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It has now emerged that the 54-year-old slain guerrilla leader was waiting till May 16, the day results of Lok Sabha elections were known, to decide on his and the outfit's future, but it was too late as the Sri Lankan Army had by then cut off all the escape routes. "Till May 16, he (Prabhakaran) was hoping that someone will interfere and stop the army from entering the final 'No Fire Zone' where he was held up," Sri Lankan Army sources said.
On May 16th afternoon, LTTE announced that it would allow all civilians trapped in the area held by them to leave to safety, apparently after knowing that the Congress, which it believed was hostile to him and the outfit, was set to return to power. Sources in the Tamil polity in Sri Lanka said the LTTE was hoping that there would be a popular upsurge for it in Tamil Nadu, where the general elections were fought on the Eelam plank, and that the Third Front or the NDA could come to power. "This (election results) might have upset Prabhakaran and other leaders of the outfit, but they did not have time to think or plan anything. They were boxed by the Army by that time," the Tamil sources said.
The LTTE chief would have thought that the Third Front and the NDA would not be so hostile as the Congress was, they said, adding that once the people started leaving the war zone, Sri Lankan Army swiftly rescued the civilians and took them to safe zones. AIADMK's Jayalalithaa, who was part of the Third Front, expressed support to the Sri Lankan Tamils cause and had even promised to send Indian Army to carve out Tamil Eelam from Sri Lanka if a government of her choice came to power in New Delhi.
On May 16 afternoon, LTTE's International Relations head Selvarasa Pathmanathan issued a statement in which the outfit virtually accepted defeat and asked the "global community to save the people of Wanni." They said Prabhakaran did not expect that the Sri Lankan forces would encircle him and his aides "so soon". The army also got a tip off from LTTE Sea Tigers chief Soosai's wife, who was taken into custody while trying to flee the island, that Prabhakaran and the top brass were still inside the war zone. "This emboldened the Army which went all out against the Tigers and virtually encircled them in a 2 sq. km area in the Wanni region on May 16. That gave no chance for any of the Tiger leaders to escape," the sources said.
Once the Army was sure that there were no more civilians in the area on the intervening night of May 16-17, troops confidently went into the jungles for a final offensive against the top LTTE leadership. "The civilian rescue mission paved the way for the security forces to clear the last LTTE remnants. Three divisions of Army entered the last area of the LTTE and began their offensive," the sources said.
Only after the final operation began, the LTTE conceded defeat, saying they have decided to "silence their guns." "This battle has reached its bitter end. It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness and hunger. We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with once choice to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns," the statement had said.
In the wee hours of May 18, the decades-old conflict that claimed more than 70,000 lives reached its end with the death of almost 600 LTTE men, including Prabhakaran, his son Charles Antony, Soosai, Pottu Amman and other leaders thus bringing down curtains on the Asia's longest civil war.
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Still hearing of brutal tortures made to Tamil people in Srilanka.Could nt some country interfere and stop the sufferings of innocent people?Even the animals wont be so brutal like the srilankan army .
India is an idiot country ruled by Italian Mafia who have NO interest in the welfare of India. India wait to be kicked from the bottom for letting chinese and Pakistan machinery firmly entrenched in Srilanka. Srilankan Singhala goons have played the game right and stupid India cannot see it. Long run India you have alienated the Tamils once an for all.
Indian stuppied leaders, Specially Southindians leaders are major kalliq for SL went this situation. Those are not happy when Sl developing. becase they wantt BN at SL. You all getting reply with your friends, any other one year SL will be one nation.after we should give the replyy.
Its not the lankan army which has won over the ltte it is the indian army and the indian funding of 2000 cr(intrest less) which brought weapons from pak and china.India is going get back this money by another war against china. Long live the congress Party of india and the Rajapaksa.I can feel the blood in my hands, we the people of india are reponsible for genocide in lanka. this is how a superpower emerges!!!. Shame on Indian Government
IPKF killed and raped Srilankan Tamils.It did not play a peace keeping role at all
EVEN THOUGH PRABHKARANN WAS WANTED IN INDIA FOR MURDER OF RAJIV GANDHI,HE SHOULD BEEN CAPTURED ALIVE. BUT I THINKM SUITS BOTH NEW DELHI
I dont know why prabhakaran waited that some one from india will interfare with SL army to enter no-war zone.If we remember LTTE killed brutally indian paratroopers (IPKF)when they were sent their to play a peace keeping role in SL.His extremist killed hundreds of indian jawans up in the air before they even touch the ground,if you remember.
No freedom fight will come to end unless otherwise there is equal rights are shared by Rajapakse govt to tamils,Some time freedom fight will be down but not out, Killing prabhakaran will not end the freedom struggle, You all peoples please wait and see what is going to happen in srilanka, it is easy to write that those who live by gun will die by gun, but it is very important that we are all useless people who is talking about this issue without stopping the genocide which was well planned and executed by srilanka govt.
I am sure India must feel so satisfied by standing as strong supporter and a complicit for genocides and war crime (killing of women and children, rape, forcible abortion of pregnant ladies, killing people for their body part etc) in Sri Lanka. Now the history is rewritten. I can’t tell any one that Mahathma Gandhi was born in this country. It is shame to that legend and many others. I am ashamed of my self to call as an Indian. Why did we let Italian Mafia to bring discredit to our country which was considered as a holy, spiritual, generous and non violence country in the whole world?
NOW ITS IS CLEAR INDIA WAS 100% AWARE ABOUT THE GENOCIDE AND RAPES OF SL TAMILS.USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND POISONOUSGAS BECAUSE ACCORDING TO COLOMBO THEY WERE UPDATING EVENTS REGULARLY TO DELHI (ITALIAN WOMAN???) THIS IS WHY INDIA IS BLOCKING UN INQUIRY OF WAR CRIMES IN SRI LANKA THIS MAY DRAG INDIANS TOO.HOW LONG THEY CAN BLOCK THIS????MOST IMPORTANT THE PRIVATE BANK ACCOUNTS OF INDIAN OFFCIALS IN DELHI AND UNITED NATIONS WHO ARE INVOLVING IN SRI LANKA AFFAIRES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.THESE VULTURES HAVE SOLD THEMSELVES AND STILL TRYING TO COVER UP THE CRIME OF SINHALA GOVT.AGAIN HOW LONG???? CHINA AND PAKIES ARE AT YOUR DOOR STOP ONE DAY THEY WILL NEED THE HEL OF SL TAMILS AFTER ALL THEY SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE OF INDIAN TAMIL SLAVES IN TAMIL NADU.
LTTE and the Tiger leader late Prabaharan would not have expected that the end would come so soon for him. He along with his cadres would have thought that there would be a small political mutiny in Tamil nadu, just before the election and that would bail /sail him out. Few leaders from Tamil nadu must have also given such a promise to him. They would have also further told him that NDA or the third front would come to the power and then they can have cake and also eat the same. Those who stood with the LTTE cause in Tamil Nadu did not realize that LTTE had only very little support in India. Politicians in Tamil Nadu thought that election time was the best time to whip up the feelings . They earnestly tried their best to create confusion in the minds of the public. Many forget that the Indian Government as well as many individuals had not only suffered in the hands of the rebels but also had to pay a heavy price . So there was tactical support from India.No wonder end came so soon.
Those who live by gun, will die by gun, those who live by bomb will die by bomb, those who live on coercion, intimidation and deceptions will die in the whirl wind of these.