The ‘fuse’ behind the human bomber

Part II of the expose’ on LTTE’s covert operation
LTTE intelligence agents never spill beans, but one agent of their operation in Colombo did so to The Bottom Line. Last week this column revealed how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) created a human bomb, or a suicide cadre – the most potent weapon of mass destruction that a terrorist organisation ever introduced. The human bomb does not act alone. He or she is only the explosives in the bomb. There are other links which make up the chain and next above the link, and the most vital, is the person who controls the bomber – in basic military or terrorist terms called ‘the handler’ as well he is an intelligence cadre . In other words, he is the sleeping terrorist cadre who becomes active when the time arrives.An intelligence cadre as well as handler reveals the story This is an exclusive story related to The Bottom Line by such a handler. He will be called Raju Sivaratnam – not his real name. He is seated opposite me inside a law enforcement agency’s premises. He does not look as innocent as the earlier suicide bomber. In this instance too, I make sure that I keep eye contact with him to ensure that he does not lie to me. I need not chat with him through an interpreter. During the preparation for this exclusive interview, a law enforcement officer told me, “Don’t worry, he will talk to you in fluent Sinhalese. If you want to, you can communicate with him in English too.” And during the interview, he began to talk with me in fluent Sinhalese. He had short cropped hair. I am not sure whether it was cropped after his arrest or it was that way before. He wore a moustache, was tan in complexion and around five feet seven inches tall. His face was unshaven. I felt that if he had a clean shave and wore some decent clothes like a pair of slacks, shirt and a tie along with a pair of nice shoes, nobody will take him for an LTTE intelligence agent, or a handler of a suicide bomber or even a terrorist. Instead, anybody will mistake him for a smart company executive or businessman. He acted in the same manner in Colombo; he associated with politicians, armed force officers and many others. He spoke fairly fluent Sinhalese, so my questions to him were in the same language: Question: Are you from Colombo? Answer: No, I am from Vavuniya. [adds hesitantly] …. I joined the LTTE when I was 19-years-old. I got through my Advance Level examinations during that period. (I could see a faint smile on his face when he relates the beginning of his experiences and he continued…) I joined with a friend of mine. He strongly believed we could achieve our goal of Eelam. I too started believing it. Once both of us joined the LTTE, we were taken to the Vishvamadu area in Puthukudyiruppu, where a person who identified himself as one of the leaders inquired into our background details. Once this initial step was over, I was separated from my friend, blindfolded and taken to a training camp. I was accommodated in a room and strictly warned not to walk out of it. I was provided with some literature regarding the LTTE, and its struggle for Eelam. Reading these materials motivated me further regarding the struggle for Eelam. I felt we were on the right path for our own separate homeland.
The training beginsEventually, I was blindfolded again and taken to a lecture hall. The lectures were of the motivational kind, regarding the struggle of the LTTE for a homeland of Eelam. Every lecture ended with the phrases, “You are our assets. You are our blood and soul.”Before the Ceasefire Agreement between the government and the LTTE in 2002, after a month of training, I was blindfolded again and taken to a location. I was made to sit opposite another person. He said his name was Ratnam Master. He asked me whether I had heard the name before. He said he was the head of the LTTE’s intelligence training division. He further added that the intelligence arm was the brain of the whole organisation.“I am one of the nerves of that brain,” he added.[I interrupted Raju Sivaratnam for a while to ask some questions.]Q: Do you still think that the brain is functioning?A: No. I don’t think so. That brain is already dead and gone. Because the LTTE leadership has been wiped out. If that brain had worked properly like they claimed, the leadership would not have been wiped out like that.Q: Do you think that the Sri Lankan security forces’ ‘brain’ is and has been effective?A: Yes, of course. Their brain is very powerful, that is why I am here today and the rest of the leadership is no more.Q: How come you can speak fluent Sinhalese?A: Though I am a Tamil I associated with a lot of Sinhalese friends.Q: Do you have good Sinhalese friends?A: Yes, I had. But now I don’t know.Q: Have you been at any time discriminated against by those whom you knew because you are a Tamil?A: No, never.Q: Then why did you decide to join the LTTE?A: I believe that I associated more with friends who were Tamil Eelam ideologists.
