LTTE seeking help of Indian leaders to escape defeat:Gotabhaya

Colombo, Oct 19 (PTI) Claiming that the L.T.T.E. was on the verge of "defeat" after suffering huge casualties at the hands of Sri Lankan security forces, the government has said that the Tamil tigers are making desperate efforts to rope in Indian leaders to stop the ongoing offensives against them.

"It is very clear that the L.T.T.E. is at a decisive
stage. And no one can stop them getting defeated. So, they are
trying their maximum to get Tamil Nadu (leaders) to pressurise
the Indian government to pressurise the Sri Lankan
government," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, powerful Defence Secretary
and brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said.

"That is what the L.T.T.E. want and that is why this
sudden pressure is coming. The (Sri Lankan) Government expects
this situation as we know there is no other way for the
L.T.T.E. Anyway, the L.T.T.E. cannot escape facing military
offensives now," he told the Sunday Observer.

Gotabhaya comment comes a day after Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh asked President Rajapaksa on Saturday to ensure
that Tamils do not get "enmeshed" in the conflict with
L.T.T.E. and that their rights and safety are upheld.

During a telephonic conversation initiated by
Rajapaksa, Singh said there could be no military solution to
the conflict in the island country and asked the President to
start a political process for a peacefully negotiated
settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka.

Rajapaksa also sought reciprocity from India on
permitting fishing in each others territorial waters.

"For the last three years we have never prosecuted a
single Indian fisherman though they are coming to our areas.
Though we have arrested and questioned them, they were not
subjected to any legal process," he said and alleged that Sri
Lankan fishermen have been arrested, prosecuted and detained
for over two to three months.

Gotabhaya said the Tamil Nadu Government should
educate its fishermen about Sri Lanka's security concerns
instead of putting pressure on Colombo on the sensitive issue.

He said as a good gesture, the Sri Lankan government
has allowed the Indian fishermen to carry on fishing in its
territory.

"They (the Indian fishermen) have crossed the
international borders and are undertaking fishing in these
areas. We have not taken any action but only thing we have
requested is for them to stick to the security stipulations
because the L.T.T.E. was using these fishermen to attack the
Sri Lankan Navy," he said.

"They (the L.T.T.E.) pretend to be fishermen to carry
out these attacks and smuggle weapons. We have asked them not
to fish in areas which are very close to military camps and
navel bases," he added.

The top bureaucrat said instead of going against the
Sri Lankan Government, the Tamil Nadu government should thank
it for allowing their people to do fishing in Lankan waters.

Stating that Sri Lanka had long-term bilateral ties
with India, he said New Delhi should render more assistance to
"counter terrorism".

Gotabhaya said the Tamil Nadu politicians taking up
the issue should not forget that former prime minister Rajiv
Gandhi was killed by the L.T.T.E.

"These political parties should realise that the
so-called problems faced by Wanni civilians are false
propaganda by the L.T.T.E. They must understand the ground
realities. Here, we are trying to safeguard Tamils from the
clutches of the L.T.T.E. This has been proved very clearly
during the last three years," he maintained. PTI