User talk:Ruwa1965

BY RUWAN WEERAKOON == Cleaning up terror with a prize catch INTELLIGENCE SOURCES BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE NABBED THE LAST REMAINING LTTE OPERATIVE IN COLOMBO

The Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) nabbed one of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE’s) leaders recently. What was significant about this arrest was that it was the first post war arrest of a high profile Tiger operative in Colombo. This operative, with access to the highest rung of the Tiger leadership, had been responsible for the attempts to assassinate the President and the Defence Secretary and also other high ranking military officials. He had been the mastermind behind attempts to revive the remaining Tiger cadres dormant in and around the city. With this arrest, the TID believes that they have ultimately been successful in wiping out the last remaining activists in the city and suburbs. By strictly following journalistic ethics, this column will not divulge some details regarding this arrest and certain details about the Tiger operative, as it may hamper ongoing investigations. For convenience, this column will refer to him as Sivam, though this is not his real name. Sivam, a high profile LTTE leader who conducted his mission covertly, had been a Tiger operative, carrier of weapons and ammunition, transporter of suicide cadres and kits and was also the mastermind behind the planning of several attacks on certain key figures in the security establishment. He also cultivated several security personnel and had access to most of the important economic places because he spent million to corrupt and bribe officers manning them. Enter Sivam Sivam, had arrived in Colombo in March 2002, soon after the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the LTTE and the then government. The details of his arrival will not be discussed by this column as it had been similar to other Tiger arrivals into the city, as described earlier. Suffice it to say that Sivam too had gained access to Colombo by posing as a Muslim. Attired in Muslim garb he had arrived and set up residence in Colombo. He had made it a point to always carry a copy of the Muslim holy book or the Quran and had even attended prayers in mosques. He had also undergone circumcision, to ward off the ultimate suspicion. Taking on the identity of a Muslim is probably easier as the two ethnic groups use Tamil as their mother tongue, albeit there are differences in dialect and accent according to the regions of habitation. It will be easier for a Tamil to impersonate a Moor than a Sinhalese. Sivam too was a well trained cadre and had access to the highest in the organisation. A high profile Tiger, he is the only one in the city to have directly reported to LTTE intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman. Sivam had been responsible for operating the Tigers’ intelligence network in and around Colombo. Though he was a native of Kilinochchi in the north, he had been mostly based in Colombo and was very familiar with the area. The terrorist worms his way up Sivam has a good personality. He dressed smartly and wore well polished shoes. He was also very fluent in all three languages, Tamil, Sinhalese and English. He learnt Sinhala from one of LTTE’s training bases and English from a recognised English institute. Sivam had built a very good rapport with a prominent businessman and he entertained businessman and others in five star hotels immediately after his arrival in Colombo at the beginning of the CFA. Pretending to be a peace lover he had collected whatever data available and relayed them back to his superiors in the north. He had been living in a highly residential area of Colombo since his arrival. Once the CFA was abrogated by the incumbent government, Sivam had temporarily moved his residence to the suburbs. However, during the latter stages of fighting in the north, he had returned to Colombo and taken up residence in a luxury apartment paying per month Rs. 200,000 as rent. He led a luxury life, driving around in the latest model vehicles; all funded by the LTTE. While thus engaged, he had been observing the modus operandi of the Sri Lankan Security Forces and Police, and had made sure to avoid arrest. He had been on the registered household list in Colombo and managed to obtain identity cards with his Colombo address. He had masterminded the attack on the then Sri Lanka Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka (currently Chief of Defence Staff and full General). To mount the attack, Sivam had obtained accurate information on the Army Commander from none other than his own cook. Sivam had given instructions to one of his cadres to transport and harbour the suicide cadre. Important targets Sivam is one of the main LTTE terrorists who handled and coordinated suicide bombers, but his targets were missed because government intelligence gathering wings are stronger. Not only