Lankan spooks in Mullaithivu posing as contractors - report

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 July 2003, 08:11 GMT]
All reconstruction work in Mullaithivu has been cancelled after the interior intelligence division of the Liberation Tigers found that many Sri Lankan intelligence operatives had infiltrated the district in the guise of government contractors, according to a Tamil media report Sunday.

In a Vanni datelined report, the Sunday edition of the Virakesari, a mass circulation Tamil daily, quoting Liberation Tigers sources, said the LTTE’s intelligence division is investigating Sri Lankan government contractors engaged in reconstruction work in the Mullaithivu district consequent to the uncovering of espionage activities in which these firms and their employees were allegedly involved.

Reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Mullaithivu started this year after 15 years of neglect.

Contractors had to be hired from outside the northeast for the work, as there aren’t construction companies in the region with the necessary capacity to undertake medium and large projects funded by international financial institutions and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.

According to the report in ‘Virakesari’ the LTTE has charged that persons fronting for Sri Lankan intelligence organizations had applied and obtained contracts when tenders were called for reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in Mullaithivu.

The LTTE’s counter intelligence unit has launched operations to monitor the activities of these contractors. Several workers employed by the contract companies have also been questioned in connection with the activities of the Sri Lankan intelligence agencies in Mullaithivu, the report said.