Nesan Shankar Raji, in the Sri Lanka Guardian, 5 March 2012, with title: “The truth behind TRRO Kandiah Kandasamy’s death“
There have been numerous publications in the media regarding the life and death of Kandiah Kandasamy who operated the Tamil Refugee’s Rehabilitation Organisation (TRRO) in Sri Lanka. He was also a founder member of what is presently known as the Tamil Information Centre (TiC) based in the United Kingdom. Having consulted with senior members within EROS now based in Sri Lanka and abroad and discussed this matter at length, we felt that it is important to set the record straight and highlight the truth and facts surrounding Kandiah Kandasamy’s death.
During the years of the Eelam struggle in Sri Lanka in the mid 80’s leading to the involvement of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), it was India’s intelligence agency R&AW who were solely responsible for ordering the abduction of Kandiah Kandasamy of the TRRO.
EROS was approached by New Delhi bigwigs and ordered to carry out this operation. R&AW claimed that Kandiah Kandasamy was working for America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and therefore wanted him bumped off. Senior members of EROS tried to reason with Kandiah Kandasamy in an attempt to save his life, but these warnings were ignored by Kandiah Kandasamy.
Following orders from R&AW EROS cadres carried out the abduction of Kandiah Kandasamy. He was never killed and the fact of the matter is that Kandaiah Kandasamy died as a result of a heart attack whilst being transported by EROS cadres. Not knowing what to do next, his body was dumped in a sewer which was a big mistake made on the part of EROS following instructions from R&AW. EROS has accepted and agreed that Kandiah Kandasamy’s body should never have been dumped and left that way leading to conspiracy theories that he was killed by EROS.
Even if EROS hadn’t listened to R&AW bigwigs in New Delhi via their Sri Lankan desk operative who now runs the South Asian Analysis Group (SAAG) think tank and carried out their instructions, Kandiah Kandasamy would have surely been abducted and killed by another group such as the ENDLF, who on the instructions of R&AW carried out a number of killings blaming it on the EPRLF.
The two EROS cadres who were responsible for abducting Kandiah Kandasamy are now based in Switzerland and France. The third person who accompanied the other two cadres who abducted Kandiah Kandasamy was killed by the EPRLF in Batticaloa. Furthermore the main person responsible for carrying out the orders to abduct Kandiah Kandasamy from EROS was the North-Eastern Deputy Military Commander for EROS at that time known as “Haran” alias Niranjan who is now based in Swindon, United Kingdom.
As many are aware EROS senior leader K.V. Balakumaran and certain senior and junior members from EROS joined the LTTE in 1990 under duress for no fault of their own. Senior leader Shankar Rajee (who was in charge of EROS military affairs until 1987) had no other alternative but to save the lives of the remainder EROS cadres from the hands of the LTTE. Late President Premadasa’s government under the UNP was also supportive of the LTTE indirectly and therefore our late leader Shankar Rajee was not able to make any strategic decision either against the Government of Sri Lanka or the LTTE for that matter.
Since the demise of our late leader Shankar Rajee in 2005, the leadership of EROS has been long been restructured and therefore EROS is unable to take responsibility over decisions made during that period. However as we are an organisation who value and follow Marxist/Leninist ideologies, we are ready to open our hearts and come out clean about our actions but equally expect other revolutionary and militant organisations who were party to the Eelam struggle to come forward out on in the open just as we have and let the truth out regarding all killings and assassinations particularly on the orders of India’s R&AW.
Nesan the son of shankar Raji is a delusional figure and a laughing stock. His claims that he is the spokesperson and senior leader of the EROS is not backed by anyone.
He has no followers at all. His only qualification is that he is the son of Late Shankar Raji. This is his cheap tactic to get some publicity. I urge senior EROS members and Journalists take this matter very serious and write their comments. RAW’s involvement was highly unlikely. It was an LTTE’s job. EROS did contract works for the LTTE during those days. Prof Sivathamby’s involvement also suspected and not yet ruled out. RAW had little to gain from the murder whereas the LTTE had everything from the murder that was getting access to the TRRO funds.