the Army Commander, he had also attempted to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and several Ministers as well. He had planned, facilitated and attempted to carry out the attack, receiving direct instructions from LTTE intelligence head Pottu Amman himself, but had been unsuccessful. During the height of the battle in the north, Pottu Amman had given Sivam specific instructions. He had told Sivam that even if the Tiger leadership is eliminated by the Sri Lankan military, overseas operatives would continue the struggle. Pottu Amman had also told him that the overseas cadres would keep in constant touch with him and for Sivam to follow instructions. Sivam was the only terrorist to receive orders from Pottu Amman. He had communicated  with the  then Vanni  leaders via e- mail and when there was an important message and he  had communicated to Pottu Amman  and  Rathnam  Master  and Charles’s on their satellite phones, he had to change his  mobile SIM and obtain an ID copy  from Wellawatte  communication centtrs. When any person came to get a  photocopy, the operator of the photocopy machine used to get  additional copy and  keep them for Sivam  and  the rest  of the LTTE Intelligence cadres to get mobile phone connections. TID breakthrough The arrest of Sivam was yet another feather in the cap for the Sri Lankan intelligence services. From the moment that the TID received scant details of the suspect Tiger operative, they began 24 hour surveillance on him. They observed all his movements. Slowly, yet steadily the TID detectives began building up evidence to prove the identity of the Tiger operative. They had received orders that Sivam should be taken alive, not to leave room for him to commit suicide, as alive, he would be invaluable. This made the sleuths extra cautious. Once the Tiger cadre’s identity and mission became clear, the TID arrested him at a popular restaurant. Sivam, who frequented this restaurant, was enjoying a cup of coffee with a couple of sandwiches. A group of TID detectives who had been following him entered the restaurant and took up seats at an adjoining table. A female TID officer was among them and she seated herself where she had direct eye contact with Sivam. After a few minutes of friendly banter among them, the female TID officer glanced at Sivam and smiled. Which male would not reciprocate a coy smile from a female? Sivam never suspected that these would be the persons who would spell his doom. He was confident that his cover was intact. And this over-confidence betrayed him. The Sri Lankan intelligence officers were not recognisable as sleuths. They looked wealthy business persons having a carefree day out. Sivam returned the smile. This happened a few times and one of the Intelligence officers took a few steps and looking at Sivam said, “You face looks familiar.” Sivam had introduced himself as a real estate businessman and invited the intelligence officer to join him with the others. After some chit chat and coffee Sivam had excused himself to leave. The “business persons” too had said they would walk up to their vehicles with him. Still chatting like a long lost group of friends, they approached the car park. Unknowing to Sivam, the intelligence officers had parked their vehicles in such a manner that it would be difficult for him to beat a hasty retreat. When Sivam, after bidding adieu to his new found friends, was about to open his car door, the sleuths smoothly moved in and pinning his hands behind, handcuffed him. A surprised and shocked Sivam did not know what hit him. They only said that he was being arrested for maintaining connections with the LTTE. Sivam had no opportunity either to bite his cyanide capsule or use a concealed weapon, if he had one. So, now Sivam, perhaps the last of the top rung LTTE operatives in Colombo and its suburbs is being interrogated at a high security location. Based on information elicited from him, the TID has been able to piece together most of the bizarre picture painted by Tiger claws in and around the capital. In their attempt to thwart the LTTE intelligence network and to eradicate the menace of its suicide bombers, the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TID), the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) and State Intelligence Services (SIS) officers work 24 hours through 365 days. Sri Lanka’s intelligence officers perform their tasks purely relying on their skills and talents. In Iraq and Afghanistan, suicide bombers explode themselves almost on a daily basis. Although the security forces of the West do possess advanced technology, they are yet to find answer to thwart the suicide bombers in those regions. There is much that the Western countries could learn from Sri Lankan officers. A high ranking intelligence officer said, “We are continuing our line of duty to crack down on any remaining terrorists. Intelligence is extremely important for the country’s security and stability.”

