A month after their defeat in the hands of the Sri Lankan army, the remnants of the LTTE plan to reorganise and pursue the goal of a separate Tamil state from abroad, with the rebels' international relations chief Selvaras Pathmanathan taking the lead.

"The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam has reached a new stage. It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom," Pathmanathan said in an e-mail audio file that has flown around the Tamil diaspora, the British media, including ‘BBC’ and ‘The Times’, reported.

Pathmanathan, who is wanted by Interpol in connection with his role as the Tigers' main arms smuggler, gave no indication that the group would renounce violence but announced the establishment of a "provisional trans-national government of Tamil Eelam".

He said Rudrakumaran Vishwanathan, their overseas-based legal adviser, would head a committee which would decide on a future course of action "within democratic principles".

Tamil Eelam is the name given by the Tigers to the north and eastern areas of Sri Lanka to which they lay claim. Pathmanathan is one of a handful of senior cadres who escaped annihilation last month because he is based overseas.

It is not clear from where has he issued the message, media reports said.

In the final phase of the battle, the troops eliminated the top Tamil Tiger leadership, including its supreme Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The Sri Lankan government has dismissed the so-called 'provisional transnational' government, pointing out that the LTTE does not exist any more.

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