Officials: Tamil group not a threat in Cambodia [-Only the CPP can be a threat to Cambodia?]

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Local and U.S. officials in Phnom Penh have downplayed the threat of the non-profit Tamil Foundation, which allegedly had ties with Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tigers, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Wednesday.

"We got a note from the Treasury (Department of U.S.), and it's something we are required to distribute to the local government. It's just a heads-up. It's not something serious here," the English-language daily newspaper quoted U.S. Embassy spokesman John Johnson as saying.

The U.S. government had sent a generic message to all its embassies indicating that its Treasury Department had designated the Tamil Foundation, a charity based in U.S., as a terrorist group and frozen its assets, according to the spokesman.

Meanwhile, Koy Kuong, secretary of state at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told the paper "this is just an exchange of information. We don't have a Tamil Foundation in Cambodia."

"U.S. learned that the Tamil Foundation had established offices in other countries, so they are seeking international cooperation, but we haven't heard of this group operating in Cambodia," he added.

The paper on Tuesday quoted national police spokesman Keat Chantarith as saying that "we are looking into the case" of the Tamil Foundation, under the request of the foreign ministry.

In February, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation sent a letter to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, asking him to investigate the actions of the foundation which allegedly supported the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The foreign ministry sent the letter after receiving a diplomatic notice from the U.S. Embassy warning of the existence of the Tamil Foundation, which had offices in many countries.

Cambodia mulls probe of foundation supporting LTTE

PHNOM PENH, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government was considering to investigate the actions of a local foundation which allegedly supported Sri Lanka's separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, said national media on Monday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has sent a letter to Interior Minister Sar Kheng to request him to do so, said English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily.

The foreign ministry received a diplomatic notice from the U.S. Embassy warning of the existence of the U.S.-based Tamil Foundation, the paper quoted the letter dated Feb. 26 as saying.

"Please, Minister, be informed about the organization and take measures to investigate the actions of this organization," said the letter, while not elaborating whether the Tamil Foundation was known to be active within Cambodia.

In July 2007, international security magazine the Jane's Intelligence Review reported that Cambodia was a significant source of weapons for the Tamil Tigers, but failed to mention its sources.

The Cambodian government denied it at the time, saying that Cambodia had destroyed many of its surplus arms and that the report referred to the situation before 1998.

Sri Lanka: LTTE has strong links with Thai military - Insider [-Cambodia is home base for LTTE arms procurer?]

Thursday, 11 October 2007
Posted at SiberNews.com

There was extensive news coverage of Shanmugan Kumaran Tharmalingam (a.k.a Kumaran Pathmanathan and KP), chief procurer of arms of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is based in Thailand and that he has been arrested by the Thai authorities. The credible news of his presence in Thailand has not been reported so far. The LTTE uses Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia as its main operating hub and extensive network of clandestine operations are carried out using Singapore as its financial centre.

All the activities are commanded by KP who is on the move all the time between the hub countries. Some of the Malaysian based LTTE activists who are said to be professionals give valuable support to legitimise the nefarious deeds of the clandestine activities of the Tamil Tigers in the area. A Sri Lankan lawyer Pasupathy based in Malaysia is confirmed to be the head of professionals working under KP.

KP’s activities further stretches to the renounced pariah state of President Mugabe i.e., Zimbabwe, where he is able move-about without any difficulties. He is said to be travelling between Cambodia, Thailand and Zimbabwe under false names and identity. Cambodia is said to be the main place of residence of KP.

It is known the LTTE has heavily bribed the Thai military officials. In 2002 when LTTE delegation met the Sri Lankan officials in Bangkok for peace talks some members of the delegation was taken by a senior Thai military commander accompanied by soldiers to meet KP in the interiors of north-eastern jungle. The delegation members (names withheld) had lengthy meeting in a tea boutique and they had discussed operational issues of the LTTE.

