The 89-year-old Tamil nationalist leader, P Nedumaran, created a stir Monday by claiming that V Prabhakaran, the LTTE chief killed by the Sri Lankan troops in their final offensive against the rebels in 2009, was still alive. Nedumaran said Prabhakaran would soon come out in the open and spell out his plans, adding that several members of his family, who were reportedly killed, were alive too.
Addressing a press conference at the Mullivaikkal Memorial in Thanjavur – set up by Nedumaran himself to commemorate the Mullivaikkal massacre during the final phase of the LTTE-Lankan army war in 2009 – the veteran Tamil nationalist said that the geopolitical situation and the Sinhalese people’s “revolt” overthrowing the Rajapaksa regime had led him to reveal the “truth” about Prabhakaran, whose death was officially announced and scientifically confirmed by the Lankan army.
“I want to say that Prabhakaran is still alive and doing well. I’m happy to tell the Tamil diaspora about that. All the rumours and questions about him might be thus answered. He would announce his next plan (to liberate) Tamil Eelam very soon himself,” Nedumaran claimed, urging Tamils around the world to come out to welcome him.
“When the LTTE was still around, they never let any anti-Indian forces use Sri Lankan land. But we can see that China’s influence in Sri Lanka has grown and that China now controls Sri Lanka… They are also getting more power over the Indian Ocean. I ask the Indian government to do what needs to be done to stop this geopolitical situation,” he said, calling upon “all Tamil people and parties” to rally in support of Prabhakaran.
Nedumaran said Prabhakaran’s “return” would also be important for protecting India’s geopolitical interests. “The Indian government is aware of the risks,” Nedumaran said. “This can be fixed by taking proactive steps to protect India’s interests, which will also help Eelam Tamils get justice.”
He claimed that Prabhakaran’s family was in touch with him, which led him to ascertain the “truth” about the slain LTTE leader. He hoped that the news would give a “new lease of life” to the “Tamil Eelam cause”.
“I am revealing the news about Prabhakaran with the permission of his family. Where is he and when will he show up – these are all valid questions, but I’ll just say that he’ll be back soon and everyone will know,” Nedumaran said.
