JVP rebels’ bank accounts under probe

Alleged LTTE funds

(by Saman Indrajith)

State intelligence services are investigating allegations that the JVP dissidents led by Premkumar Gunaratnam are receiving funds from the LTTE activists overseas, according to sources.The LTTE had channeled funds to the JVP rebel group from Canada and Scandinavia, an intelligence operative told The Island yesterday. "We have so far traced a bank account operated by two JVP dissidents, Dimuthu Attygalle and Waruna Rajapaksa at the Homagama branch of a State bank," he said. Refusing to mention the exact amount, he said it had over two million rupees.

Since the dissidents challenged the JVP leadership openly at a party Central Committee meeting on Sept. 19, they have spent over Rs. 6 mn on their propaganda and other activities, according to sources. Besides Rs. 3 mn spent on the launch of its propaganda organ, the recent Che Guevara commemoration the dissidents held at the Janakala Centre in Battaramulla and the country wide poster campaign to announce the event had cost at least Rs. 1 mn, according to intelligence sources.

Some of the dissidents had the JVP accounts operated under their names and after they broke ranks, the part was left with only Rs. 637,000 lying in its official account at the Bank of Ceylon’s Nugegoda Branch. The amount of funds the JVP trade union wing has in its bank accounts is not known.

A spokesman of the dissident group admitted they spent around six million rupees out of party funds. He said the dissidents needed at least Rs. 1.5 mn a month. He said the key JVP fund raisers had sided with the dissident group and people regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds were contributing funds to the JVP.

The ‘We are Sri Lankans’ movement launched by the JVP sometimes back to fight for the rights of LTTE suspects in custody and the missing northern youth received a great deal of funds from LTTE sympathisers living overseas. The movement led by former IUSF convener Udul Premaratne had directed funds to some bank accounts without the JVP’s concurrence, a Somawansa loyalist said adding that the matter had been raised at the Central Committee level sometimes ago but in vain.

(The Island)