Prabhakaran is surrounded and has a back to the wall fight. India wants him extradited no sooner we capture him.
He also has the Idi Amin option of leaving Sri Lanka-like Idi Amin who took money and some women with him-he might be able to fade into the sunset. Some say that even Norway might provide him a safe haven. Some want us to encourage Prabhakaran to leave Sri Lanka.
We are now in a position to bring about finality to this crisis. It is also good to know that Australia is thinking seriously about banning the LTTE. Those were some of the thoughts Dr. Palitha Kohona Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs expressed when Asian Tribune interviewed him.
The excerpts of the interview with Dr. Palitha Kohona:
Q: It is said that so far no action has been taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the appointment of nine new Consular Generals ?
A: Regarding this problem you should not blame the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Ministry has done everything. Now the papers are with the Minister.
In fact I reminded them even on Friday. Furthermore it is not nine consuls but it is the appointment of 12 new consuls. I can't remember the name and other details of the 12 appointees right now, but I know there are persons appointed for Poland, Germany and a few other places.
The Minister has with him now 12 documents in his possession. The Ministry has done all its work. Got the clearance, done the recommendations and finally the Minister has to sign them.
Q : After signing, it has to be sent to the High Post Committee for clearance ?
A: No, appointments of Consuls are not sent to High Posts Committee, only Ambassadors go to that Committee.
Q: Is there any move, by the Sri Lankan Government to urge the government of Australia to ban the LTTE ? As you were also earlier a diplomat from the foreign ministry of Australia and the present Australian prime minister was also a diplomat from the ministry. I think it will be easy for you pursue this matter and to explain Sri Lanka's position.
A: We are working on it , in fact I was there in January, and I worked very hard on that subject. Although I was there in January, it was a private visit, but as a Foreign Secretary there is no privacy. People talk to you all the time, especially when they know you. This is the campaign I have been carrying on for some time. And I think we will succeed one of these days.
Q: But so far what are the indications?
A: Indications are good. You know that three Tigers in Australia are now prosecuted in Melbourne ? And if those prosecution succeed and it is quite likely they will prosecute some more. So once that happens, it will be only a matter of time before they are banned.
There was earlier a reason for delaying the banning. It was due to their Parliamentary elections.
The Tigers made it known that if they are banned they threatened the then Government that they will vote for the Labour Party. However the Labour Party has won anyway. I know there is lot of anti-Tigers that worked for the Labour Party. The Tiger influence may have diminished some what.
Q: We learnt that there is a move an international Non-government is trying to open fronts to provide space for LTTE in Australia ?
A: We have to be careful with organisations like this. Sometimes this people promote ideas which are not necessarily anti-Sri Lankan, but if you think in a global sense it is a good idea.
Corporate sector responsibilities are very broad concept. Environmental responsibilities, Labour responsibility, human rights responsibility, I mean it is a very huge and wide concept. So it is not necessarily anti- Sri Lankan.
So what we need to do is, we must make sure that these concepts are not hijacked by the anti-Sri Lankans elements. So we have to participate in conferences like this. Make sure that our views are expressed.
Q: Who is going to participate in these conferences. Some one should come forward ?
A: You are right. It is the very International Alert that funded the rebel movement in Sierra Leone. Not actually funded the rebel movement, but they gave a lot of money to them.
Due to, may be out of sympathy, but then it turned out that they were a bunch of thugs like the LTTE. But on the other hand, International Alert is also very much involved in highlighting corruption in this country. There are good sides to their existence, we should not forget that.
Q: It was said that it was Kumar Rupasinghe was the first Secretary General of the International Alert and he started this organisation ?
A: With the backing of Norway.
Q: There is another story to stay that Norway is making arrangements to provide safe havens to Tiger leader Prabhakaran in Eritrea ?
A: That is a good idea no?
Q: Is it true?
A: We must encourage it. I think it is a solution that I have been proposing for sometime and which is referred internationally as the Idi Amin Solution. You give a lot of money to a guy like that and send him to a country where he can live happily ever after.
Former Uganda's Dictator Idi Amin was given lot of money and was sent to Saudi Arabia with his wives and children.
Q: Sri Lanka has established diplomatic relationship with Eritrea. Is it not possible to find out from them whether it is true that they are going to provide safe haven to Prabhakaran?
A: We have, it does not mean that we are going to send an ambassador there. It means that we have established a diplomatic relationship. It is very hard and very difficult country, the conditions are similar to living in Killinochchi.
Q: If he leaves Sri Lanka to any other country, then he faces the danger of being apprehended by India?
A: Yes, that is his problem. If he leaves Killinochchi, then India will get him for sure.
Q: But if he stays somewhere, keeping a low profile, then he will not have any problem? Is it possible that Sri Lanka encourages him to leave the country by having an agreement with India not to touch him after that?
A: It will be difficult. You know that an Indian court wants him. India is a very legalistic country.
They are not going to ignore their courts. You know they regularly send us notes for Prabhakarn's extradition. And they keep on reminding us to extradite Prabhakaran to India to face charges in the India's Supreme Courts, as he is a proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi's murder case.
Q: When was the last time you got the note from India for the extradition of Prabhakaran?
A: About three or four months ago. If we catch him, we will send him as the President said, but we have not been able to catch him so far.
Q: Have you responded to them back ?
A: No, we did not, because we don't have the man with us.
Q: Any attempts to catch him with the help of the Indian Army ?
A: I mean there is no formal request as such, but everyone is trying. As a sovereign State we can't do that.
Q: With the help of a group of a 1000 or 2000 commando force from India, and jointly attack and catch him?
A: It is difficult because you know he is well guarded, well surrounded and I think we will need a lot more force than that. That is my assessment.
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