COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government has asked British authorities to arrest Adele Balasingham, the Australian born widow of Anton Balasingham, who was the political advisor of the slain LTTE chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the British paper The Standard reported.
Scotland Yard has already started a probe. A senior Lankan High Commission source said: “She was involved in taking major decisions and there is a possibility that supporters will rally around her in Britain.”
“We believe the Parliament Square protests were organised directly from the LTTE leadership, and Mrs Balasingham has been a main point of contact in the UK for this,” the source added.
Representatives of the Sri Lankan government are to meet Scotland Yard and the Home Office in the coming weeks for talks on the Tigers’ presence in Britain.
‘Aunty’ to female Tamil Tigers, Adele had allegedly handed cyanide pills to child soldiers. An undated video of her’s, showing her in camouflage fatigues and presiding over a parade of female child soldiers, has been circulated to confirm her status as one of the movement’s most influential figures. In the video, she is seen presenting a cyanide capsule to a young female Tiger cadre. The cadre were enjoined to bit the capsule and die if in danger of being caught. Sri Lankan intelligence officials believe that Adele (59), is one of the most senior LTTE leaders, in what remains of the terror group.
The Lankan government believes that LTTE leaders abroad are raising funds and procuring equipment that could be used in fresh attacks.
Adele, a trained nurse, had met and married Anton Stanislaus Balasingham while he was living in London in the 1970s. After her husband’s death in 2006 she has been leading a quiet life in Surrey. Adele’s presence in Britain has increased tensions between Britain and Sri Lanka, which believes the British Government has been “too soft” on Tiger associates.