The Hindu : Norway facilitated his re-entry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 26, 2002

International

International

Norway facilitated his re-entry

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO MARCH 25. Anton Balasingham, senior member of the LTTE who is expected to be a key figure in the ongoing peace process in Sri Lanka, returned today by means as unconventional as those he used to leave the country more than three years ago A seaplane transported Mr. Balasingham and Adele Ann, his Australian-born wife, from the Maldives, where they arrived from London on Sunday, to an irrigation tank at Iranamadhu near Killinochchi in LTTE-held northern Sri Lanka.

An official of the Norwegian Embassy here accompanied the couple on the four-hour flight from Male.

Norway, which is facilitating the peace process, arranged for Mr Balasingham's re-entry into the country with the assistance of the Sri Lankan and Maldivian Governments. The TamilNet website said the Sea Tiger chief, Soosai, was at hand to lead the couple ashore where the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabakaran, was waiting to receive them along with the political wing leader, S. Thamilchelvan, and senior military commanders of the LTTE. Mr. Prabakaran and Mr. Balasingham are said to have immediately gone into a meeting.

The two were later scheduled to meet the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg, and Erik Solheim, an important member of the facilitating team.

They were flown today to northern Sri Lanka by an Air Force helicopter for the meeting.

The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Trond Furuhovde, is also expected to hold a meeting with Mr. Balasingham.

In the Sri Lankan Parliament today, the LTTE senior member's return sparked off angry questions by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna that wanted to know how anyone belonging to an organisation proscribed by the Government could enter the country, and why immigration rules had been waived for him.

Mr. Balasingham, a British national, and his wife left the LTTE stronghold of Mullaithivu in early 1999 clandestinely by boat. They made their way to Singapore and later surfaced in London. They left to obtain medical treatment for Mr. Balasingham's worsening kidney condition.

He subsequently underwent treatment in Norway and has since been based in London as the LTTE international spokesman and pointman for the peace process.

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