Is LTTE chief in talks with govt?

Colombo, Aug. 31: Selva-rasa Pathmanathan, the new LTTE leader currently under the Sri Lankan government custody, is intent on talking his way out of punishment by revealing details about the outfit’s funding network, according to a report. The report in international defence website Strategy Page said Pathamanathan has revealed some information about the outfit to authorities.

"The government is negotiating with Pathmanathan to find out where the remaining funds are, and what shape the offshore LTTE organisation is in," the article also posted on the government’s official website said.

"While many Sri Lankans want Selva-rasa Pathma-nathan executed, or jailed for life, Pathma-nathan is a skilled negotiator who is intent on talking his way out of a death sentence," it said.

Pathmanthan, who controlled a global network that supplied weapons to the LTTE, was arrested from a South Asian nation on August 5.

Better known as KP, Selvarasa Pathma-nathan, a close confidant of slain LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, is wanted by Interpol in connection with several cases, including the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. —PTI