The ‘handler’ is handledRaju Sivaratnam continued…After the training they took me to a firing range where I was trained in how to handle a pistol. For two weeks I underwent pistol shooting training. After that I was sent to Kilinochchi. Once there, they wanted me to go around the town and gather information although the town which was under LTTE control.Then I was ordered to travel to Vavuniya. During my travel they made sure that I was not apprehended by the security Forces or Police. Once in Vavuniya, I met a person there. He wanted me to return to Vishvamadu again but through another route. This I did successfully.On my return to Vishvamadu they inquired from me as to how many checkpoints I had passed through. They asked me whether I could remember any numbers on the number plates of the security Forces’ vehicles. They also asked me whether I had noticed any security lapses at the LTTE checkpoints too. I gave them all the information according to my observations, the way I did observations because they trained me to do this.During my training period, motivational songs were played over the audio in my room at around 2.00 am. Though I was forced to listen to them, I was also motivated through them, I can say.
The ceasefire dramaThe year 2002 and the month of February were of special significance for us. This is because the LTTE informed us that the Sri Lanka government had entered into a ceasefire agreement with it, and we were free to carry out political activities.I was allocated to the LTTE political office in Vavuniya. Before I left my training base at Viasvamadu, on two occasions I was taken blindfolded to meet two top LTTE intelligence leaders. I learnt that they were Pottu Amman and Kapil Amman.They said, “Our leader has signed a Ceasefire Agreement with the Sinhalese government. But our ultimate goal is Tamil Eelam and not for a political solution. This time we are going to take Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too for a ride, like the way we did India and the other Sinhalese leaders before this. We will take Eelam War IV to Colombo itself and we will achieve our goal of Tamil Eelam.”Following this, I was given another two weeks training. They were of four categories, namely:a) How to observe a suicide bomber.b) How to motivate and maintain the morale of the suicide bomber.c) How to locate safe houses for him/her.d) Gathering more information and intelligence in Colombo regarding military installations, economic nerve centers like World Trade Centre, port, air ports and oil refinery at Kollannawa, high ranking military officers movements and VVIP Movements.
The handler arrives in ColomboIn April 2002, I came to Vavuniya and from there by train to Colombo. I was handed a sum of Rs.500, 000 by the organisation. They gave me a phone number which I had to contact once in Colombo. On arrival in Colombo, I contacted the person on the phone number given to me. He identified himself as Raja. He provided me with accommodation at an annex in Bambalapitiya, and in advance we paid Rs.75000 and monthly Rs.35 000.The owner of the house did not inquire anything from me about myself as his only concern was money. Raja was not a talkative individual. He gave me only the necessary instructions, nothing more. We hired a van from a cab service and went around Colombo for me to get myself familiarised with the city. Later, Raju gave me a mobile phone and said I would get further instructions from the Vanni.After two days, I received an overseas call on my mobile phone. The caller asked me to open a bank account and deposit the cash I had in hand. The caller also instructed me to insert an advertisement in the newspapers requesting for a space for a hardware business. I received several responses for my advertisement. I noted down the details of each and every response I received. Finally the overseas caller contacted me and asked me to rent out the shop space at the Kotahena area. I told the caller that the key money was 1 million rupees, and the rent was Rs.50 000 per month. The caller told me that the money would be deposited into my account and for me to go ahead. He further instructed me to rent out a house as well in the Kotahena area.Following these instructions, I also rented out a fully furnished house in a highly residential area of Kotahena and owned by a Sinhalese person. Then Raja visited me one day and told me to get some photographs for my identity card. A week passed and I received my new National Identity Card (NIC). The new NIC stated that I was a resident of Colombo. We paid a handsome bribe to an officer who is Sinhalese from the NIC office. Later I understood that Police had arrested him.Thereafter, I opened my hardware shop in Kotahena. From time to time several persons arrived and worked in my shop. These were followed according to instructions received by me. I never asked them who or from where they were, as it did not concern me. Some were provided cash by me when requested.The hardware shop was registered as a sole proprietary business. A bank account too was opened under the shop name. From time to time, the LTTE instructed me to send materials like cement, steel rods and the like used in construction, to Kilinochchi. I faithfully did as was instructed. Later I also sent photographs, video footage and other important information to Kilinochchi.
