(November, 11, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Shocking documentary evidence has surfaced that the plan to get rid of LTTE renegade commander Karuna was discussed with President Mahinda Rajapakse and Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda in June in Geneva by the head of the Asian Tribune K.T. Rajasingham.The plan is disclosed in an e-mail letter dated October 24, sent by Rajasingham to Presidential Advisor Sunimal Fernando calling for follow up action on a series of issues discussed with the President in Geneva on June 15. Rajasingham's letter to Fernando states, "I am attaching the report of the discussion I had with HE President when I met him in Geneva, Switzerland on 15 June 2007 for information and necessary action."
According to the document the President, Minister Devananda and Rajasingham had discussed issues ranging from child recruitment by Karuna, role of the Defence Ministry in protecting Karuna, changes in the diplomatic service, setting up communication networks to counter LTTE propaganda and winning over India.
The discussion according to Rajasingham's letter to Fernando took place at the Presidential Suite No 1727, Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva.
The government on August 30 obtained a diplomatic passport for Karuna in the name of Kokila Gunawardena on which forged passport Karuna travelled to London and reached Heathrow Airport on September 18. The number of the forged diplomatic passport issued to Karuna is D 1944260.
A spokesperson for the Immigration Department said a diplomatic passport to a person who is not holding a designated high office can be issued only on a directive by the President's Secretary.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry issued a Third Party Note to the British High Commission in Colombo and obtained a visa for Karuna on September 5 to travel to UK on the forged passport bearing number D 1944260 in the name of Kokila Gunawardena. The Foreign Ministry claimed 'Kokila Gunawardena' was to attend a climate change conference on behalf of the government as a representative attached to a department which came under the Environment Ministry of JHU's Champika Ranawaka. He was described in the visa application as the 'Director General of Wildlife Conservation.'
In his letter to Presidential Advisor Fernando it is stated by Rajasingham that Karuna managed to reach the UK with the help of Sri Lanka's Intelligence Service and that he had spirited away Rs 500 million from monies collected through abductions and that given by the government to support his cadres.
In the discussion with the President and Devananda, it is revealed in the minutes that Rajasingham had said Karuna is a liability to the government and a spent force who should be got rid of.
It had been further said at the June meeting according to the minutes Pillayan was ready to arrest Karuna but was hesitating because the 'higher ups in the Defence Ministry would not entertain such a step.'
"I suggest let the government get rid of Karuna, a liability and work with Pillayan and his men who are more popular in the east than Karuna," Rajasingham had proposed.
The President according to the minutes then makes a damning comment.
States the minutes sent by Rajasingham on Rajapakse's response; "HE said that he will take up the matter with his defence people and do the needful."
In other written communications last week Rajasingham has boasted he had a role to play in the Karuna split from the LTTE and his exit from Sri Lanka.
Karuna was arrested by the British authorities in the posh London surburb of Kensington for entering the country on a forged passport. Karuna has sought asylum when arrested.
Plot to get rid of Karuna was hatched at a presidential suite in Geneva.
Asian Tribune chief spills the beans in letter to Presidential Advisor Defence Ministry blessings called for to get Karuna out of the way President promised to do the needful in Geneva President told to get rid of Karuna because he is a liability.
Karuna said to have smuggled out Rs. 500 mn of monies given by Govt. and through abductions.
Rajasingham sends chilling message on how to deal with Karuna aide Karuna smuggled into UK by Govt. on forged diplomatic passport Govt.promotes Pillayan to take over TMVP.
By Sonali Samarasinghe
Evidence has surfaced of an elaborate plan by the government to dump Karuna who was becoming an embarrassment to the Rajapakse regime, given the heightened international focus on gross human rights violations and to replace him with Pillayan.
Karuna who waged an internecine and bloody war in the east was smuggled out of the country by the government on a forged diplomatic passport and arrived in the UK on September 18.
He was later arrested in London on November 3 for travelling on a forged passport on a tip off largely thought to be by the Pillayan faction within his own breakaway group.
