posted April 26, 2002 09:06 AM            

Roy Mendis in Colombo, 1.08 PM SLT Friday April 26,2002. The LTTE's
intelligence chief, Pottu Amman, is in Batticalao since Wednesday,says
The Island daily today quoting reliable sources.He had reached there by
boat accompanied by Karikalan, the political leader, and Karuna, the
military leader, in charge of Batticaloa and Amparai districts.

The navy had intercepted three boats outside the Trincomalee harbour on
wednesday, but the one that had the top leaders Pottu Amman,Karuna
and Karikalan, had got away.

The speculation is that LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has sent Pottu
Amman to help out Karikalan in his political work in this politically
complicated and sensitive area.Karikalan is therefore very much in place
and not replaced, as rumoured recently.Karikalan and Karuna had earlier
been summoned to the Wanni by Prabhakaran to discuss media reports
about extortions and abductions in the East.

LAN understands that the coming of Pottu Amman to the East is very
significant in the light of the growing importance of the East to the
LTTE's political ambitions.While the Jaffna peninsula is virtually the
pocket borough of the Tigers ( even without their formal presence there),
the East is a different kettle of fish.

East is where there are two major minority communities,the Muslims and
the Sinhalese,who could be a stumbling block to the ambitions of the
LTTE/Tamils.East also has a long border with Sinhalese districts of the
South and Central Sri Lanka.In the East, there is also a significant
presence of the armed forces.The naval contingent in the Trincomalee
harbour is strong.