all of them made it to the West and began life anew with help from relatives and the Tamil diaspora.

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Pirunthapan, also known as Achchuthan, had studied aerospace engineering and provided flight training to LTTE suicide cadres during the war. He also headed the LTTE air wing briefly from 2001.

The modus operandi

According to the Jaffna Monitor, Pirunthapan channels large sums of money to a former woman LTTE fighter in Tamil Nadu who in turn presides over others who network with surrendered guerrillas now battling poverty or leading tough lives.

One such surrendered guerrilla is Thenmozhi (assumed name) who served in the LTTE’s Sothiya Regiment and now lives in Jaffna’s outskirts after undergoing a rehabilitation programme. She does menial jobs to raise her children.

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The magazine said that in early 2023, Thenmozhi got a call from India from Kaveri, her senior commander in the regiment. Kaveri said the diaspora wanted to help ex-LTTE fighters to overcome poverty and urged her to accept financial help.

After repeated persuasion, Thenmozhi succumbed. She had a few thousand rupees in her bank account. She was asked to connect with other ex-fighters in her village and nearby areas.

She did that, building up a network of some 30, all of whom were leading unremarkable and impoverished lives.

Smelling trouble

Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential election, Thenmozhi and the others were told to rally around the common Tamil candidate. But Thenmozhi smelt danger and cut off all links with Kaveri after the latter sought information about a known LTTE critic.

Similarly, Kayalvizhi (assumed name), once in the Malathi Regiment, was contacted on the telephone by a former leader from a non-combatant division in the LTTE. She too offered help, which Kayalvizhi reluctantly accepted. She too was asked to build a network of former LTTE fighters now leading quiet lives.

But Kayalvizhi didn’t like it when she too was asked to support the Tamil presidential candidate. But her donor insisted that she must return a favour after accepting monetary help.

Hidden agenda of pro-LTTE diaspora

Kayalvizhi told the Jaffna Monitor that it dawned on her that a network was being created to be activated to advance the hidden agenda of the pro-LTTE diaspora elements intent on stirring unrest in Sri Lanka. Sensing danger, Kayalvizhi too snapped all links with her donors.

Another former LTTE guerrilla who surrendered in 2009 is Thuyavan (assumed name) who told the magazine that he was pulled in similarly by Janaki, a former administrative head of the Sothiya Regiment who presently lives in Chennai.

It was Thuyavan who, while being part of a WhatsApp group created by Janaki, stumbled on the French telephone number of Pirunthapan, who he alleged was hell bent on reviving the LTTE.

Far more sinister

“That’s when I realised this wasn’t just about helping ex-fighters. There was a much darker, far-reaching agenda at play – something far more sinister,” he told the Jaffna Monitor.

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According to him, influential LTTE figures who escaped the war and now live abroad are determined to establish a well-organised network of former fighters. No one knows how many surrendered guerrillas have been contacted.

“They know that without Prabhakaran the LTTE cannot truly be revived. But these individuals, benefitting from both leftover LTTE funds and fresh diaspora money, want to fuel unrest in Sri Lanka,” Thuyavan said.

All for quiet lives

Most former LTTE guerrillas have moved on after the surrender. They want to lead quiet lives although this is not easy amid grinding poverty and lack of economic opportunities.

Tamil sources say a section of the pro-LTTE diaspora is trying to exploit the vulnerabilities of the former guerrillas to further its agenda.

According to the Jaffna Monitor, one person at the centre of these covert operations is Janaki, formerly of the Sothiya Regiment. Now living in Chennai, she was earlier married to one of Prabhakaran’s most trusted military advisers.

About Janaki

In March 2009, as the war neared its end, Janaki allegedly used her and her husband’s influence to help her children – a girl and a boy – escape on an ICRC ship from Sri Lanka’s north claiming they were injured when they weren’t. She surrendered to the army but her custody lasted only six months. She later made it to Chennai.

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Her primary income comes through a relative in Canada who arranges for hundreds of patients from over 20 countries to get medical treatment in Chennai. Janaki handles their logistics. She also has business ventures of her own.

The Jaffna Monitor quoted former LTTE militants as saying that Janaki had rekindled her obsession with Tamil Eelam after settling her children abroad.

‘All we want now is peace’

One ex-fighter was quoted as saying, “We fought. We lost everything. All we want now is peace. Why should we – or our children – pay the price for these diaspora-funded schemes?”

Interestingly, Janaki has not roped in her mother and a sister now living in Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka because she fears this could endanger them.

Pirunthapan, the magazine says, funnels large sums of money to Janaki to build and expand a network of former LTTE fighters. Assisting him is a France-based brother who heads the cyber team of the now-vanquished LTTE.

Red Notice for Pirunthapan

On the basis of uncovered LTTE documents in 2010, Interpol issued a Red Notice for Pirunthapan, seeking his arrest. He was officially listed in February 2014 for sanctions and restrictions.

But the man continues with his activities unfazed and runs a string of businesses in France, the magazine says.

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The Jaffna Monitor says the three former LTTE guerrillas killed by Sri Lankan security forces in the island in 2014 had close links with Pirunthapan.

Hundreds of thousands of Tamils of Sri Lankan origin now live in Western countries. A section of the diaspora has refused to accept Prabhakaran’s death and continues to advocate Sri Lanka’s break-up.