The Thai military had provided security throughout the four hour meeting with KP. Once the meeting was over, the delegation members were taken back to Bangkok in military vehicles.

This visit of the delegation members had taken place when LTTE mentor Anton Balasingam was tussling (refer to Anton Balasingam’s hero’s day speech in 2004) with few other members whom were visiting the red light areas of Bangkok.

Authorities Seek Interpol Help After Breaking Up Trafficking Ring

Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 September 2007

Cambodian police said Tuesday they had broken up a human trafficking ring in August, but three foreigners who were arrested have already been extradited and four ringleaders had eluded capture.

The international human smuggling racket would have moved more than 200 people from Pakistan and Sri Lanka through Cambodia en route to other countries, police said.

Police extradited two men, Thanga Veluram and Thanga Velusarawanachathes, to Sri Lanka and one man, Mohammed Nurula, to Pakistan, in September, following their arrest in late August, a human rights official said Tuesday.

Cambodia meanwhile hoped to enlist Interpol in its search for four leaders of the trafficking ring, police spokesman Maj. Gen. Chhay Sinarith said.

Cambodia was seeking two men from Sri Lanka and two from Pakistan in connection to the smuggling racket, he said.

Chhay Sinarith named the Sri Lankans as Mariam Pillai Lerin Ranni, who owned the Curry Leaf restaurant in Phnom Penh, and his brother, Lipton Lerin, and the Pakistanis as Muhhamad Nadim, who ran the Taj Mahal restaurant in Siem Reap, and a man known only as Gamini, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

The two Sri Lankans named by AP were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, a security expert in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday.

An Interpol spokeswoman said Tuesday the agency was seeking further information from its Cambodian office on whether an official request had been filed there.

In the 1990s, Cambodia was a major source of weapons for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, who fund their insurgency against the Sri Lankan government in part with profits from human trafficking.

Top Sri-Lankan Tamil Tiger arrested in Bangkok: "Cambodia is the hub of the LTTE East Asia Network"

Top Tamil Tiger arrested in Bangkok

Tuesday September 11, 2007
BangkokPost.com, Agencies

Thailand has arrested the finance chief of the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, allegedly the group's chief procurer of arms.

Kumaran Pathmanadan is reported to have been arrested by police in Bangkok on Monday evening. He is one of the top officials in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the formal name of the group.

Pathmanadan apparently had obtained Thai citizenship. He continued to run the global network of LTTE offices and its weapons procurement, logistics and money laundering operations.

He has been on Interpol's Most Wanted list for a number of years. He has also been implicated in several assassinations of political leaders.

The online newspaper Asian Tribune called him "the king pin of Tiger arms smuggling".

"He is a noted smuggler of arms and narcotics. Operating with bank accounts opened in London, Frankfurt, Denmark, Athens and Australia... he has had a free run so far," the newspaper alleged

His arrest followed the detention in Ranong province last month of three Tamil Tiger operatives trying to buy guns and 45,000 rounds of ammuntion.

All four were suspected of running a Tamil Tiger gun-running ring centered in Thailand.

Pathmanadan, who also had a number of aliases, has recently been the subject of a manhunt that stretched to Johannesburg, Rangoon, Singapore and Bangkok. Police said they believed he had bank accounts in London, Frankfurt Denmark, Athens and Australia and has over 200 passports for his use.

He and his group are suspected of running weapons purchased Thailand and neighbouring countries to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The Tigers have been desinated as a terrorist group by most western countries, but not Thailand.

A Jane's Intelligence report on the group stated that despite the cease-fire agreement in Sri Lanka, the LTTE continued to re-supply cadres. It said:

"While Cambodia is the hub of the LTTE East Asia Network, Thailand continues to serve as the most important country for trans-shipment of munitions and coordination of logistics... its excellent communications infrastructure, proximity to former war zones in both Cambodia and [Burma] and its western coastline facing the Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka beyond have made Thailand the ancient interface between the LTTE's war zone."