Arun Ambalavanar (Nadchathran Chev-Intiyan)
Dear Mr Arun Ambalavanar,
You must some serious issues to come up with such derogatory and slanderous comments about late EROS leader Shankar Rajee’s son Nesan Shankar Raji. It is obvious that you have vested interests to push the blame off R&AW and bring the LTTE into the picture.
EROS has never undertaken any contract works for the LTTE. They did work with the LTTE at one stage but any action undertaken by the EROS was independent as these key strategic and military decisions were made by their politburo.
Nesan Shankar Raji has single handedly re-built EROS with the support of other members who worked with his late father in Sri Lanka. One EROS member Rajanathan Prabaharan contested in the Batticaloa local elections and was backed by Shankar Rajee’s son.
Sakthikumaran based in Trincomalee too is working with Nesan. You may wish to refer to EROS Sakthi’s interview in Thesamnet and Athirady website.
EROS now has bases in Trinco, Batticaloa, Mannar, Jaffna and Vavuniya. Henceforth I do not know where you are coming from??? It seems to me that you are the one that is delusional, not Nesan Shankar Raji.
On the face of it it looks as though you have no knowledge of EROS from what I have gathered from senior EROS members about you and neither do you have knowledge of EROS’s functionaries within Sri Lanka or abroad for that matter, not that this needs to be explained to you…
Kandiah Kandasamy died an unfortunate death due to a sudden heart attack whilst in custody of EROS for which they have had the courage and tenacity to come out on the open and this has nothing to do with the LTTE as you claim.
I would strongly advise you to refrain from acting like an R&AW poodle.
Dear N.Sathiamoorthy,
EROS’s murder list is long. Not just Kandasamy was murdered by EROS.
Who murdered Sarvodaya leader Kathiramalai? EROS did this murder for the LTTE. Motive: Sarvodaya funds for the LTTE. Who kidnapped and humiliated and gave a full head shave to for VC of jaffna university Vithiananthan? This is done by EROS for the LTTE. Will Nesan write these muders off as RAW contract job as well? EROS was not a pro India or Pro RAW those days when LTTE was fighting against the Indian Army. If RAW wanted to murder kandasamy it wouldn’t have approached EROS, an agent of the LTTE. I strongly advise Nesan Sankar raji to seek job in the magical realism genre- writing. Not in politics.
Arun Ambalavanar.
Dear Mr Arun Ambalavanar,
You may be right that the list of people murdered by EROS may be long as with the likes of the LTTE, PLOTE, TELO and the EPRLF movements of the Eelam national struggle. Having spoken to EROS contacts they have confirmed that the Sarvodaya leader Kathiramalai was killed on the orders of EROS top brass. Not all operations were undertaken on the instructions of the R&AW and neither were these undertaken on behalf of the LTTE as you claim and articulate.
EROS too joined with the LTTE and participated in operations against the IPKF in Sri Lanka, however these were very isolated ones. EROS has never claimed to be pro-Indian either for that matter. On the face of it EROS members are fully aware of the facts leading up to the abduction and unfortunate death of Mr Kandiah Kandasamy of the TRRO.
The R&AW did approach EROS to bump off Kandasamy and that is fact! Shankar Rajee’s son Nesan has a role to play being part of the new generation and this is being encouraged by EROS members based in Sri Lanka and abroad.
Regardless of what you may say about Nesan Shankar Raji, he is part and parcel of the new leadership of EROS and will continue to involve himself in politics by working for the interests of North-Eastern and up-country Tamils of Sri Lanka.
You are more than welcome to pay a visit to EROS members in Sri Lanka to verify the work they are presently undertaking for the interests of their people thanks to the likes of the young Nesan Shankar Raji.