QUESTIONS ABOUT TAMIL NADU/LTTE CONNECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000954

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL PTER CE IN
SUBJECT: QUESTIONS ABOUT TAMIL NADU/LTTE CONNECTIONS

REF: CHENNAI 0062

Classified By: Acting Consul General Ravi Candadai. Reason 1.4 (b,d)


1. C) SUMMARY: Despite the fact that Tamil Nadu is home
to the largest population of Tamils in the world, there
is virtually no support in the state for the LTTE.
There is no financial support coming from the state, no
significant supplies flowing from Tamil Nadu to the
LTTE, and almost no public sentiment in support of the
LTTE in Tamil Nadu. END SUMMARY

-------------- --------------
IS TAMIL NADU A SOURCE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LTTE?
-------------- --------------


2. (C) All the sources with whom Post has discussed this
issue, including law enforcement officials, say that
Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the relative few Tamils who
live elsewhere in India, are not a source of financial
support for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
This was not always the case, however. Prior to the
assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by an LTTE terrorist in
1991, there was significant support for the LTTE cause
in the state that likely included financial support.
But support for the LTTE cause vanished almost overnight
after Rajiv Gandhi's death. It may be, however, that
some financial support flows the other way, that is,
from the LTTE to certain political leaders in Tamil
Nadu, notably Vaiko, founder and General Secretary of
the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). Some
people, including Tamil refugee NGO leader Chandrahasan,
believe that the LTTE provided initial financial support
for Vaiko in establishing his MDMK party after he split
from the DMK party in 1993. Vaiko has been an outspoken
supporter of the LTTE but any financial link remains
unproven (Reftel).

--------------
WHERE DOES FINANCIAL SUPPORT COME FROM?
--------------


3. (C) Post's contacts suggest that substantial
financial support for the LTTE comes from Tamils in
other countries, notably Canada, the United Kingdom,
Netherlands and Germany. Each of these countries has a
significant Tamil population. Some sources suggest that
Tamils in these countries are encouraged to give up to
10 percent of their income to support the LTTE cause.
This encouragement, which may be closer to extortion, is
often administered through local religious institutions
or Tamil cultural organizations in these countries.

-------------- --------------
DOES LTTE RECEIVE ARMS AND SUPPLIES FROM TAMIL NADU?
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Reftel explained the firm line that the Tamil
Nadu government under former Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa took against LTTE elements in the state.
Post expects the newly elected DMK government to
continue that tough anti-LTTE policy. The expectation
is based on the DMK's record in controlling the LTTE
when it was last in power from 1996 to 2001. Outgoing
Director General of Police AX Alexander told Post with
confidence that no arms were flowing from Tamil Nadu to
the LTTE. He said that a few small items like
medicines, diesel, gasoline, and motorcycle tires are
sometimes smuggled from Tamil Nadu to the island in
small boats but nothing of consequence. Alexander and
others have suggested that arms reach the LTTE from
three primary sources: Thailand, Burma, and captured
arms from Sri Lankan government forces.

-------------- --------------
WHAT IS THE VIEW OF THE AVERAGE PERSON IN TAMIL NADU?

CHENNAI 00000954 002 OF 002


-------------- --------------


5. (C) To the average person in Tamil Nadu, the
situation in Sri Lanka is not a primary interest. In a
pre-election interview, Tamil Nadu journalist and
political commentator Cho Ramaswamy told Post that
people care about their economic problems and not
the LTTE or the fight for Eelam. Based on the total
lack of discussion of the issue during the campaign and
even the lack of local news coverage about conditions on
the island, he appears to be right. If there were to be
a major human rights violation against Tamils in Sri
Lanka or a huge influx of new refugees into Tamil Nadu
from Sri Lanka, the public's interest might increase but
in the absence of such a major event, public interest in
the LTTE and the Sri Lanka situation is likely to remain
low.

-------------- --------------
NO SUPPORT FOR LTTE IN TAMIL NADU AND NONE LIKELY
-------------- --------------


6. (C) COMMENT: It may seem strange that in the Indian
state of Tamil Nadu, which literally means Tamil
country, there is so little support for the LTTE, an
organization that professes to be dedicated to
establishing a homeland for all Tamils. But the
situation today can be directly traced to the day in May
1991, when an LTTE suicide bomber terrorist killed Rajiv
Gandhi here in Tamil Nadu. Opinion instantly turned
against the LTTE and their tactics. Dravidian political
parties that had been supportive of the LTTE in the past
fell silent in their support and later stepped up
efforts to rid the state of any remnants of LTTE
activity. That anti-LTTE sentiment remains today and is
unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. END
COMMENT





CANDADAI