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Tamil terrorist chief killed as civil war ends
Martin Bentham18.05.09
Sri Lankan army chiefs today claimed to have killed the leader of the Tamil Tigers as they announced the end of the 26-year war.
The death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, who has led the rebel group throughout the armed struggle, was revealed in a broadcast on state television which claimed he and two of his deputies were shot and killed trying to escape in an ambulance.
At the same time, the head of the Sri Lankan army, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka, claimed to have inflicted a final defeat upon the Tamil Tigers by routing the few remaining rebels still holding out against his troops' advance.
But there was anger in London where 2,000 Tamils gathered in Parliament Square to protest against what they claim are human rights abuses.
Six have begun a hunger strike to force the British Government to take more action against the Sri Lankan authorities.
The announcement that the leader of the Tamils had been killed brought a carnival atmosphere to the streets of the capital Colombo.
Rupavahini television, the state broadcaster, broke into its regular programming this afternoon.
Sri Lanka's army commander, Lt-Gen Sarath Fonseka, said his troops routed the last rebels from the northern war zone this morning and were working to identify the body of the Tigers' charismatic chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, from among the dead.
“We can announce very responsibly that we have liberated the whole country from terrorism,” he said.
In Colombo, which has suffered countless bombings by the Tigers, people set off fireworks, danced and sang in the streets.
“Myself and most of my friends gathered here have narrowly escaped bombs set off by the Tigers. Some of our friends were not lucky,” said Lal Hettige, 47, a businessman.
“We are happy today to see the end of that ruthless terrorist organisation and its heartless leader. We can live in peace after this.”
The joy among Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority was marred by a violent demonstration outside Britain's High Commission in Colombo.
More than 1,000 protesters threw rocks at the building and tossed a burning effigy of Foreign Secretary David Miliband inside and spray-painted the compound's heavily fortified wall with slogans and a message: “LTTE headquarters”.
Mr Miliband has been critical of how the Sri Lankan government has fought the war, backing calls for a war crimes investigation, and is seen within the country as sympathetic to the Tamil protesters who have demonstrated outside the Houses of Parliament since early last month.
Suren Surendiran, a spokesman for the British Tamils' Forum, said the community was in despair. “The people are very sombre and very saddened. But we are ever determined and resilient to continue our struggle for Eelam,” he added, invoking the name of the Tamils' hoped-for independent state.
“We have to win the freedom and liberation of our people.”
On the battlefield, huge clouds of black smoke rose as soldiers inspected the charred remains of rebel trucks and heavy artillery pieces.
Civilians carrying backpacks and rolling suitcases were escorted from the area.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said 63,000 civilians, who had been trapped in the war zone, had fled to safety in the past 72 hours.
Senior army officials said troops closed in on Prabhakaran and his final cadre early this morning.
He and his senior deputies drove an armour-plated van accompanied by a bus filled with rebel fighters toward approaching Sri Lankan forces, sparking a two-hour firefight.
Troops fired a rocket at the van, ending the battle. Soldiers pulled Prabhakaran's body from the van and identified it as that of the rebel leader.
The attack also killed Soosai, the head of the Tigers' naval wing, and Pottu Amman, the group's feared intelligence commander.
But a Tiger spokesman, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said the bodies of thousands of wounded and slain civilians lay strewn across the war zone.
“This battle has reached its bitter end,” he said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press.
“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 one last choice — to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns.”
The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority, who are mainly Hindus, after years of marginalisation at the hands of the Sinhalese, who are mostly Buddhists. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
In a sign of the intense international concern about Sri Lanka's conduct of the war, which has led to more than 1,000 civilian casualties in the last few weeks, the European Union today called for a criminal investigation.
The EU said it was appalled by the number of civilian deaths and the apparent flouting of human rights by the Sri Lankan troops.
It stated: “The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry. Those accountable must be brought to justice.”
The Sri Lankan government continues to insist its conduct has been justified since it began its relentless offensive to recapture the 15,000 sq km territory that the Tamil Tigers once held.
Reader views (50)
Hi, I'm a Tamil living in Colombo.
