LTTE fund raising ‘Murasam’ out

(December, 09, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The LTTE directory ‘Murasam’ giving details about Tamil businesses and activities have been released to the public at the Hero’s Day celebrations at the ExCel Centre on 27 November 2007.

Compared with previous editions of the ‘Murasam’, the 2008 directory include much lesser advertising pages. The advertisers are mainly LTTE front and sympathising businesses and organisations. The advertising cost for the colourful directory is said to run into many hundreds of sterling pounds per page.

The directory is also filled with free listing of businesses and organisations extracted from the independent ‘Tamil Directories’ which has a much greater appeal due to its popularity and reasonable charges for advertising.

The editorial, its mission statement and political slogans published in the Murasam directory confirm the relationship between the LTTE and the Murasam. The Murasam website states: ‘Murasam information directory is published annually and launched during the Tamil Remembrance Day events held in London every November. Murasam incorporates comprehensive classified listings of Tamil businesses in the United Kingdom, advertisements and useful information about the UK and our homeland, including maps, fact & figures, travel information and pictures’. The Tamil Remembrance Day is the title used to overcome the controversial ‘Hero’s Day’ of the proscribed LTTE.

The Murasam Directory is the brainchild of Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar alias A C Shanthan who is the UK head of LTTE’s main arm British Tamil Association-BTA (Formally United Tamil Organisation). First two of the issues were published by BTA and when adverse publicity appeared in the media of Murasam’s link to the LTTE and about the funds it generated for the LTTE, a private company Murasam Publication Ltd was formed to run the directory.

The Company House records reveal a private company Murasam Publications Ltd was formed under registration number 05563059 on 14 September 2005. The registered address of the company is recorded as 132 Stokes Road, East Ham, London E6 3SE. Companies Annual return made up to 14 September 2006 and the annual accounts to 30 September 2006 are not filed with the Companies House as yet. Since then 2007 Annual Return and the Accounts are due for submission.

It is expected the Murasam Publication Ltd will face the same fate of Tamil Guardian Ltd and its name stricken off from the Companies House register for non submission of the statutory documents.

Murasam printed directory confirms its operating address as PO Box 2203, Ilford, IG1 9RY whilst its website edition states its address as 135 Vansittart Road, London E7 0AA.