LTTE collects funds despite British ban

Dushy Ranetunge in London

LTTE EXTORTIONS: According to Rajasingham Jayadevan and A. K. Vivekananthan, the Bank of Tamil Eelam is connected to the local and international banking system via the Bank of Ceylon. Both of them were abducted by the LTTE and held in the Vanni last year, to force them into transferring control of a Hindu temple managed by them.

At their request, they were taken by the LTTE to the town of Puthukudiyiruppu, just off the A9 North of Kilinochchi. It is a small town, but it contains the basic essentials such as several grocery shops, textile stores, cafes, hotels, a market filled with stalls selling vegetables, fruits, clothes, fish, etc. There is a People's Bank, a Bank of Ceylon and right next to it, the Bank of Tamil Eelam.

The Bank has special savings deposit accounts for the Tamil Diaspora. You can get down by post an application form supplied by the Bank. Although the LTTE claims 'sovereignty' the postal service is run by the Government.

The Tamil Diaspora could make a deposit by writing a cheque in favour of "N. Jeyaganthan", the managing director of the so called 'Bank of Thamil Eelam' and cross it "A/C Payee Only" and send it in with the application form. In order to cash this cheque, the so called 'Bank of Tamil Eelam' has to use the Government cheque clearing system and to do this they deposit the cheque at the Bank of Ceylon.

Jayadevan says that the so called 'Eelam bank' may be using the Bank of Ceylon as a part of a LTTE money laundering operation.

Rajasingham Jayadevan was interviewed in North West London by the Daily News. Rupert Soosaipillai is overall in charge of the LTTE fund collecting operation in the UK. A. Chrishanthakumar alias Shanthan is above him and is the top man.

Daily News: Despite the British proscription, LTTE money collection is still going on, but at what level?

Jayadevan: Money collection is still going on and I was told that they have been able to collect 60 percent of the pledges made for the final war. They are having difficulty in collecting the other 40 percent. With all the pressure and intimidation they are having difficulty in collecting the rest. I know people who have paid £5,000, £10,000, £2,000 and small amounts like £500.

Daily News: You have told me previously that out of a Tamil population of approximately 150,000 in the UK, the LTTE support base in the UK is about 5,000.

Jayadevan: Overall their real hardcore support base is less than 5,000. They are the really hardcore supporters.

Daily News: Would you not expect their fund collection database to be higher than that?

Jayadevan: It is my knowledge that in their books they only had about 1000 people.

Daily News: But you said 5000?

Jayadevan: Take Maaveer Day, only about 5000 will attend, but that includes family members. I would say financial contributors are roughly about thousand people and they don't have so many people to go and collect as well.

In countries like Germany the entire Tamil Diaspora are refugees and they can easily collect. In Britain there are different social classes, and the refugee segment is proportionately smaller, which makes things difficult for the LTTE.

I have seen LTTE fund raising meetings in Eelam House and there were only 50 to 60 people. In this acrimonious climate you would expect low numbers. I know people who have collected in the past are no longer there.

They also have limitations. People are hesitant to give standing orders because they leave a record of contributing to a listed terrorist organisation. So they have to visit five or six houses before they make one hit.

Daily News: That bad, is it?

Jayadevan: Yes of course. They have to make repeated visits and pressurize. I know one shop in Wembley where they have asked £5000. He was arguing and somehow tried to drag it, but then they found his home address and went home. His wife has not opened the front door. They go to the extent of intimidating people to get money and now I am told that they are getting very nasty as their efforts are becoming difficult and they are getting frustrated.

I heard in South East London they had gone to a house and occupants did not open the door and the collectors have made abusive statements from the street and left. They threaten people for money by referring to the safety of their relatives back home. There are so many stories like these.

Daily News: Because of the ability to trace standing orders and direct debits, most collections must now be in the form of cash.

Jayadevan: Yes, people are scared of Direct Debits and standing orders and cash is the main method of collection.

Daily News: They can't bank the cash now, because of money laundering regulations, so how do they get the cash out of the country?

Jayadevan: Earlier there was Sarway, who was the main agent for KP (Kumaran Pathmanathan, the LTTE arms procurer). Sarway would visit all the countries. He would come here for a few days, put together all the money, and nicely pack it in a bag and leave the country.

Daily News: They can't do it now because of terrorism and extra vigilance at the airports.

Jayadevan: Now they use businesses and money transfer shops etc.

Daily News: But how do they get it out of the country?

Jayadevan: They can put the money in the BTA (British Tamil Association) account and write a cheque for Eelam bank.

Eelam bank is working under Bank of Ceylon.

Daily News: Is it?

Jayadevan: Eelam bank in Vanni is next door to Bank of Ceylon. How else can they operate? They have to channel it through the Sri Lankan banks. So Eelam Bank has an account with Bank of Ceylon.

Eelam bank is only by name. The money is Sri Lankan currency and it works through the government's banking system. I visited both when I was in Vanni. Although they say Kilinochchi, its actually in Puthukudiyiruppu.

For example although the LTTE letterheads say Kilinochchi, their actual office is in Puthukudiyiruppu. We went there to cash some money, and went to the Eelam Bank and to the Bank of Ceylon.

They said they don't change foreign currency and was told to go to a money exchange in Kilinochchi.

The interesting part is, we were worried about the vehicle they (LTTE) were using to take us there. It was a van with tinted windows, without number plates and it was like a vehicle used to take prisoners. We told the LTTE people were worried about the vehicle, but they told us, "brother, if you go in this van they will think that you are somebody and people will show respect."

So we went in this van to the Eelam bank and got down in front of the bank, and everyone at the bank stood up, because they thought that we were somebody.

Then when we went next door to the Bank of Ceylon, everybody in that bank also stood up, because they thought we were somebody. All because we came in a van with tinted windows, which we thought, was fit to transfer criminals in.

Daily News: I also know some people in Colombo who go in vehicles with tinted windows who think they are somebody. You may be very close to home when you say that those vehicles are fit for transporting criminals.

(In the UK criminals are transported from prisons to court hearings in trucks with tinted windows.)