You have to really look at some few facts:
1. We (60% of Tamil population) were and are living amongst Sinhalese and Muslims, not in the North.
2. I don't believe LTTE fights for us, coz if they do, they will NEVER keep our own people as human shields and NEVER steal our children from their parents and make carders out of them.
3. LTTE provoked 1983 riots and paved the way to Tamils (more than 500000) to Europe via 'Asylum Visa', which then became 'Tamil Diaspora'.
4. Diaspora HAD TO fund LTTE, coz if the war is over, Diaspora dissolves as Asylum Visa comes void.
5. 'genocide', 'bloodbath' and such famous terms circulated in Western media are made by pro-LTTE media and Tamilnet.com.
6. Those websites are NOT something that represent our peoples. It is a pipe of fabrications hosted by the LTTE to systematically brainwash the international community with lies so that the West believes the reasons to grant Asylum Visa.
7. I, with many of my friends, celebrated the victory, coz I lost my cousin to an LTTE bomb. The situation here is very different from what we read from Western media.
- Paramalingam Vijendranath, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Finally the war is over here in Sri Lanka. As an ordinary citizen we have suffered for 30 years while the rest of the world watched. European and British citizens funded this war - tamil speaking. Why is it that you take oaths to uphold the constitution of your host country become its citizens, enjoy the benefits and fund terror activities in another. Why do your politicians suck up to a cause in Sri lanka is it to get votes?. There is a political system here, there is a democracy if the People of Sri lanka do not like a government we vote someone else in. I can understand the anger and disbelief of the demise of the LTTE. The Joy in Sri lanka cannot be put into words. All I ask is that those of you who have taken residence in other countries live under the laws of that country and love that country. If you are British, Tamil or Russian or Indian put your British Nationality first and behave in a manner that befits your nation. Politicians like Miliband will always exist.
As far as War crimes are concerned take a look at yourselves first. What about Afghans and Iraqi'a killed. Who will champion war crimes against those who bombed?
There is no Sri lankan that will endorse this. When the Tsunami struck we looked after ourselves. Look after your troubles first we can look after ourselves.
- Dilshan F, Colombo Sri Lanka
this UK parliament is the one hand over the Tamils fate to Sinhalese. So UK has to sort out the mess they create 60years ago. Bring SL govt to war crime tribunal for killing more than 25000 civilians last few weeks
- Nava, London , UK
Who decided to give shelter to these freaks in our country?! Our asylum policies seem to be a sham, when terrorists have been allowed to live amongst us.
- Richard, London, UK
save the tamils
- Kauri, tooting
Velupillai Prabhakaran may be dead, but killing people does not kill ideals. If the causes for the Tamils' unrest are not dealt with, it's all going to kick off again some time!
- Paulo Uccello, London, UK
Sri Lankans are not anti-British. Just annoyed with Miliband (the mili brain) for the way he handled the sutiation, and the pro-terrorist statements. Given UKs anti terror drive, and activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, Swat region in pakistan, the threat to stop the war and negotiate was totally out of place. It was hypocrasy. This situation could have been handled way better than how he did. Acting like the colonial master threatening the poor third world country! The civilians were held as a human shield by the LTTE terrorists, and as long as the west made (sometimes farcicle) threats and requests to the Sri Lankan government to stop the war, the LTTE felt they could save themselves to fight another day by prolonging the suffereing of the innocent civlians they held. If the UK and other said from the begining nothing doing, LTTE release the people, the results MAY have been different. The UK (and EU) should have also heleped the Sri Lankan government with resources to minimise the civilain casualties (e.g. high tech equipment for intel gathering, smart guided munitions etc). Before the EU decides to dock Colombo for war crimes, please send Bush and Blair in first. Destabilising Iraq has killed hundreds of thousands.
The people of Sri Lanka has suffered in a way the people of UK cannot even imagine for the last thirty years. Imagine 7/7 happening once a month for thirty years!!
We in Sri Lanka are finally going to see real peace and we never caved into terror!