Pillayan takes over Not 48 hours later armed Pillayan forces took over all the TMVP offices in Batticaloa while political head V. Thileepan still loyal to Karuna became the latest victim of in-fighting. He was reported to have swallowed a cyanide capsule and admitted to hospital.
Documentary evidence in our possession now reveals that the government was in the know at the highest levels on the dirty deeds of Karuna with some possibly having aided and abetted Karuna in a sordid drama of kidnapping, white vans, murder, abductions and extortion and the lynch pin in this game was one K.T.Rajasingham based in Sweden who was hatching the scheme for a variety of reasons including to promote his own business.
Our documentation suggests that as reported in our sister paper The Morning Leader on Wednesday not only did Karuna reach the UK to join his wife and three children with the help of the Rajapakse government but also that he was allegedly able to spirit away a colossal sum of Rupees 500 million said to be moneys collected through abductions and other funds allegedly given by the government for the support of his cadres.
Hatching the plot
In fact these details are part of an official report sent by Rajasingham to President Rajapakse's advisor Sunimal Fernando as recently as October 24 for follow up action. That is just 10 days before Karuna was arrested. And it is based on a meeting Rajasingham had with President Rajapakse no less in Geneva in June 2007.
Taped telephone conversations and other evidence also suggest that Rajasingham was involved in stoking the flames of the fratricidal war between Karuna and Pillayan and making efforts to project Pillayan as the political face of the Karuna Group and helping the second in command in a mad race to register his faction as a political party before Karuna did.
K.T. Rajasingham if readers care to know is the editor of the Asian Tribune, an on-line daily newspaper launched in Bangkok in 2001 now based in Sweden plugging the government line evidently for its own monetary benefit. He is a man originally from Point Pedro.
While pugnacious nationalists often accuse peaceniks of using the war to raise funds for their NGOs, written evidence in our possession show how the war scoundrels continue to spread the message of hatred and misguided patriotism in order to promote their own businesses, collect funds and expand their personal business empires.
Closed door meeting
Most of the damning evidence surfaced following a closed door hour long meeting President Rajapakse had with Rajasingham in the company of EPDP Leader, Minister Douglas Devananda at the Presidential Suite No. 1727 Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva from approximately 4-5 pm on June 15, 2007 where the Karuna issue was discussed at length.
Rajapakse arrived in Geneva at 5.10pm on June 14, for the International Labour Organisation Conference. Dayan Jayatilleke at the time one recalls had newly been appointed the UN Permanent Representative in Geneva for Sri Lanka. It was not 24 hours after his arrival that the President was to meet Asian Tribune Editor Rajasingham in his Presidential rooms at the Intercontinental.
And it is here the government plotted on how to get rid of a colossal international embarrassment that was Karuna. The entire discussion was reduced to paper and sent as a confidential report to President's Advisor Sunimal Fernando for follow up action via email. The Sunday Leader is in possession of that communication and much more.
Many aspects were discussed at the meeting from education to advertising which this newspaper will reveal in the weeks to come. But today we focus on the east.
The discussion according to Rajasingham's communication which basically were the minutes of the discussion with Rajapakse, starts with the President thanking the Asian Tribune for the great service rendered to the country. Rajapakse commends the Editor for his services to the country and assures his wholehearted support and assistance to the Asian Tribune.
Indian relations
Rajasingham also makes various suggestions on Sri Lanka's relationship with India. President Rajapakse after discussion agrees a special delegation would be sent to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Sonia Gandhi and M.K.Narayanan to find out what India actually expected Sri Lanka to do regarding the ethnic issue.
In fact Rajasingham said he too was prepared to go with a delegation that included H. L.D.Mahindpala for the Sinhala perspective and President Rajapakse directed Devananda to make the necessary arrangements.
Rajasingham was to propose the launch of a satellite TV to disseminate news feeds from Rupavahini and ITN and President Rajapakse immediately gave him the necessary permission to do so.
The Editor also said such an ambitious project would cost some Euro 22,000 per month per continent to which President Rajapakse said he would extend his full assistance and support. Rajasingham said he would also launch a 24 hour EuroAsian radio for government propaganda and grumbled he did not receive any advertising from the government institutions. Rajapakse was to then assure all assistance and support for the radio channel and promised to look into the latter complaint.