Posted by RUWAN WEERAKOON at 3:08 AM 0 comments  Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Gota assassination bid and the TNA factor

Gota assassination bid and the TNA factor As a handler and LTTE agent, Sivakumaran was assigned with the preparation and carrying out of a vital task. He was to coordinate the assassination of Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa V. Sivakumaran has had a very good rapport with Prabha, the Majestic City businessman who was nabbed by the state intelligence sometime ago, and of which this column gave the details earlier. Prabha had financed and assisted him to purchase the house at Athurugiriya, and also obtain a luxury Toyota vehicle apart from other matters. Prabha had also introduced him to Lt. Col. Ranjith Perera, who is currently in custody for maintaining links with the Tigers.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa The State Intelligence Services (SIS) sleuths’ eagle eyes are keenly watching over the city of Colombo and its suburbs. The war may be over, but for them their objectives are not. Every day and every moment, they are busy pouring over details, sometimes even scant information which may lead to the arrest of any individual even remotely connected to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or its affiliates. Recently, they were successful in nabbing one such person from the Athrugiriya area. This person, whom this column will identify as V. Sivakumaran, though this is not his actual name, is the son a prominent Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliament member who has been residing in the Athurugiriya area since early 2006. This column will not go into the details of how he arrived in Colombo, as it has already divulged the details of similar arrivals of LTTE agents and handlers into the capital. The beginning of Tiger terror V. Sivakumaran was such a LTTE or Tiger handler. But some unique features differentiate him from the others. One is that he is the son a prominent Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politician. The other is that his uncle Sellakkili was a pioneering member of the LTTE terrorist outfit from its inception. Sellakkili and some others were responsible for blowing up a truck in which Sri Lanka Army personnel were travelling in July 23, 1983. This truck was approaching Urumpirai from Thinnavely when it was targetted. Sellakkily himself is said to have detonated the mine which blew up the truck. A fire fight ensued and afterwards, when the fleeing Tiger members had retreated and were being congratulated by its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sellakkili’s absence had been noticed. One of the cadres, Victor had then rushed towards a boutique where Sellakkili had taken up position during the attack, to find him lying with a gunshot injury to his chest. Sellakkili had succumbed to his injuries later. Sivakumaran the handler As a handler and LTTE agent, Sivakumaran was assigned with the preparation and carrying out of a vital task. He was to coordinate the assassination of Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. V. Sivakumaran has had a very good rapport with Prabha, the Majestic City businessman who was nabbed by the state intelligence sometime ago, and of which this column gave the details earlier. Prabha had financed and assisted him to purchase the house at Athurugiriya, and also obtain a luxury Toyota vehicle apart from other matters. Prabha had also introduced him to Lt. Col. Ranjith Perera, who is currently in custody for maintaining links with the Tigers. (This column sometime back also exposed the involvement of Lt. Col. Perera.) Lt. Col. Ranjith Perera is said to have provided Sivakumaran with much of the details pertaining to the movements of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The plan to assassinate Gotabhaya The LTTE agents in and around Colombo had prepared a comprehensive plan to assassinate the Defence Secretary, who they believed would be the major obstruction in their path to achieving a separate Tamil state of Eelam. Their plan had been comprehensive, with all details being looked into with alternate measures also being put in place. Two LTTE suicide cadres, one male and the other female, have been specially brought to Colombo for this purpose. After arrival in Colombo, the female cadre had tried out her suicide kit, containing around five kilograms of explosives, at a house in Manning Place. Afterwards, she had been dispatched to a safe house in the Kegalle area with specific instructions that she be in Colombo within 24 hours of notice. She had been assigned a vehicle with a driver as well for this specific purpose. The male suicide cadre was to ride a motor bicycle laden with explosives, and was to ram it against the Defence Secretary’s vehicle or others from the security escort. A three wheeler or a van was to follow this motor cycle. This vehicle would carry several cadres armed with Uzi machine guns, the Israeli built weapons which are compact and easy to carry concealed. They would also carry six or more grenades and two spare magazines