Where is Prabhakaran?
As the military inches towards the much spoken of and well fortified
underground bunker of LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran possibly in
Puthukkudiyiruppu or Vishwamadu, all the guns, radars and ships have
tightened their surveillance to stop him fleeing the Lankan shores.
While diverse opinions are expressed and penned down about his
presence or possible ‘departure’, some politicians who were one time his
close buddies believe that he is still active in Vanni and others say
that he has fled the country as he loves ‘his life’ more than anything
else!
“Where is Prabhakaran ....?” While this would be the latest mantra
all over the country and the region and several countries that are
listed as possible safe havens, he who knows well about where he is may
be enjoying the rumours about his ‘disappearance’, if he is still alive.
The Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka, who brought the war to
Prabhakaran’s door-step shattering his life long dream of an Eelam
State, strongly believes that the LTTE leader cannot remain in a land of
350 square kms. “I do not think he could remain there without coming out
as the troops are very close to whatever hideout he is in”, he said.
The Army Chief said that 98 percent of Asia’s longest terrorist war
was over and a new task - hunting down of Prabhakaran - was now added to
the military exercise. “Killing rate is high and now the LTTE’s fighting
power has been reduced to less than 1,000 cadres”, he said adding that
this would be Prabhakaran’s last conventional battle.
Last battle for LTTE
Sounding the same opinion, the former Head of Intelligence with the
Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka during 1987-1990, Col. R.
Hariharan noted that the ‘liberation of Mullattivu would be the last
conventional battle of the LTTE.
“The battle being waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
to defend Mullattivu in the face of the Sri Lanka Security Forces’
onslaught may well be the last conventional military operation by Tamil
insurgent leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in the two-year-long “Eelam War
IV.” Mullathivu is the LTTE’s last bastion, what is left from an
original domain of nearly nine districts it had ruled for over a decade.
The Security Forces are building up a four to six division-strong force
for what they promise to be the closing call on the LTTE”, Col.
Hariharan, who was a specialist on Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka with
special focus on insurgency and terrorism, wrote in his column in ‘The
Hindu’ newspaper.
He has noted that possibly Prabhakaran’s last battle is likely to
leave him in a position similar to what he was in 1987 - mauled badly
and trying to cut his losses and live to fight another day. “And, as
earlier, the security forces are at his heels to catch or kill him.
After losing the precious 24,000 lives of his followers in nearly three
decades of war, Prabhakaran is still where he was to pursue his dream of
a Tamil Eelam”, he has noted.
The leader of the PLOTE and a close buddy of Prabhakaran in his
initial stage of the armed struggle, Sitdharthan Dharmalingam also
believes that Prabhakaran may have already fled the country. He said
that Prabhakaran’s ‘instinct for survival’ was high and he believes that
he has to be alive today to fight tomorrow. “So, I think he would have
escaped before Mullattivu and the adjacent area was blocked”, he said.
According to the PLOTE Leader, the outfit runs with no command and it
seemed that the second level leadership too has escaped or hiding some
where. “The civilians, who fled some areas in Mullattivu, say that they
have not seen the other top leaders, who used to ply on roads in luxury
Pajaros, recently. Only the motor cyclists were seen commanding the
civilians”, they said.
End of the LTTE
Prabhakaran’s biographer Narayan Swamy in an ‘illusive mind’ says “He
is their brain. He is their heart. He is their god. He is their soul,
and the whole organisation runs around him and the loss of Prabhakaran
would be devastating to the group,” Sithdharthan too says that once
Prabhakaran is gone that would be the end of the LTTE.He said that Tamil
Nadu which was a safe haven for the LTTE in 1970s and 1980s would not be
a hiding place for the LTTE or Prabhakaran as they treat them as
‘trouble makers’ for Tamil Nadu. “I do not think that Prabhakaran can
raise his head again as the Sri Lankan military is more powerful now
than earlier”, he said.
Minister Douglas Devananda, who escaped death 13 times in LTTE
attacks, said that Prabhakaran was in Mullaittivu or fleeing to another
country was not a big issue. “One thing is certain. Wherever he hides,
he has been completely rejected by Tamil people in the island and
abroad. So, he is no more a Tiger. He is now only a lame duck. Very soon
the Armed Forces will take control of the entire Vanni. With the taking
over of the Vanni I believe Prabhakaran and his clan will have a natural
death. Once Prabhakaran is cornered he will adopt the same tactics like
Hitler and commit suicide”, he said.
The former Military Commander of the East and now the UPFA
Parliamentarian and the Leader of the TMVP, Vinayagamoorthi
Muralitharan,who was the closest buddy who knows Prabhakaran’s heart
beat more than anyone else said, that he would not die as he loves very
much to live.
Cannot escape
“ According to my knowledge he is still there as he cannot escape to
any other country as none of them are willing to accept him. It is very
difficult for him to go to other South Asian countries too as they have
intensified their vigilance.
Especially helping and giving refuge to him - a convict and a leader
of a banned organisation is illegal”, he said adding that the LTTE would
face difficulties in surviving in future as they do not have the support
of the Tamils.
Muralitharan said that the LTTE cadres and its second level leaders
would find hard to hide in the shrinking patch of land in Mullativu and
the LTTE leaders lost their control of their cadres and also the
civilians.Prabhakaran’s former body guard Muralitharan alias Karuna
Amman said that Prabhakaran should be destroyed so as to liberate the
Tamils of the country from his clutches and it was not possible for him
to flee to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand as the
authorities have tightened their security network to nab him.
(SS)
|