- Michael Yates, London, UK
S Fernando - I agree that many Sinhalese and Tamil people are able to coexist and that it is a blessing that this war is finally over. You blame the LTTE for this bloodshed out of loyalty to your Sinhala roots, but you cannot deny the blood the Sri Lankan government has on its hands. And I refer not just to the recent offensives, but to the murdering and raping of innocent Tamils by the Sri Lankan army which triggered this war 26 years ago.
- Educating The Masses, London
The Tamil Tigers are no worse or better than the Sri lankan government, just different. Milliband, if anything, favoured the Government supporters by branding the tigers "terrorists", if they are, they are terrorists like the Dutch, French, Russian and Polish resistance workers were "terrorists" to the Nazis.
Why these pro government people have demonstrated against the UK is quite monsterous, if they hate us so much, will all Sri Lankans living in the UK go straight back home in disgust? No? thought not.
- Anon, Purley
In response to Educating the Masses, London - of course I know the protestors against Milliband were Sinhalese. I am in Sri Lanka at the moment and get first hand information. If you read my comments properly, my reference was about the protesting Tamils in foreign countries. My point was that burning effigies achieved nothing and asking the question as to why the LTTE atrocities against their own people was not an issue with the protestors.
- S Fernando, London and Sri Lanka
Thank God it's over.
Coming from someone with absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.
- Steve, London
It is sad that a Sri Lankan mob has behaved appalingly outside our High Commission in Colombo which I consider as a very rare incident. I worked in Sri Lanka for over 20 years and found it and its people are amazing. They like UK and talks always with gratitude that we gave them - a good education, legal and transport systems.
I am very sad that naive policies adopted by this government and the Foreign Office on Sri Lanka has put us in blackbooks. Being sympathetic only to Tamils and allowing them to have field days in the heart of London have angered both Sri Lanka and India. This is why we did not get susbtantial support on this issue from India.
Trying isolate Sri Lanka in the West and in Americas would do more harm than good. Foreign Office mandarins must look at the fact that Sri Lanka is now looking for new allies in the Arab world and in China. These are now good developments for us. Before charging them with war crimes we must look at our own basket - in Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and now in Pakistan which we have got thanks to Blair.
So, instead of trying to teach lessons to Sri Lanka we must first sort out our own problems and clean up our own Parliament.
- Philip Dulverton, Taunton, UK
If there is still a conflict then the West can still exert political influence on Srilanka. Unfortunately with the war ending that influence has gone. War always comes with a price, and human price is inevitable. But for a greater cause it is worthwhile to brign this conflict to an end and bring stability to the country. Congratulation on your victory Srilanka.
- Chris, London
Milliband you are a fool! Please do something about that sorry excuse for a beard. Hasn't anyone told him we have enough problems on our hands than dealing with a bunch of fanatics. Revoke their asylum status and send them home! I've been reading about this war and the LTTE seem to be vicious. Anyone for a suicide belt? Leave us to get on with our lives please and go home!!!!
- Richard De Souza, London, UK
Roger, Surry. I disagree. Millipede is my MP, I've seen him up close. The effigy is his mirror image. If I met the effigy walking down our high street I would go up to it and ask if it had fiddled its expenses. Perhaps we could persuade the Sri Lankans to build another 638 effigies who could replace our current crooked MPs, I bet they would do a better job, too.
- Ant, South Shields
Burning an effigy of David Milliband or any other is a pointless exercise, however as for the protestiting Tamils in foreign cities, I have to ask, why they did not protest against the LTTE who were also eliminating their own people. There are many million Tamils who live peacefully amongst their Sinhalese brothers in the South. Yet, the Sinhalese people cannot live in the North. The Tamil race is not being wiped out, there are over 50 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu itself but only about 20 million approx Sinhalese. This is a small country where most people co-habit peacefully and tolerently with many different nationalities and religions. I live both in London and Sri Lanka and was heartened to hear the compassion expressed by the ordinary Sinhalese people for the terrible situation for the innocent civilians caught up in the battles in the North. There is no animosity here for the Tamil people as a whole. Only for the terrorists.
I am currently in Sri Lanka and the Euphoria is plain to see, but you can't blame the man on the street for this celebration. The country has suffered long enough in the hands of the LTTE terrorists. Time for progress - North and South!
