Battle for top Tiger spot begins

BANGALORE - With the entire top brass of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) eliminated in the final stages of the Sri Lankan government's military offensive last month, a succession struggle for the leadership of the LTTE is underway among Tigers abroad. The LTTE's chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, believed to be the senior-most Tiger alive, is the frontrunner for the top job.

It was Pathmanathan who, in the days preceding the military defeat of the LTTE, was "begging the international community to shed its cloak of indifference and save the hapless Tamil civilians on the brink of extinction". As the Sri Lankan troops closed in on LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, Pathmanathan was negotiating with Western diplomats for an "honorable exit" for his beleaguered boss. It was Pathmanathan who confirmed the death of Prabhakaran two weeks ago, after initially denying it. Incidentally, the LTTE's intelligence wing rejected reports of Prabhakaran'sdeath and claimed on the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet that the "LTTE leadership is safe and will re-emerge when the right time comes".

While it was only in January that Pathmanathan became the LTTE's international relations chief, his association with the organization goes back several decades.

Pathmanathan also goes by the names Tharmalingam Shanmughan and Kumaran Pathmanathan - better known as "KP". He was formerly in charge of the LTTE's international network. From the mid-1980s he was its arms procurer and international fundraiser and built its shipping network. He was responsible too for supervising the administration of the LTTE's overseas branches and front organizations. Pathmanathan was "the most powerful and influential Tiger abroad", D B S Jeyaraj, a Toronto-based Sri Lankan Tamil who is an expert on the LTTE, told Asia Times Online.

Following the Sri Lankan government-LTTE ceasefire in 2002, the LTTE was restructured. KP was relieved of his duties around this time. Ill health (he is a diabetic and suffers from hypertension) was coming in the way of the travel that his work required. Besides, he was becoming too well known and was wanted by Interpol. Furthermore, "reports of his mismanagement of the LTTE's finances and his sexual improprieties" had reached Prabhakaran's ears. KP was "put to pasture" thereafter, Jeyaraj said.

While KP's role diminished somewhat after 2002, he continued to advise the LTTE on arms purchases. Early this year, with territory under his control diminishing rapidly and defeat staring at the LTTE, Prabhakaran turned to KP. "KP was given the post ‘head of international relations', a euphemism for ‘international chief' of the LTTE," Jeyaraj said.

"With that appointment, KP became Pathmanathan and emerged from the shadows," said an official of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency. "Pathmanathan's fortunes, which began improving earlier this year, seem to have brightened remarkably since the death of Prabhakaran last month."

The LTTE top brass has been wiped out in Sri Lanka. And although the bodies of some senior Tigers like intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger chief Soosai are yet to be found, the chances of them having escaped the final stages of the military offensive are dim, according to Sri Lankan defense officials. This means that KP is the senior-most Tiger alive and therefore best positioned to assume leadership of the organization.

However, "his taking over the mantle of the LTTE is not going to go unchallenged. Sections in the overseas LTTE are opposed to him," observed the RAW official.

When Pathmanathan was relieved of his duties in 2002, "Castro" [Veerakulasingham Manivannan] was put in charge of overseas administration. The latter lost no time in replacing those appointed by KP with his own men.

"Relations between Pathmanathan and Castro and their respective loyalists - bitter at the best of times - worsened with Pathmanathan's elevation as international relations chief early this year. His role carried more weight than that of Castro which was in comparison largely ceremonial," the RAW official said.

Castro's men refused to co-operate with Pathmanathan.

"This resistance continues to date, although Castro himself is believed to be dead," Jeyaraj said. The LTTE's overseas structure remains opposed to Pathmanathan. His position has worsened after Prabhakaran's death. "Pathmanathan derived his authority from Prabhakaran" and with that gone, he is much weaker.

Pathmanathan appears to be adopting a more pragmatic approach than some others in the LTTE. He told the BBC in a telephonic interview that the LTTE had "given up violence" and would "enter the democratic process" to achieve self-determination for Tamils. His steering the post-Prabhakaran LTTE towards a democratic path has not gone down well with hardliners in the organization and among the Tamil diaspora.

Besides this, the opposition to his taking over has to do with financial issues as well.

"Several Tigers, especially Castro appointees, fear that Pathmanathan will strip them of their fundraising roles," said the RAW official. The LTTE might be militarily defeated, but its war chest is in sound health.

Those opposed to Pathmanathan have started a "vicious campaign maligning him as a traitor and being in the pay of RAW or the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] or the Sri Lankan government. He is accused of having even betrayed Prabhakaran," said Jeyaraj.

Ironically, this section that accuses Pathmanathan of delivering the Tiger chief to the Sri Lankan army in return for his own amnesty from the government also claims that Prabhakaran is not dead.

How strong are those who are resisting Pathmanathan's leadership? Jeyaraj said the opposition to him is "a loose coalition of forces, not organized as a cohesive body. There is no organized leadership or single leader challenging Pathmanathan openly now. Generally, key figures in various LTTE structures in overseas offices are ganging up against Pathmanathan."

Despite the resistance he is facing, Pathmanathan is likely to overcome the obstacles. "There is no single person capable of replacing Pathmanathan at present," says Jeyaraj. “Slowly with the help of his old loyalists, Pathmanathan is quietly reasserting himself. He is trying to win over the overseas LTTE activists through discussion and persuasion. As time progresses, he is likely to gradually consolidate his leadership position.

Indian intelligence officials are cautious in their assessment of Pathmanathan's future. They draw attention to the fact that many senior Tigers like Pottu Amman are yet to be accounted for. If there are challenges from Tigers still alive on the island, Pathmanathan could find his strategy of adopting the democratic path coming under fire.

For decades Pathmanathan has switched names, identities and passports as he slipped from one country to another with ease. He switched from his old identity as "KP", the arms procurer, to Pathmanathan, the LTTE's interlocutor with the international community without too much of a problem. But will he be able to make the transition to democratic politics as easily?

He is wanted in Sri Lanka and India, as well as by Interpol. The Sri Lankan government has already initiated action to prosecute Pathmanathan and others. Pathmanathan's dreams of a soft landing in Tamil politics could remain just that.

It is said that Pathmanathan used to be called kazhuthai, or donkey, by Prabhakaran. "This was an affectionate reference to the heavy load and huge responsibilities he carried on his shoulders for the LTTE overseas," said the RAW official.

Pathmanathan will need more than the qualities of a donkey in the months ahead. He will have to fight like a tiger to keep rivals and opponents from taking control of the LTTE and its war chest.

Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.

By Sudha Ramachandran