of ammunition for the Uzis. Identifying the approach of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had been made easier for them by the closure of Colombo roads, whenever he travelled along them. The proposed attack The motorcycle and the three wheeler or van would be on standby at a by road until informed of the approach of the Defence Secretary. When the target approached, the motorcycle was to proceed towards the Defence Secretary’s vehicle or escort vehicles and ram against them. The ensuing explosion would create confusion and also might kill or maim several security personnel, but Rajapaksa’s vehicle might not be severely damaged as it is bullet or ballistic proof. In such an event, the security personnel would be forced to transfer Rajapaksa to another vehicle to be taken to safety. During this crucial moment of transfer, the other Tiger cadres in the backup three-wheeler or van would barge in and open fire while hurling the grenades. This would be the real attempt on the life of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. His escaping with only injuries from such an attack would be quite remote indeed. But the Tiger cadres would not leave it for granted. They had another alternative plan in the event the Defence Secretary was only injured. They apparently guessed that he would be rushed to the Emergency Services Unit of the National Hospital in Colombo, which is equipped to meet such eventualities. The female cadre stationed in Kegalle would then be at the scene of the attack, pretending to be one of the injured victims during the attack, and would be rushed to the National Hospital. She would be there by the time the Defence Secretary, if injured, was brought in. She would bide her time amidst the rush until Rajapaksa was transferred on to a stretcher or gurney to be taken into the ward. At this crucial moment, she would force herself among the crowd and jump towards Rajapaksa and blow herself up. Fortunately, this comprehensive plan had not materialised. The remnants recovered and political antics These details were revealed by Sivakumaran while under interrogation by SIS personnel. And based on his revelations, security forces personnel recovered the suicide kit and part of the weapons arsenal from Andra Housing Complex at Modera in Mattakkuliya recently. These details were not obtained within minutes or days. It had taken sleuths several weeks of painstaking corroborating of details and tremendous effort on their part. However what is surprising is the reactions of certain bankrupt politicians towards this episode. A left leaning politician, who had unsuccessfully contested several elections under his own party banner, and also in alliance with other opposition parties, has claimed that this whole episode is a cooked up story by the authorities. He and similar power hungry politicians have definitely underestimated the capabilities of the Sri Lankan security forces and Police in regard to winning the war against a ruthless LTTE. But they should remember, and remember well, that whoever comes to power, the interests of the country Security should be the prime concern.

Posted by RUWAN WEERAKOON at 3:05 AM 0 comments  Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz

BY RUWAN WEERAKOON Close aide reveals last days and hours of Prabha

CLOSE AIDE REVEALS LAST DAYS AND HOURS OF PRABHA August 27, 2009 by lrrp “If we fail in our final plan, we would be killed by the Sri Lankan Army. In such an eventuality, no one can claim an Eelam in Sri Lanka and the Eelam dream would become a nightmare.” These were Prabakarans’s last words to the rest of the Tiger leaders How the Eelam dream became a nightmare It was during the height of Eelam War IV, when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or Tamil Tigers were pushed to the last remaining piece of real estate. To be exact, even that little bit of real estate was not directly under its control. It was the government declared ‘No Fire Zone’ (NFZ) for the civilians held hostage by the Tigers to take refuge. But the Tigers too had taken refuge among the civilians and positioned their bunkers and big guns among them.

It was in this scenario, that the desperate Tigers attempted to mount a counterstrike on the Sri Lanka Army’s Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in a move to break away from the siege, and flee into the Puthukudyiruppu jungles. But the strike was thwarted by the alert security forces who managed to kill most of the top rung Tiger leaders during the pitched battle. Tiger captured alive It was a little after this battle that a senior LTTE member who was wounded in battle was captured alive by the Sri Lanka Army Commandoes and handed over to intelligence officers. The Sri Lanka Army took him into custody and he proved to be a close aide of Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. He had been with his leader during the last days. And now, he is still in custody at an undisclosed security location, and being interrogated. An intelligence officer gave this column vivid details of the final stages of the vanishing Eelam dream of the