SINGAPORE COOPERATES ON EXTRADITION OF TAMIL TIGER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 001010 SIPDIS EAP/MTS FOR M. COPPOLA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KCRM SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE COOPERATES ON EXTRADITION OF TAMIL TIGER SUPPORTER Classified By: CDA Daniel Shields, reasons 1.4(b,d) Singapore Acts to Extradite Tamil Tiger Supporter -------------- -------------- ¶1. (C) Singapore citizen Balraj Naidu Ragavan is under U.S. indictment for violating the Arms Export Control Act and committing other crimes in connection with attempts to broker weapons sales to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in ¶2006. The United States formally requested Naidu's extradition on July 9. Singapore authorities then arrested Naidu for violations of Singapore's Strategic Goods Control Act and released him on bail after seizing his passport. They rearrested him on September 22 on a warrant arising from the U.S. extradition request, and preliminary extradition proceedings began shortly thereafter. The court has not yet scheduled the final extradition hearing, but Embassy law enforcement officials who are following the proceeding expect the matter to move quickly. Opposition Party Surprised by Arrest of Former Official -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Naidu was until recently on the central executive council of the Reform Party, a small political party founded in 2008 by the late opposition icon J.B. Jeyaretnam; Naidu remains a party member. J.B. Jeyaretnam's son Kenneth now heads the Reform Party after wrapping up a career in hedge fund management spent mostly in Hong Kong and London. When the news of Naidu's arrest and possible extradition broke, Kenneth Jeyaretnam was quoted by local media as saying that it came as a "complete surprise" to him. Jeyaretnam added that the allegations against Naidu pertained to a time before the Reform Party existed and the party had no knowledge of the case. Jeyaretnam also said the Reform Party would help Naidu find legal counsel in the United States, and he and another party official attended an October 5 court proceeding in the extradition case. Jeyaretnam declared he was confident that Naidu would receive a fair trial in the United States. Local Press Highlights Naidu's Reform Party Connection -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Singapore's broadsheet newspaper, the government-linked Straits Times, has heavily emphasized Naidu's Reform Party connection in its reporting on the case. Its September 30 coverage ran under the title "Reform Party man wanted in U.S.: U.S. govt seeks extradition of businessman to face terror charges." The October 6 follow-up report also highlighted Naidu's opposition links with the headline "Reform Party backs man wanted in U.S." - though the article itself reported that Kenneth Jeyaretnam had simply cited the legal presumption of Naidu's innocence. Half of each article dwelled on Naidu's links to the Reform Party and the party's response to the allegations against him. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm SHIELDS