Sri Lanka Seeks Rebels' Foreign Assets

Countries where Tamil Tiger rebels allegedly hold their assets are being urged to return them to Sri Lanka, a senior Sri Lankan government official says.

Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the BBC the countries should also send back the rebels living there.

The Sri Lankan military declared victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in May, ending the rebels' 26-year-old fight for a separate homeland for the Tamil-speaking minority on the predominantly Buddhist island nation.

Rajapaksa's demand follows the arrest of Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the new leader of the rebels, in another country. Pathmanathan has since been brought back to Sri Lanka where he was being questioned, the BBC report said.

"He (Pathmanathan) was the person who ran a massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the (rebel group) for nearly 30 years," Rajapaksa told the BBC, adding the group used its well-organized overseas network to fund arms purchases.

The rebels allegedly used different names to conduct such activities because of a ban against them in many countries, the report said. Estimates of the assets' worth range from $300 million to $1 billion.

"Once it is proved that these assets belong to the (rebel group), then concerned countries should hand over the assets as well as the remaining (rebel) members to Sri Lanka," Rajapaksa said. (c) UPI