Did LTTE have secret deal with Mahinda to enforce boycott?
November 20th, 2005
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Speculation is rife in Colombo political and diplomatic circles about a possible secret deal, prior to the Presidential poll of Nov 18th , between Mahinda Rajapakse and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to have the new President elected through an enforced boycott in the Tamil majority regions of the North-East!
According to preliminary reports there is much speculation that an arrangement was ensured after a series of meetings held between LTTE political commissar Suppia Paramu Thamilselvan and a special representative of Mahinda Rajapakse.
The special envoy is believed to be none other than Tiran Alles the chief of the Katunayake International Airport in his capacity as chairman of the Airport and Aviation services Ltd.
Tiran Alles who was operations manager earlier became chairman after the resignation of Eastern Province Muslim Congress politician Hizbullah.
According to informed sources Tiran Alles is a blue-eyed boy of Aviation and Ports Minister Mangala Samaraweera who was campaign manager of Mahinda Rajapakse for the Presidential election.
He was reportedly commissioned by Samaraweera with the approval of Rajapakse to undertake a series of visits to Kilinochchi in the North and meet with the LTTE hierarchy particularly the political commissar Thamilselvan
It is said that Alles had established and cultivated contacts with LTTE leaders like Thamilselvan, Pulidevan, Nadesan, Para, Balakumaran and others during their several trips to and from Asian and European destinations through Katunayake for peace talks.
According to sources Tiran Alles was mandated with the task of ensuring a boycott by the Tamil people of the Presidential polls.
It was realised that given the pacts signed by Rajapakse with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya and policies outlined in his election manifesto an open and straight forward deal with the LTTE was out of the question.
With the LTTE articulating a strong anti-Mahinda viewpoint for Tamil consumption any possible deal with him would have been detrimental to tiger interests.
Likewise the Rajapakse campaign too had a stridently anti-tiger line and charged Ranil Wickremasinghe of having entered into an “Ali – Koti “(Elephant-Tiger) deal to get the UNP candidate elected. INformation leaking out of a Mahinda-Tiger deal before elections would have been counterproductive.
The hush-hush talks therefore focussed on an indirect support being extended instead of open or direct support.
Since it was a foregone conclusion that the bulk of Tamil voters would be voting for Wickremasinghe in a free and fair poll the idea was to ensure a Tamil boycott of the election. This would have prevented Tamil votes being cast for Wickremasinghe. This in turn would help Rajapakse who was expected to get the majority of Sinhala votes.
It is believed that the LTTE formally launched an attack on Wickremasinghe to herald a boycott after an arrangement was made with Alles. The political offensive against Wickremasinghe was flagged off by senior leader KV Balakumaran in an interview to “Voice of Tigers” (Puligalin Kural) Radio on Nov 4th. Thereafter the boycott campaign gathered steam.
This in turn led to a national and international backlash against the LTTE. It was pointed out that a Tamil boycott would onlt help defeat the pro – peace, pro – devolution Wickremasinghe and ensure the victory of Rajapakse the hardliner on the ethnic question.
Much international pressure was exerted on the LTTE. Periyasamy Chandrasekeran of the Up Country Peoples Front went as a special emissary of Wickremasinghe to plead Ranil’s case with Thamilselvan. Wickremasinghe wanted the LTTE to refrain from enforcing a boycott and allowing the Tamil people freedom of choice to vote.
Thamilselvan then informed the UNP and international circles that the LTTE will not thrust a boycott down Tamil throats and the people would be free to vote for any candidate.
This was carried in the media of Nov 16th and the stock market picked up from the doldrums. Yet the LTTE went back on its assurance and stabbed Wickremasinghe in the back by enforcing a harsh boycott through violence and intimidation.
This resulted in a drop of Tamil votes particularly in Jaffna where only 1.5 % of Tamils voted. The shortfall of expected Tamil votes due to the tiger enforced boycott led to Wickremasinghe’s defeat by 186,000 votes. The UNP condemns the tiger act as a betrayal.
While analysts and political observers were trying to fathom the reasons behind the LTTE’s seemingly inexplicable conduct of defeating the pro-Federalism Ranil and getting the anti – Federalism Mahinda winning the Colombo grapevine began humming with the tale of a Mahinda-Puli deal
It is believed that Tiran Alles undertook an urgent mission to Kilinochchi after reports of a boycott relaxation and met with Thamilselvan. Alles had been able to “persuade” Thamilselvan into revising tiger stance again and enforcing the boycott.
Alles returned triumphantly to Colombo after ensuring an enforced Tamil boycott that shattered Ranil’s chances of victory.
Darisha Bastians writing in the “Daily Mirror” of Nov 22nd said that Rajapakse had hugged Alles openly and thanked him for making the victory possible. This is what Darisha wrote:
“Small wonder then that when Friday dawned and a Rajapakse victory was confirmed, the new president-elect violently hugged Aviation Authority Chairman Tiran Alles as he walked into Temple Trees and thanked him for making it all possible. Alles, whose support had been solicited by Minister Mangala Samaraweera had been the chief negotiator with the LTTE on the UPFA’s behalf. Alles, following a series of dialogues with the Kilinochchi leadership, finally ensured that the rebels called a boycott of last Thursday’s poll, effectively snatching certain victory from Wickremesinghe and handing it over to Rajapakse on a silver platter. ”
A website run by the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization also referred to a representative of Mahinda Rajapakse being present in Kilinochchi to pressurise the LTTE into enforcing a boycott. The website stated that Rajapakses special representative was Tiran Alles.
It is also noteworthy that a Sinhala newspaper in Colombo had carried a story some weeks ago about a possible deal in the making between the LTTE and a special emissary of Rajapakse.
Chandrasekeram a well – known LTTE sympathiser has been pissed off by the tiger betrayal and in a statement called upon the LTTE into reviewing its strategies.
Tiran Alles is the son of former DS Senanayake College principal Ralph I.T. Alles. The well – known educationist was not re-instated as Principal after he returned from a foreign trip. This was apparently done on a directive of Ranil Wickremasinghe who was Education minister then. Despite pressure on behalf of Alles by Ranasinghe Premadasa and Sirisena Cooray Wickremasinghe remained form and refused to relent. This action by Wickremasinghe many years ago has not endeared him to the Alles family.
Political and diplomatic circles in Colombo were alerted to the Alles connection in the LTTE boycott after reports of the warm embrace of Tiran by Mahinda and the profuse thanks extended to him began to circulate.
Strenuous attempts are being made by Diplomatic and media circles to find out more details about the suspected LTTE-Mahinda deal. What the terms are is not known yet .
A western diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said that he suspected a financial arrangement was more likely as a political arrangement was virtually impossible under pevailing circumstances where both sides maintain mutual hostility openly. He also said that it was unknown at present as to whether LTTE supremo Velupillai Pirapakaran was aware of the deal or whether the high flying Thamilselvan had gone behind his leaders back.
A colombo newspaper editor said that efforts were being made to contact all parties concerned and find out the truth. “If our investigative sleuths uncover concrete evidence about a Mahinda-Tiger deal and its terms then the shit will hit the fan” he said.
“Both the Sinhala and Tamil people must know the truth behind this. Did the new President whose election campaign accused Ranil of having a deal with the LTTE enter into a secret deal himself with the tigers? Did the LTTE which provided various reasons for the boycott enter into a deal with Mahinda to ensure his victory through an enforced boycott? The people must know the truth” the editor
said.
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