Many an eyebrow has been raised in diplomatic circles by the clandestine links top UNenvoys maintain with the proscribed LTTE.

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon’s Representative Vijay Nambiar on his arrival at the BIA over the weekend had phoned notorious LTTE arms smuggler ‘KP’ now believed to be based in Malaysia, well informed sources told The Island.

Of all places, Nambiar had chosen an airport toilet to telephone KP and their conversation had lasted a few minutes, sources said.

KPhad requested Nambiar’s intervention to rescue the trapped LTTEleaders in the last patch of resistance surrounded by the army.

Nambiar, formerly of the Indian Foreign Service had been in touch with the terrorist for sometime, sources said. ‘KP’ is on the wanted list of Interpol and believed to have moved to Malaysia from Thailand.

Sources said that Norwegians, too, had been in constant touch with the fugitive also wanted by India over his involvement in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

Surreptitious communication with terrorists engaged in a violent campaign to divide a UNmember state, sources pointed out, was unbecoming of a top UNenvoy representing none other than the UNSecretary General himself.

The government was under pressure from anti-terror activists to investigate what they termed ‘stinking relationship between KP and Nambiar’, report him to the UNand call for action against him, sources said adding that the government was dragging its feet on the ‘stinking’ affaire’.