- S Fernando, London and Sri Lanka
Before rushing to make 'smart' remarks, can you read the article properly first.
"Protesters in Sri Lanka today burned an effigy of Foreign Secretary David Miliband and accused the Government of supporting Tamil Tiger rebels."
Those protestors were supporters of the Sri Lankan Government and were therefore Sinhalese NOT Tamil. Everyone's an expert.
Next lesson: 1 + 1 = 2
- Educating The Masses, London
ill pay for milibungs flight as long as the sri lankans promise to burn him for me. that will be one idiot corrupt labour fool down.
- Mikeeee, peterborough uk
@ Brian, Wiltshire
No help needed, thank you very much.
- Schweigen2009, London, UK
What are these people doing here anyway? they obviously don't give a damn for the innocent civilians caught up in this -which is Milliband's concern-and can't see that this concern does not mean sympathy for the Tigers. So why should we give a damn about them?
- Alan, London
There is obviously a need for more funding in effigy building in Sri Lanka. Even the simple addition of a single banana would have made the image more understandable.
- Roger, Surrey
A Spokesperson at the British High Commission in Colombo in a statement has expressed outrage that the Sri Lankan Govt allowed this demonstration to take place outside the british HC in COlombo. I wonder what the spokesperson had to say about the proestsing tamils in London climbing the Westminister abbey and blocking parliament sqare.. what a hypocrital statement
- Tharun Gnanapragasam, London
I don't agree with you, Pat Regan: anyone who wages war uniquely using cowardly guerrilla attacks on civilians and who uses violence as a form of blackmail to get their own way is, in my book, a Terrorist - irrespective of the merits of their cause. Anyone who cannot get the rights deserved by all humans from their Government should wage civil war, with a properly formed army, fighting the army of the side it opposes. 'Do as I say or I'll blow up anther Prime Minister' isn't exactly the best foundation for a new democracy.
- Roz, France
I fully agree with K, london
That's why we need action by the Police, speaker and PM. MP's are unable to do the task we elect them to do. MP's have become the only story in town and for all the wrong reasons Until the public get answers everything else has become second fiddle (pun)
- Gary, Brentwood
I'm confused. Who is protesting in Parliament Square today?
The Tamils, the other lot or the, "Let's String up an MP fraudster" brigade.
- Bj, London
So all this fighting in Sri lanka is Labours fault now? u sad dumb people ! these people would fight and kill over a ball of string they hate each other so much, there is nothing that can be done by anyone outside of this country, they must learn to co-operate and be human beings before they can be helped.
- Brian, Wiltshire
Oh just go away, we have enough crap to deal with of our own in this country without having to put up with some third world country's rubbish.
PS - Can you buy these effigies online somewhere?!
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Tamils in London demand that the UK government does their bidding, illegally block access to our national parlaiment and are allowed to desecrate Westminster Abbey.
And now Sinhalese in Colombo are burning effigies of our Foreign Secretary.
Message to UK goverment: pandering to the agenda of one minority community in the UK angers another minority community and others abroad. UK policy must not be dictated by those who shout the loudest and behave in the most confrontational fashion.
The handling of the Tamil demos has angered many citizens of this country.
- Danny, London
Has'nt anyone told that prat Milliband that we no longer have an empire.
- John, EPSOM
this clown milliband cant even shave properly he runs about with bum fluff on his face and more or less talks a lot of nonsense he is wants to try and fix our own broken country and keep his nose out of other peoples business i dont think he has a safe seat either the people up north unless they are all thick i cant see them voting labour ever again they have all been rumbled treating everyone in this country like fools we are all powerless realy to do anything about them and proves we never ever had a true democratic country we are all just used to work and pay taxes for them all to line their pockets nu labour, taxes on evertthing traffic wardens spy cams threatening to crush peoples transport if they dont have car tax cash for honours illegal wars the list is endless it is all so sad
- James Fennessey, london
Interesting to see labour supporting terrorists. Pity they didn't show the same determination with the Palestinians
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland
Actually, Labour has been funnelling British taxpayers' money to bomb-makers in Palestine for years. Hopefully the next government will stop pandering to minority groups and start dealing with the fact that immigrant communities in Britain are the main fund-raisers for international terrorism.
