Did the Tamil Tigers try to buy a nuke?

Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, August 24, 2009 - 2:03 PM Share

Via Joe Cirincione's Twitter feed, comes this intriguing story from the Press Trust of India. Kamuran Pathmanathan who took over leadership of the Tamil separatist group LTTE after the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, only to be arrested a few weeks later, has made a startling claim:

In a startling disclosure, the detained LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan has told investigators that the rebels had tried to acquire nuclear weapons and know-how to be used against the Sri Lankan army.

A media report has said that Pathmanathan who was recently arrested in South East Asian country has told interrogators that his organisation had tried to acquire nuclear weapons and technology from western countries.

"LTTE had been the first terrorist outfit that had tried to obtain nuclear power. Had they been successful in obtaining nuclear power, it would have flowed into the hands of other terror organisations too", the Nation newspaper said quoting military analysts.

It sounds like it could just be jailhouse boasting but it should be interesting to see if there's follow-up. 

EXPLORE:SOUTH ASIA, NUKES
 

AVOCADO

3:32 PM ET

August 25, 2009

Lies, lies, damn lies

Please! What a load of lies. So the Sri Lankan state propaganda machine keeps rolling. Tamil Tigers were not capable of purchasing nuclear weapons. Hey, what about the Sri Lankan state terrorism, and the fact that they went into another country and abducted a man. I wonder the extreme torture that KP is undergoing has anything to do with it, if if fact he did say that. One thing for sure though, given the pace at which Tamils are being exterminated right now in Sri Lanka by the Singhalese, another armed conflict will not be far away. And when that happens, there won't be such a big global audience to take in all the lies and propaganda of the Sri Lankan government as it is happening now. At least, hopefully.

 

SEN C

4:47 PM ET

August 25, 2009

Duplicitous Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has mastered the art of handling the outside world very well. Its all underblackout from iIntimidating to UN on the 7,000 death tollto long detention 300,000 civilians inclusive of 60,000 children.

Sri Lanka needs to keep the story alive to hide what its done to the tamil minority. Invention of demining theory is to milk money from the western world and aid organizations.
Colonization of majority race and extensive military presence in vacated tamil lands are evidences of the military planted the mines to milk the cow.

Longer it keeps the detainees, more the merrier for a state like Sri Lanka.
Tamils are sacrificial pawns of regional power rivalry.

 

SEN C

4:49 PM ET

August 25, 2009

Channel 4 Video today

Some pictures are disturbing, August 25, 2009

Is this enough for evidence on Sri Lankan war crimes?

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/is+this+evidence+of+sri+lankan+aposwar+crimesapos/3321087

 

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.

Read More