New LTTE chief betrayed by rebels

The LTTE���s eternal mystery man, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, was being interrogated in Colombo on Friday even as the Tamil diaspora speculated whether he was ���betrayed��� by a rival faction or was cornered in Kuala Lumpur on a tip-off from Indian intelligence.
The arrest of the LTTE���s new leader ���Kumaran��� Pathmanathan or ���KP��� in Kuala Lumpur and his quick deportation to Colombo stunned sections of the Lankan Tamil diaspora, which were hoping to keep the militarily defeated Tamil Eelam movement alive through a ���transnational administration��� that he was putting together.
Reports from the expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil community suggested that KP had been arrested on Wednesday by Malaysian agencies from a hotel he was staying in, and whisked away to Bangkok, where Sri Lankan officials were present to take him to Colombo.
KP, against whom India and Sri Lanka had sought red corner notices from Interpol, emerged a disputed leader of the post-war LTTE. It remains to be seen if India will seek his custody as he is wanted for questioning in connection with Rajiv Gandhi���s assassination.