- John North, London, UK
The politicians are too busy robbing the British taxpayers to care about anything else.
- K, london
Although Great Britain gained control of the whole island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1815 I am not sure about how much this issue now to do with the UK population struggling under the Credit Crunch. As always one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. It all depends on which side of the fence one is standing on and yes, I am also thinking about the volatile Irish and Middle East situations herein.
Pat Regan: Author of Dirty politics
- Pat Regan, southport
I hope no one thinks Sri Lankans are anti-British, they certainly are not in my experienc of living here for 4 years. It's just that idiotic apology for a Foreign Minister we're now lumbered with. Seems like a lot of Brits share Sri Lanka's opinion of Milliband.
Please send a cricket team as soon as possible so we can restore harmonious diplomatic relations!
- Candidly, Kandy, Sri lanka
Don't burn it ! The Tate Modern will pay you big bucks for that.
- Doug Watt, london e14
Who is David Milliband anyway? He has a safe Labour seat in South Shields. What is his connection with this area, he was born in London? It would appear that his progress as politician to Foreign Secretary has basically hinged on the decisions of a select few, made in secret, not the electorate. Do we not deserve a better Foreign Secretary than just a career politician with limited international experience? What sort of democracy is this?
- Harry H, London UK
This is the result of Milliband poking his nose into another countries business. The UK's previous effort was to send a failed Kilmarnock solicitor Des Browne to 'mediate'. Stop supporting terrorists like the 'Tamil Tigers' and start to uphold law and order by clearing out their supporters from Parliament Square today. Get the 'lickspittle Commissioner' to start upholding the law and earn his high pay package.
- Nick Holland, glasgow
Interesting to see labour supporting terrorists. Pity they didn't show the same determination with the Palestinians
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland
They're welcome to burn effigies of pretty much everyone in Parliament right now.
- Marianne, SW France/London
Is Milliband relevant in anyway?
- Matt, London
a terror movement destroyed. At some cost, but not as bad as the Tamil's propaganda figures accepted by the UN as truth because the fictitious "doctor in the area" said so.
- Maurits, London, UK
Do you know, I don't blame the protesters not one little bit and congratulations to them all for getting their country back from the insurgents at long last!
Miliband and the Nu Labour government should not be supporting terrorist organisations like the Tamil Tigers in any way shape or form. Unless of course Britain's officially declared "War on Terrorism", in conformity with the rest of her NATO allies, is only really in fact a war on 'Islamic' terrorism?
- Derrick, A Once Great Land
The resemblance is simply eerie, is that a £450 “Gatsby” John Lewis sofa he is sitting on paid for by the British tax payer?
- Gary, Brentwood
If only they had waited till next June, they could have the real thing.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
Another triumph of British (or should that be Tamil Tiger inspired)diplomacy.
All the more ironic, as the reason India - under Indira Gandhi - first armed and trained the Tamil Tigers was because the Sri Lankan Government elected in the 1977 election was decidely more pro-Western than its predecessor and India. The Indians were worried that they might lease the former Royal Navy base at Trincomalee to the US Navy.
- D Marks, London, UK
I'm no Tamil but I'd quite happily burn an effigy of Milliband too.
- Steve, London
Only Tamil protesters . . . ?
- Roz, France
I can imagine it:
- What are you doing?
- We're burning an effigy of David Milliband!
- Who's David Milliband???
- Tim, London
Blimey, they must be the only people outside the Uk who actually know who Milly Bland is!
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
There's Tamil Tiger gratitude for you.
Compared to what's happened to other democratically elected leaders who they have taken a dislike to, he's got off lightly.
Perhaps he and the French Foreign Minister should concentrate their efforts on international agreement to revoke asylum status of 'refugees' waging war from our territory (or is he waiting for a BNP govt to do it for him?).
Please remember: all Tamils are not the same as this band of fanatics. There are more than enough bodies to prove that.
- D Marks, London, UK
