‘Explosives from India going to both Lankan govt and LTTE’

South Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram is emerging as a vital channel for explosives into Sri Lanka where hostilities have broken out again between the armed forces...

South Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram is emerging as a vital channel for explosives into Sri Lanka where hostilities have broken out again between the armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The recent seizures of gelex boosters and other consignments meant to be routed through Rameshwaram have given rise to suspicions that India could be a major source of explosives for not just the LTTE, but the Lankan government as well, raising new concerns for the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, where pro-Tamil sentiments are at a peak.

According to a December 7 report from Madurai, the police stopped a truck for inspection and found that it was carrying 40 cartons of explosives from Nagpur to Sri Lanka meant for the navy. On questioning the vehicle driver, Ravi Verma, police found he had all the valid papers for carrying the explosives, including the detonators worth Rs 4 lakh as well as the Lankan government’s request, dated October 10, 2005, for the supply of explosives. The papers stated that the consignee for the explosives was Rakshama-Valsara Naval Base Explosives Godown in Colombo. The police then escorted the vehicle up to the port city of Tuticorin.

Pro-LTTE leaders in Tamil Nadu have raised strident protests against any assistance by India to the Lankan government, accusing the latter of launching attacks on civilian Tamils. Following reports of explosives going from India to Sri Lanka meant for the Navy there, PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss, known for his pro-LTTE leanings, demanded an immediate inquiry into the consignments going to Sri Lanka.

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Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, who was in Delhi yesterday, raised the issue during his meetings with Union External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony, who have both denied that the Centre had allowed export of explosives to Sri Lanka. Karunanidhi immediately ordered an inquiry, directing police officials to ascertain if any business house was exporting explosives without the Centre’s knowledge.

Meanwhile, the state police claimed to have made a breakthrough in the November 29 seizure of gelex boosters meant for the LTTE from a vehicle in Manamadurai near Madurai. The gelex boosters to be used in open mine explosives and meant for the rebel Tigers were to be smuggled into northern Sri Lankan by sea from Rameshwaram. The Tamil Nadu police, which had traced the source of explosives to Andhra Pradesh, also unearthed links to an explosives dealer in Calicut in Kerala. The dealer, one Ibrahim Kutty, who had “international links’’ apparently stocked explosives in his godown, much of which found their way to Tamil Nadu and finally to Sri Lanka through Rameshwaram meant for the LTTE.

Police are searching for Kutty, “who could be the crucial link to terrorist organisations and also help unearth a major international arms network.’’

Today, Rameshwaram fishermen found two more rockets encased in wooden boxes in the sea near the Adam’s Bridge. Naval sources told The Indian Express that the rockets could well be part of an arms haul being smuggled into Sri Lanka for the LTTE. “Our Naval boats frequently check our fishermen’s trawlers. It is possible that during such inspections the fishermen smuggling arms to Lanka, could have dumped a consignment into the sea to avoid being caught,’’ said a senior Naval officer.

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On December 5, the navy had recovered from fishermen a three-foot-long rocket packed in a wooden box which included six packets of cartridges and propellant materials. Dhanushkodi, near Rameshwaram, is only about three hours’ boat ride from Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka and Indian fishermen are known to have established a smuggling network to carry arms, medicines, kerosene and other essentials to the Tigers waging a battle for Tamil Eelam (a separate Tamil land).