Anandasangaree writes to Tony Blair

I give below the English translation of the introductory part of the speech made in Tamil by the LTTE's theoretician Dr. Anton Balasingam at the LTTE Heroes' day commemoration meeting, held on Sunday 27th at Alexandra Place in Woodgreen London.

This speech had been covered by both the print and electronic media under the control of the LTTE all over the world, states TULF leader V. Anandasangaree in a letter addressed to British Prime minister Tony Blair and copied to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera.

The following is the extract of the said speech which is available in Tamil Websites.

"I am very happy for the opportunity I got today to participate and speak at this function to commemorate the death of our great heroes and the people who fought and fell in their struggle to save our soil and our people. When I was coming to the hall a friend of mine told me that Mr. Anandasangaree also has come for the meeting. It is good that he came.

But someone must introduce him to us. I feel like hugging him and affectionately kiss him. Mr. Anandasangaree had said in Colombo, "I am going all over the world but I am unable to go to my own village Kilinochchi". We know why he is worried that he is unable to go to Kilinochchi.

In the village of Puliampokkanai at Kilinochchi there are two elderly women who cook iguana meat for him". He goes on to say, "Sir you can come to Kilinochchi at any time. Mr. Pottu Amman has a five star Hotel where you can enjoy good food."

Although the text of the speech appears to be harmless, those who heard the speech say that certain references made to me have some hidden meaning in the LTTE's Langauge and could have been uttered to pass on some coded message to the LTTE cadres all over, especially in the United Kingdom.

The three references that cause me concern are:

1. "Hugging and kissing" is the code used for suicide bombing by the LTTE.

2. "Iguana Meat" served by two elderly women also has some hidden meaning because I am one who had never tasted any meat at any time in my life and am not aware of any one preparing Iguana meat.

3. "Five Star Hotel" run by Pottu Amman. The code words for "Torture and annihilation camp" of the LTTE in Vanni is "Five Star Hotel". Pottu Amman who is in charge of it, along with the LTTE Leader V. Prabakaran, is wanted by India and Sri Lanka in connection with a series of killings including those of Rajiv Gandhi and President Premadasa.

The crowd gathered at the meeting that appeared to be pro-LTTE greatly applauded him when the said references were made to me. I am compelled to take the above references seriously because they were made at the beginning of his speech and utterly irrelevant on that occasion. Further more I was in Colombo on the day of this meeting.

I shall feel much obliged if you would kindly take up this matter with the authorities concerned and direct them to take necessary steps to prevent him from directly or indirectly inciting the LTTE Cadre in the UK against me since I am one who travels frequently to Europe.

I take my hat off to the high democratic principles of the United Kingdom, where the spokesman of a proscribed terrorist organization could boast of the denial by them of my right to visit my house and my electorate which I represented for more than 14 years in Parliament. At the same time I cannot refrain from condemning Dr. Anton Balasingam misusing the privileges he enjoys, in spite of the fact that his organization is a proscribed one, in your country which is much respected for its high democratic principles.

It has still not recovered from the shock of the recent serial bombings in its underground stations and buses.

Ironically this meeting was held to glorify the dead LTTE cadres including their suicide bombers."