LTTE. It was also an account of the last days of Prabhakaran’s life. This column will not divulge his real name as it may hamper ongoing investigations. We will call him by another name, Gokulan Master, for our convenience. And this is what he had to say to this columnist: “We were all living in our dream world of Eelam created by our Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. We were isolated from the real world without our realising it. We saw only Prabhakaran’s world. I watched only TV programmes broadcast by the LTTE as well as south Indian televisions and listened to only the Voice of Tigers radio. Prabhakaran had conducted a psychological operation or psy-ops among the Tamils living within the LTTE controlled areas so that he was seen as the supreme invincible leader, who the Sri Lanka Army could not defeat. He also impressed upon the Tamils that his organisation, the LTTE, can easily carry out attacks in any part of the island at will. We never thought that the Sri Lanka Army would kill Prabhakaran but it happened.” Prabha underestimated the Army V. Prabhakaran made all these statements because he severely underestimated the capabilities of the Sri Lanka Army. That was the greatest mistake he ever committed. He always believed, even during the final pitched battles, and even made us believe, that Norway will come to our rescue.” Gokulan Master further told his interrogators that when the LTTE lost both Pooneryn and Elephant Pass, Prabhakaran had been in touch, via his satellite phone, with the USA based V. Rudrakumaran and the elusive Kumaran Pathmanadan alias KP. Prabhakaran had urged them to exert pressure on the international community and the human rights organisation to pressurise the Sri Lankan government to stop the military onslaught on the Tiger defences. In one instance, Prabhakaran was so desperate that he instructed the LTTE’s Political Wing head B. Nadesan to declare a ceasefire with the military. Nadesan, the policeman turned LTTE ‘IGP’ and in turn its Political Wing head after S.P. Thamilselvan, and was killed in a Sri Lanka Air Force raid, had tried his best to carry out his instructions, Gokulan Master said. Prabhakaran desperate within the NFZ While the remaining LTTE leadership had been confined by the Sri Lanka Army to the small area within the government declared NFZ, Prabhakaran had kept close contact via his satellite phone, with Tamil Nadu Politician Vaiko and Nadumaran, Rudrakumaran from the USA and KP. He repeatedly urged them to bring about an international intervention resulting in a ceasefire. When the Sri Lanka Army’s Special Forces and Commandos initially attempted to rescue the civilians held hostage, and when the civilians responded by moving towards the army controlled areas, Prabhakaran immediately instructed his cadres to kill anyone who attempted to flee, and display the bodies as a deterrent to the others. He had several such incidents videoed and photographed, and sent them to the international media, putting the blame on the Sri Lankan government forces. When the LTTE was driven out of the East, Prabhakaran was furious over the Sri Lanka Army’s successes. He never imagined that the SLA was capable of inflicting that sort of damage to the LTTE. During late 2007, when the battles in the North were ongoing and the military were gaining ground, Prabhakaran summoned his top leaders Pottu Amman, Ratnam Master, Balraj, Theepan, Bhanu, Sornam and Charles, for a meeting. This meeting went into the wee hours of the morning in Prabhakaran’s bunker at Visvamadu. They discussed strategies and plans to stop or at least slow down the advance of the Sri Lanka Army. A notable feature during this meeting was the details put forward by Balraj. He said, “The Sri Lanka Army’s Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka is adopting different tactics during this battle. Previous commanders had not been able to adopt tactics like these. He also has tremendous political backing, and even the government is not bowing to international pressure. Another element is Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (Defence Secretary) who himself was a senior Army officer who has taken part and commanded previous battles. They make a unique combination and may prove difficult to dislodge.” Recruiting children and elderly It was following this meeting, that the LTTE decided to increase its manpower and began recruiting children as young as 12 years and adults over 50 years. These persons thus recruited were inducted into the ‘Makkal Padai’ or People’s Force after a very short training. Simultaneously, on a concept put forward by Theepan and Balraj, the LTTE started putting up earth bunds, going up from five feet to 20 feet in height, depending on the location. Invest shares in stock market During the Ceasefire Agreement period, Prabhakaran sent messages to Colombo and overseas Tamil businessmen to invest in the share market in Colombo. He had also instructed them that when they received orders from the United Kingdom, they should sell their shares they had invested in. This was possibly his way of waging an economic