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Tigers tried to buy Russian arms through Laos agent
Colombo, Mar 09: The LTTE rebels have tried to procure Russian arms, including anti-aircraft missiles, through an agent in Laos, even as the guerrillas remain locked in peace talks with the Sri Lankan government.
Colombo, Mar 09: The LTTE rebels have tried to procure Russian arms, including anti-aircraft missiles, through an agent in Laos, even as the guerrillas remain locked in peace talks with the Sri Lankan government.
Two operatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) had contacted the representative of a Russian state run
arms exporting company in Laos on February 15 to buy small
arms, anti-aircraft missiles and communication equipment, a
media report said here today.
The representative in Vientiane of the Russia state unitary enterprise (Rosboronoexport) realised later that the two men were members of the LTTE and immediately called off talks with them, The Sunday Express reported.
It said the information came from the Russian ambassador in Colombo, Mikhail G. Karpov, who had informed the Sri Lankan foreign ministry about the development in what is called a "non-paper", or a document that does not reflect government policy, but could set the stage for bilateral talks.
"As it was found out later, these people were members of the LTTE," the paper quoted the Russian ambassador saying in his letter to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry." "All contacts with them were immediately stopped."
The embassy of the Russian Federation in Laos has informed the ministry of public security about the presence of the two LTTE members in the territory of the country, it said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Sri Lankan foreign ministry, the Russian embassy or the Tamil tigers.
The Sunday Times report came days ahead of the sixth round of peace talks between the LTTE and the government starting in Hakone, Japan on March 18 and continue for four days.
Bureau Report
The representative in Vientiane of the Russia state unitary enterprise (Rosboronoexport) realised later that the two men were members of the LTTE and immediately called off talks with them, The Sunday Express reported.
It said the information came from the Russian ambassador in Colombo, Mikhail G. Karpov, who had informed the Sri Lankan foreign ministry about the development in what is called a "non-paper", or a document that does not reflect government policy, but could set the stage for bilateral talks.
"As it was found out later, these people were members of the LTTE," the paper quoted the Russian ambassador saying in his letter to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry." "All contacts with them were immediately stopped."
The embassy of the Russian Federation in Laos has informed the ministry of public security about the presence of the two LTTE members in the territory of the country, it said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Sri Lankan foreign ministry, the Russian embassy or the Tamil tigers.
The Sunday Times report came days ahead of the sixth round of peace talks between the LTTE and the government starting in Hakone, Japan on March 18 and continue for four days.
Bureau Report