The Hindu : Balasingham to meet Prabakaran

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002

International

International

Balasingham to meet Prabakaran

By V. S. Sambandan

COLOMBO Oct. 15. The chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Anton S. Balasingham, arrived here this morning to hold talks with his leader, V. Prabakaran, before the second round of negotiations between Colombo and the Tigers later this month inThailand.

Accompanied by Rajah Wickremesinghe, a retired wing commander attached to the Government's Peace Secretariat, Mr. Balasingham reached Puthukkudiyiruppu at 10.50 a.m. LTTE sources, confirming the arrival, told The Hindu that he was received by the commander of the Sea Tigers, Soosai, the head of the political wing, S.P. Tamilchelvam, and the head of the LTTE's police, Natesan.

Mr. Balasingham, transiting Colombo today on his way to meet his leader, marks a new high in the current peace bid by Sri Lanka. It also reflects the changes the island has gone through during the year.

Last July, the LTTE carried out a devastating guerrilla attack when its suicide bombers infiltrated and wreaked havoc on the Bandaranaike International Airport, about 40 km from here, where the airbase of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is also located.

Mr. Balasingham entered Sri Lanka through the same airport, flew on board a plane of the Sri Lankan Airlines — which was financially ruined after last year's attack — and was ferried across to Mullaittivu by the SLAF, which has been a prime target of rebel fire.

The Katunayake attack was the last major LTTE operation, which it described as "retaliation" to the SLAF bombings of civilian pockets in the rebel-held northern Sri Lanka.

During his earlier visit to the Vanni this year, Mr. Balasingham avoided the Katunayake airport and flew directly into the rebel-held northern districts on board a seaplane from Male. Speculation was rife last month about a possible Indian transit for Mr. Balasingham. However, it was ruled out after India stuck to its position of not giving a passage. Viewed against that backdrop, today's air movement through Katunayake is one in which the Tigers did not have many options.

Mr. Balasingham's arrival, and events and statements pertaining to the Tigers in the past month were pointers to an ongoing political transformation in the LTTE, they said. The past few months had also been moments of political reckoning for the "politico-military organisation.''

The rise of the Tigers and their dominant role in the present peace process was evident when Mr. Balasingham told a private TV channel that "whether it is peace or war, it will have to be with us''. He also said that the Tamil National Alliance was there to do what the LTTE "wanted done.'' This marks a complete change from the early 1970s.

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