war to cripple Sri Lanka’s economy through the share market. But when he was driven away from his areas of control and trapped in the NFZ, his plans went awry. Prabhakaran’s luxury lifestyle Although Prabhakaran led the battles and sometimes was present in close proximity, he had all the necessary comforts in life. He stayed in air-conditioned bunkers; he had enough supplies of food and had enough supply of insulin injections for his diabetic condition. He had a swimming pool which could be used exclusively by him and his family. Only very close associates and visitors were allowed to use it. He also rode in amour plated vehicles, a Pajero and several specially modified vehicles. But later on, his life became more restrictive. When the SL Army’s Special Forces and Commandos had infiltrated areas under his control, Prabhakaran’s movements were restricted further. He didn’t speak to his leaders over the phone. He always sent a messenger, one of his trusted cadres from his own security unit, with a message summoning anyone to meet him at a said place. Often this place changed several times before the actual meeting took place. This was due to security fears. Prabhakaran’s lifestyle became more and more secretive as the battles progressed. He only trusted his own intelligence unit members. Apart from the general intelligence unit of the LTTE, Prabhakaran had his own unit. From this unit, he placed one or two persons of his choice within the other units to act as spies for him on rest of LTTE key leaders. This unit was regularly updated by Prabhakaran. A doctor named Dr Puri was detailed with providing medical attention to Prabhakaran. He used to check Prabhakaran’s blood pressure at least twice a day. During the latter stages of battle, Prabhakaran’s health too suffered. He suffered from high blood pressure due to the stress, Dr Puri said. In 2007, V. Prabhakaran appointed his elder son Charles Anthony as the deputy leader of the organisation. When he did this, his spies reported to Prabhakaran that most of the other leaders had voiced their displeasure over this decision. Due to this, Charles Anthony was heavily guarded and always lived with his father. When the Sri Lanka Army’s Special Forces and Commandos infiltrated LTTE held areas and began eliminating mid-level leaders, Prabhakaran became highly depressed. He used to say that the loss of even a single leader was a big blow to the organisation as it had taken nearly five to six years to train such a leader. The vacuum could not be filled so fast, he opined. When Charles (not Prabhakaran’s son), the LTTE intelligence leader was ambushed and killed by the Special Forces in Mannar, it dealt a severe blow to the LTTE. Prabhakaran was shocked to hear the news of Charles’ death. He blamed Pottu Amman for the lack of intelligence. But during and after the Tiger attacks on the Anuradhapura Sri Lanka Air Force Base, Prabhakaran was a happy man. He was also thoroughly pleased when he heard that the suicide bomber had blown himself up killing former Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. But again, when the attempts to assassinate Army Commander (then) Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka and the failed attempt on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, coupled with the inability to attack and destroy the Security Forces’ radar station at Vavuniya came to light, Prabhakaran was a furious man. He blamed the dearth of proper intelligence and also blamed Pottu Amman. Restrictive After the battles progressed and the Tiger leaders were driven from Puthukudyiruppu into the NFZ, Prabhakaran’s movements became increasingly restricted. Prabhakaran never visited Kilinochchi in five years, as he felt that security was not adequate for him in the area. When the LTTE lost Pooneryn and Kilinochchi, Prabhakaran once told Pottu Amman that 75 per cent of his struggle for Eelam had gone downstream. He said that the LTTE had to boost the sagging morale of its cadres and slow down the enemy, at least till the international community intervened on the LTTE’s behalf. While these ideas were being bandied about, Balraj was killed in another Special Forces ambush. This dealt another devastating blow to the Tiger outfit. With a faraway look in his eyes, Gokulan Master continued with his narration. He said by this time the morale of the cadres had reached a low ebb. Everybody had a feeling that the Sri Lankan Army would defeat them very soon. But the LTTE’s psy-ops always insisted that the international community would bail them out, even at the last moment. When the Sri Lanka Army was about to overrun Visvamadu, Prabhakaran shifted to Puthukudyiruppu. From there he directed the fight while ensconced in underground bunkers set up by utilising containers. These were almost all air-conditioned. At this juncture, an interrogating officer interrupted Gokulan Master to ask a question. “What do you think of Prabhakaran’s comforts during these times?” Gokulan Master’s reply was, “Not only Prabhakaran, even the other upper echelon leaders had all the comforts in life. Prabhakaran enjoyed extraordinary