Thamilselvan dug his own grave - Anandasangaree

Spurned international pleas for peace

Air strikes to continue in Kilinochchi

By Ananth Palakidnar

The LTTE's political wing leader Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan paid a heavy price for not falling in line with the good advice given to him by the whole world in making his organisation politically more vibrant, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader and one-time Member of Parliament of the LTTE's stronghold Kilinochchi Veerasingam Anandasangaree said.

Commenting on Thamilselvan's death, Anandasangaree told the Sunday Observer that the LTTE invited this destruction." No other Tamil political leader in Sri Lanka in recent years had gained the exposure like what Thamilselvan got when the whole world was supporting the Lankan peace process.

Almost all the leading international figures went to his doorstep and urged him to consider the peace process seriously. But his outfit has taken the Tamils and the whole world for a ride and ultimately deceived everybody. What I could say is by playing 'hide and seek' Thamilselvan dug his own grave, "Anandasangaree said.

He said that the death of Thamilselvan should be an eye opener to his supremo that he could not continue with his dirty tricks any more with the death of Thamilselvan, the LTTE leader Prabhakaran has put to death a countless number of his cadres due to his arrogant attitude.

"I feel sorry for the very intelligent and capable innocent youth who have become the 'misguided missiles' under the monstrous leadership of Prabhakaran.

When the peace talks were in progress the whole world expected Thamilselvan who represented his outfit to give a good leadership politically in spearheading the peace process.

But he was not allowed to do so by his leader Prabhakaran. Even the Lankan political leaders shook hands with Thamilselvan and was ready to give support for his political representation to enter effectively into the political mainstream. But he became a 'scapegoat' of his single-minded leader. Therefore it is high time for the LTTE to take the death of Thamilselvan as a lesson and re-consider its stance on going ahead with the arms struggle," Anandasangaree said.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian facilitators and other key international figures such as Japan's Yasushi Akashi have not commented on Thamilselvan's death.

Though the LTTE's police chief, S. Nadesan has been named as the successor to Thamilselvan, political analysts who had monitored Thamilselvan closely believe that with the contacts he possessed it would be difficult for another LTTE figure to fill the vacuum created within the outfit.

The Air Force spokesperson Group Captain Ajantha Silva said that the air strikes would continue in Kilinochchi. "Our airmen are very precise in choosing the targets according to well planned strategies which could not be divulged."

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