Getting rid of Karuna
Rajasingham was to now detail an elaborate scheme to oust Karuna and appoint Pillayan in his place. Karuna was to be discarded as a spent force who had outstayed his usefulness as he had nothing further to add on either the LTTE atrocities or details of the northern terrain. Further he was described as a liability to the government.
In this regard Rajasingham also said that though Pillayan being a child recruit himself was better aware of the Wanni and Jaffna terrain than Karuna, neither of them would be of use to the army top brass in its military push in the north. Therefore Rajasingham suggested that even Pillayan be eventually discarded while the government caused a third rift in the LTTE in the Wanni in order to tap a more knowledgeable source.
President Rajapakse agreed to discuss this matter with defence officials and do the needful according to the document.
It is not three months after this discussion that Karuna was spirited out of the country by government officials on a diplomatic passport bearing number D1944260.
Forged passport
The forged diplomatic passport was issued by the Immigration Department on the orders of top authorities in the name of Kokila Gunawardena on August 30, 2007.
Karuna was issued a valid British visa stamped on the forged travel document in the name of Kokila Gunawardena by the British High Commission in Colombo on September 5 on a recommendation by Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry.
The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry sent a Third Party Note to the British High Commission in Colombo together with a number of passports recommending visas for a group of persons to attend a climate change conference in Britain and included in the set of passports was a diplomatic passport in the name of Kokila Gunawardena.
Gunawardena was recommended for the visa as an official representing the Wildlife Department coming under the Environment Ministry of JHU's Champika Ranawaka.
What is even more damning is that his visa application to the British High Commission under the false name Kokila Gunawardena states 'Director General, Wild Life Conservation Department.'
A week later on September 22, Ranawaka would travel with President Rajapakse to New York to attend a climate change conference in New York. Funnily enough somewhere in between a group of officials from the Wildlife Department of which one was the renegade Karuna was purportedly visiting a climate change conference in Great Britain.
In fact Karuna landed at Heathrow Airport on September 18 and was accompanied to the aircraft at the Bandaranaike International Airport to board the London flight by Airport and Aviation Deputy Chief Shalitha Wijesundera.
Karuna was arrested in a house in the affluent Kensington area where his wife and three children are residing. His wife and children have already lodged their papers for asylum and are in England legally.
Karuna immediately upon arrest was to claim political asylum but it is unclear how the British Home Office would view the case given his track record as a humans rights offender.
Aiding and abetting
The Rajapakse government and or several state departments now stand accused of aiding and abetting Karuna Amman to obtain a passport nay no ordinary one but a diplomatic document. The Deputy Aviation Chief accompanied Karuna to the aircraft. A fact he has yet not denied.
Remember Thilanga Sumathipala. The man was incarcerated without bail for having aided and abetted one Dammika Perera to travel on a forged passport by giving him funds from the Cricket Board.
Now the highest in this land stand accused of the same crime. If Dammika Perera was a criminal Karuna Amman is an international terrorist. He has been accused of war crimes by the apex world body - the United Nations. How long will the arm of the law be when the perpetrators are whole governments?
Be that as it may below we give a synopsis of what transpired at the meeting in June as minuted by Rajasingham and sent to Presidential Advisor Sunimal Fernando. The discussion focused on the split between Vinyamoorthy Muralitharan alias Col. Karuna Amman and Pillayan.
K.T.Rajasingham was to tell the President that it was he who had contacted UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy and assured her on behalf of Karuna, during a conference call that the group would not recruit under age children any further.
Note this. Rajasingham by stating that an undertaking was given not to recruit children any further admits that children were being recruited thus far. Recall that Alan Rock, Special Rapporteur for Coomaraswamy gave the UN representative a damning report which not only stated Karuna recruited children but alleged that some sections of the government forces aided Karuna in such recruitment.
In fact an official communication by the UN office announced that Karuna had contacted Coomaraswamy on December 4, 2006 regarding the listing of his group in Annex 2 of the latest report of the Secretary General to the Security Council on children and armed conflict as a group that recruit and use children.
Awaiting Part 02
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