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By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
43 year old Thamotharampillai Sivakumar alias Newton of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam has gone "missing" since April 20th. The LTTE leadership has officially informed
Sivakumars family members that the senior tiger leader undertook an important (Mukkiya)
mission to Southern Sri Lanka and failed to return as scheduled. Suspecting Newton to be
in the clutches of Sri Lankan intelligence the tigers have reportedly sent feelers to Colombo
stating that they are prepared to swap prisoners if Newton is safely returned. It is surmised
that the LTTE will release Inspector Jeyaratnam or Mano Master of the ENDLF or both if
they get Newton back.
Newton referred to as " November Whiskey" in tiger communications is a member of the
LTTE first batch trained In India. Johnny, Newton and eight others were also part of the
LTTE's first batch of ten Communications specialists trained by India. Later Newton also got
specialised training in explosives. He worked for a long time in communications in the East
and was quite close to former LTTE Eastern commander Karuna while there.
Colombo suspects that Newton along with Ramanan master- minded many of the "explosive"
operations in Colombo while in Batticaloa. There was a time when the LTTE found it difficult
to infiltrate Colombo or the South from the North. Infiltration from the East was easier. So
Newton was stationed in Batticaloa and together with Ramanan planned and executed
several operations including the attack on President Kumaratunga after a political meeting
at New town Hall grounds. Ramanan went on to head the Eastern Intelligence wing. He is
now in charge of the Kokatticholai military division.
Later on Newton went on to form and head a specialised intelligence outfit for the LTTE that
functioned independently of Pottu Ammans intelligence though aligned to it formally. This
unit was responsible for all electronic surveillance of people suspected to be "enemies"
"traitors" or potential "victims". It also monitors most incoming or outgoing calls from the
Wanni. Some Western Nations have these types of outfits operating separately from their
main intelligence arm. In Canada for instance electronic and satellite monitring is done by
the Canadian Security Establishment (CSE) and not the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service (CSIS). The tigers too followed this practice and Newton was in charge of this wing.
According to news reports Newton started out from Wellawatte on 20th morning with two
others. One was Education Department North - East coordinator Kanagaratnam Manoharan
Nehru and the other a hiring car driver "Bandy" Rajah. They were supposedly on their way
to Kandy but never arrived there. Mrs. Punithavathy Nehru in her complaint to the
Wellawatte Police has said that her husband received a telephone call on the 19th from an
old friend Sivakumar of Kilinochchi.
Her husband had then gone out and returned home with the man. Sivakumar had then
wanted her husband to arrange a trip to Kandy the following morning and also accompany
him. Manoharan Nehru had then telephoned a known hiring car driver "Bandi" Raja in
Negombo and called him over. Rajah came home with the vehicle at about 11 pm. They all
slept at their house. Sivakumar (Newton), her husband and the driver got up early and left
for Kandy at 3.30 am.
Punithavathy got alarmed the following day as there was no communication from her
husband or the others. She informed relatives and on the 21st an uncle and two brothers of
her husband and herself went to Kandy in search. They met with no success. She then
made a complaint to the Police but did not divulge Newtons real identity as she did not know
who it was then. Interestingly a Defence affairs columnist having extensive contacts with the
security intelligence revealed in an article that the Sivakumar who had gone missing was
Newton.
Meanwhile the LTTE in the Wanni too was worried about Newton going missing. Pottu
Amman reportedly sent four teams to the South to help trace the missing Newton. When the
Sunday newspaper carried the Newton story the LTTE got in touch with Punithavathy and
questioned her for more details. The LTTE also asked her to raise the issue with the
Monitoring Mission and the Red Cross.
It is also reported that the tigers tried to contact the columnist responsible for breaking the
story and seek further details. This led to a panic situation. Fearing for the Journalists safety
the Police deployed several men to provide security in what was termed as a safety
precaution.
Meanwhile Newtons wife who had gone to Manipay to visit family for the April New Year with
their three children returned to the Wanni. When she inquired about her husbands
whereabouts she was told that he was away on an important mission. She had received a
telephone call from Newton on 19th saying that he was in Negombo. He had asked her to
return to the Wanni as soon as possible because he was to return shortly.
When Ilanthiraiyan was appointed as successor to slain Eastern Political Commissar
Kausalyan Newton too was temporarily assigned to help guide the new appointee. Newton
was extremely popular with Eastern cadres and very familiar with the terrain during his long
Eastern stint. In recent times Newton had risen high in the LTTE hierarchy and was even
tipped to succeed Pottu Amman if the need ever arose.
Usually Newton travels with an elaborate security escort permitted to top rung LTTE'ers. He
was a key official and would not have travelled alone to the South without informing the
authorities officially unless his mission was very important and top secret. The question
bugging many is why a senior leader of Newtons calibre would go alone clandestinely to the
South? What was that important assignment about which the tiger leadership is so tight -
lipped about?
It all boils down to that Eastern nemesis stalking the LTTE - Karuna! Apparently Newton was
sent to do a "con job" on Karuna and bump him off. He tried to establish contact with Karuna
now ensconced with military intelligence in the South pretending to have deserted the LTTE.
Newton came alone to convince Karuna that he was indeed running away. But Karuna or the
people "handling" him did not believe the story. In any case Newton was a prize catch in the
undeclared war going on now under the facade of a peace process. So Newton
"disappeared"
As far as the LTTE is concerned their primary target nowadays is renegade leader
Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna. Sending someone who was once close to
him in the guise of a deserter to gain his confidence and then strike makes sense. To
convince Karuna it was very necessary for Newton to travel alone as a deserter fleeing the
LTTE would do. So he had to take the risk and go unprotected. For the LTTE the
importance of eliminating Karuna is so great that they were ready to gamble with Newton's
life.
Interestingly some pro - Karuna websites carried a story about top LTTE leaders contacting
Karuna saying that they were leaving the movement. No follow - up details were available.
Once the Newton disappearance was confirmed these websites clammed up. Once it was
realised that Newton was possibly a captive the LTTE has called back to the Wanni around
30 to 40 operatives in Newtons unit who were active in Colombo and the South. The tigers
were not taking any chances.
Newton has two daughters and a son.. His wife an accomplished music teacher is also the
sister of a senior tiger leader. Newton is a native of Karaveddy and studied at the Nelliaddy
Central College where he was platoon sergeant of the Cadet Corps. One of his brothers
Sooriyakumar was attached to the tiger medical corps. He played a crucial role in attending
to Anton Balasinghams medical needs when the political strategist was in the Wanni.
Another of Newtons brothers Thirukumar also a medical student was arrested in a case of
mistaken identity. Unable to continue his studies he went abroad after his release.
Newtons father was a cooperative Inspector. Sivakumar too was destined to enter University
when the 1983 violence occurred. He kept his decision to join the LTTE a secret from his
family. On the day of his departure to India he went clad in a sarong to the family farm with
agricultural tools. The family did not suspect anything. Newton then sat on the bar of a
friends cycle and rode doubles to the beach area from where he was to take off. The family
was frantic at his disappearance. They were relieved later to know that he was alive and
safe with the LTTE in India. Now family members are agitated again at his disappearance.
But will He return? Sadly there are no clear answers.