COLOMBO: The Tamil Tigers, whose calls for a separate north-eastern state were temporarily sidelined by the tsunami catastrophe worse than its bloody 20-year old war, is now beginning to roar again.

Days before the arrival of a special Norwegian peace delegation headed by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Peterson and Special Peace envoy for Sri Lanka, Erik Solhiem, LTTE official S. Puleedevan in an interview with Dawn claimed that "the tsunami had not made the LTTE forget its demand for a separate administration of the North-east".

"If at all the tsunami has made us realize that we need our own administration", Puleedevan, the head of the LTTE peace secretariat in northern Killinochchi said following local reports in the media that the LTTE's controversial proposals for its own Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) had been buried with the sea waves, at least temporarily.

However, the LTTE hierarchy having to deal with rumours of the death of the Tiger leader, is proving that their goals of a separate state do not get washed off even by something as deathly as a tsunami despite religious leaders and politicians in the south waxing eloquent about "the blessing in disguise", meaning that the Tsunami was a panacea that cured the LTTE's craving for a Tamil homeland.

"We have not changed our stance regarding the Interim Self Governing Authority. We want our homeland. Anyone can see that we run our own government. If at all we have proved our strength in handling the crisis", the LTTE's Peace Secretariat chief explained when asked if the Tigers would convey a lenient stance to the visiting Norwegians this weekend.

This is the first visit after a disheartened Norwegian foreign minister left Sri Lanka last November after hopes of restarting the peace process between the government and the LTTE failed.

"What we will discuss with Norway now is post-tsunami rehabilitation work. The LTTE coming in for peace negotiations is now based on how the government will handle the rehabilitation work wrought by this disaster in the north and east", the LTTE official added.

However, it is clear that there would be a definite delay in the resumption of peace talks initiated by the government in November 2002 and stalled in April 2003 by the LTTE with the country's rehabilitation efforts earmarked to take at least two years to be complete.

Doing a pre-tsunami analysis noted peace activist in Sri Lanka, media director of the National Peace Council, Dr Jehan Perera says, "What should be understood is that the LTTE was threatening war just prior to the tsunami", referring to the immediate aftermath of the Tiger leader's LTTE 'Heroes day' inflammatory speech last November which threatened tough action if the government does not respond to the LTTE's repeated calls for a separate interim administration.

"The tsunami prevented further stalling by the government which was in a difficult situation having to deal with the LTTE's ISGA used by the Tigers as an ultimatum", explains Dr Perera, referring to the problems encountered by President Kumaratunge's Alliance government in responding to the LTTE's proposals for an Interim Self governing Authority.

The minority government of president Kumaratunge's main obstacle was dealing with the nationalistic Marxist party's continued stalling of all government's efforts to talk peace with the government.

"Now, with rehabilitation and post-tsunami work monopolizing the attention of both the government and the LTTE what is needed is for the LTTE and the government to begin working together to use the large amount of funds made available to the government and the LTTE by foreign donors.

It is hoped that the Marxists will change their stance if any light is to be seen at the end of the tunnel", says Dr Perera. His statements come in the wake of local media reports that the LTTE had communicated to Norway that it would want to work together with the government towards rehabilitation of the tsunami affected regions in the North East.

However, political analysts point out that the fear lies in the fact that both the LTTE and the government would be confined to rhetoric and into stage play as there many foreign countries involved in relief efforts.

The LTTE inhabited north-east is one of the worst areas hit by the tsunami with a death toll of over 15,000 people. Meanwhile, the LTTE claimed that their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran made his first post tsunami public appearance on Monday, urging the Tamils in areas under his control 'not to depend on handouts'.

Prabhakaran made the appearance in the town of Kilinochchi, the LTTE sources said while its website carried a picture of Prabhakaran addressing a meeting with other LTTE cadres, ending weeks of speculation he may have perished in the December 26 tidal wave disaster.

"I request you in earnest to formulate plans that would provide them the impetus to build a future of their own," Prabhakaran was quoted as saying in the Tamilnet LTTE website even while the LTTE hierarchy claim that they have embarked on a mass scale campaign to collect funds from the international community.