Making friends and influencing peopleDuring my training period I was instructed on how to cultivate friendship with those whom I met. This training I used to my advantage in Colombo. I made Sinhalese friends and built up a good customer base as well. From friends whom I cultivated, I gathered information to feed to our leadership.In the meantime, I purchased a computer and familiarised myself with the internet as well. Though I lived in Colombo I was always in touch with my superiors in Kilinochchi and had to act according to their instructions.I knew at that time that the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) will not last forever. I knew we were only taking the (then) government for a ride. During the CFA we did not have to register ourselves with the Police or security Forces, so we never bothered doing it. We were not checked either. We were almost like free birds. Suddenly in 2005, the government pulled out of the CFA. I had to register myself with the nearest Police station according to government instructions. In 2004 I had already purchased the house I was staying in Colombo and the householder’s list carried my name as the chief occupant. The deed was under my name, I was registered as a resident by the Grama Sevaka. So I registered as a resident from Colombo.In February 2005 I received an overseas call which said that there was no ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government now, and that I had to strict follow instructions by the caller. He also instructed me to get rid of any materials pertaining to the LTTE from my residence and shop.
My ‘mother’ joins me in ColomboThe overseas caller also told me that I had to accommodate an elderly lady who would arrive at my residence. She had no children and I had to pretend that she was my mother, the caller said. Her name too was duly entered into the householders’ list. To do so I had to bribe the Grama Sevaka. Soon afterwards, one day I was instructed to travel to Anuradhapura. I went there as instructed. I was armed with the Grama Sevaka’s certificate, the Police clearance letter and my NIC. When I reached the Anuradhapura bus stand, a person approached me. He was accompanied by another who appeared to be a Muslim person. Though he was dressed like a Muslim, I knew that he was not what he appeared to be, and that he was a suicide bomber. The caller gave me charge of the new person – the suicide bomber. During our return trip to Colombo, I was seated beside the suicide bomber and kept on motivating him while speaking softly. During our journey there were many road blocks, but we managed to arrived in Colombo.A week before my departure to Anuradhapura, as per instructions, I was able to rent out a house in the Hendala area in Wattala through a newspaper advertisement. Once we reached Colombo, the suicide bomber received his new NIC carrying a Wattala address.Apart from this, I used to frequent the Hendala area and made friends with those around. I contributed to various charities and religious functioned organised by them, both Christian and Buddhist. This I did to allay any suspicions which might be aroused among them as to my real purposes and identity.Out of the various suicide bombers controlled by the LTTE during this time, only one was able to accomplish his mission. That target was Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. In 2005 the LTTE launched several suicide missions, main among them being the attempt on the life of the Army Commander (General, then Lt. General Sarath Fonseka), the Defence Secretary (Gotabhaya Rajapaksa), two attempts on Minister Douglas Devenanda. All these were unsuccessful. We were successful only in targetting Minister Fernandopulle.
Security becomes too tightLater, security was becoming even tighter. Random cordon and search operations were being carried out by the security forces and Police. I was feeling hemmed in. I kept in contact with my operative, the suicide bomber, and kept him motivated as best as I could. Meanwhile I also collected more information on Colombo. I was instructed to e-mail all these information to an address,defenceeelam@gmail.com. One day I was surprised to learn that the Sri Lanka Army has successfully detected and recovered several suicide kits in and around Colombo. At the same time in the north too the LTTE was being defeated by the Army.But my overseas caller gave me assurances saying that although we were losing territory, it was only a tactical withdrawal and that our cadres with their leaders would regroup soon to launch a major counter attack and retake all territory lost and more. I too was optimistic and believed them. But the LTTE underestimated the security Forces and we never regained an inch of the lost territory.
My Tamil friendAll this while, for around three years, I used to associate with a person whom I had befriended while I was in Colombo. I used to take him out for meals and other functions as well. He spoke very good Tamil. He used to visit me at my residence as well as my shop. One day, I was talking to my operative, the suicide bomber, over my phone to keep him motivated.I never noticed anyone approaching me. Once I finished my conversation with my contact, I noticed my friend standing behind me. He never gave me any indication of his having overheard my conversation. We just talked as usual for a while and he just left. But after two days, my friend returned. I took it to be another casual visit, but I was mistaken. He showed me his security Forces identity and at the same time he overpowered me and tied my hands with the help of the rest of the officers, and they searched me and they found my cyanide capsule which I kept in my pocket, and they took my phone into their custody . With that he forced my hands behind my back and handcuffed me. Then he told me that I was under arrest for being a member of the LTTE. Soon after this incident, they arrested the suicide bomber after they interrogated me. Raju Sivaratnam stopped his narration. He had a faraway look on his face. I prodded him by asking more questions.Q: What do you think of the Sri Lankan intelligence service?A: Sri Lankan intelligence had already infiltrated our intelligence. Already they had busted our whole network, and I know they are looking for the rest of us. I would urge them to surrender.I asked why?He said “the dream of Eelam is a nightmare”.What more could I ask him or what more could Raju Sivaratnam say?