comforts while the others had better than average comforts. They had at least three meals a day while the fighting cadre had only one meal or no meal at all during some days.” Gokulan Master went onto say that Prabhakaran became increasingly depressed as the battles progressed. When the Sri Lankan Security Forces were poised to take over Puthukudyiruppu, Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman slipped into the ‘No Fire Zone’. “I too slipped in with them,” added Gokulan Master. But before slipping into the NFZ, Prabhakaran instructed his cadres to set up bunkers and artillery positions in close proximity to the civilians. While fleeing from Puthukudyiruppu to the NFZ, Prabhakaran could not take most of his personal belongings with him. And at Karayamullivaikkal, all the leaders had their bunkers built close to each other. “We were confined only to the NFZ by then. Then on the night of May, the SL Army’s Special Forces and Commandos entered the NFZ unexpectedly. They opened a safe route for the civilians to enter government controlled areas. They began fleeing in numbers and we could not stop them, however much we tried.” According to Gokulan Master by then, knowing the situation, Prabhakaran summoned Pottu Amman and ordered him to instruct most of the LTTE intelligence cadres to move into government controlled areas along with the civilians. Some even carried children and infants to allay any suspicions. They were instructed to remain as refugees until such time they receive instructions regarding the weapons which were buried. They were to utilise these weapons as and when necessary to attack the government security forces. When the LTTE was losing territory to the advancing SL Army, Prabhakaran had instructed his cadres to bury all their weapons before retreating. Once the Special Forces opened up a route for the civilians, Prabhakaran demanded from his leaders as to how it had happened. They said that the Special Forces had moved to close proximity even without their knowledge, and they were too close to be stopped by then. Gokulan Master continued his narrative “By then our life was not comfortable at all. Our food was mainly high nutrition biscuits provided by several INGOs earlier. Even during the tsunami of 2004, these INGO and NGOs brought in heavy earth moving equipment for rebuilding purposes. But they left them with us when they went back. Those machines were the ones we used to put up bunds and also build bunkers. During the ceasefire period, we got enough and more construction material like cement, iron rods etc. ‘Then, while the civilians were leaving across the Nanthi Kadal lagoon, we were attacked from the south as well. On May 16, Prabhakaran had an emotional meeting with his leaders. He said there were only two options left now. He said, the Sri Lanka government was neither giving into international pressure nor stopping its onslaught. The options left were to either mount a massive counter attack on the military Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in the south and make a break towards the Mullaitivu jungles, or to mount a similar attack on the FDL across the Nanthi Kadal lagoon and enter the Puthukudyiruppu jungles. Once inside the jungles, Prabhakaran was sure that we could survive for another month or two. “According to this plan, on May 15, deploying some suicide cadres, we mounted an attack on the Sri Lanka Army’s Defence Line with committed suicide cadres. But contrary to our expectations, the SL Army was too alert and stronger than we expected. Our attack was a disaster. Many of our top rung cadres were killed during this attack. On May 17, Prabhakaran told us he was ready for the last gamble, to break through the enemy and enter the Puthukudyiruppu jungles. The plan was to break through the SL Army defence lines and march along the Nanthi Kadala lagoon banks into the Puthukudyiruppu jungles. Prabhakaran told us that if we succeeded, we could stay within the jungles for a few months until the international community or South India intervened on behalf of the LTTE. If we failed, we would be killed by the Sri Lankan Army. In such an eventuality, no one can claim an Eelam in Sri Lanka, he said. So, on the morning of May 18, the near 35-year-old dream of Tamil Eelam became a nightmare to us. [Interruption by interrogators] Question: What will happen now to the other LTTE cadres still hiding in Colombo and the south?

Answer: When there is no leadership how can they function? I can say the entire LTTE organisation died on May 18. If there is a ghost of the LTTE still remaining, it too will be wiped out. As a Tamil, I believe that the LTTE has brought about the greatest disaster to the Tamils. Each and every displaced civilian would be cursing the LTTE and Prabhakaran as its leader. He spent a luxury life putting others into suffering. Even the soap he used was brought from overseas. And at the tail end, he too had to undergo at least a fraction of the sufferings, without food or shelter, depressed and hunted by an unbelievably strong enemy, the Sri Lankan security forces. www.ruwanweerakoon.blogspot.com ==