Tamil Tiger Leaders 'Killed Trying To Surrender'

Tamil Tiger Leaders 'Killed Trying To Surrender'

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 21, 2009: Two top members of the Tamil Tigers may have been shot by their own side or executed by Sri Lankan troops while trying to surrender, according to conflicting accounts of the last days of the rebels. Hours before the Sri Lankan defence ministry announced the entire rebel leadership had been killed and the decades-old war won, Tamil Tiger political chief B. Nadesan and Peace Secretariat head S. Pulideevan were trying to give themselves up. An auto rickshaw driver reads a newspaper fronted with the latest photograph released by the government of dead Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in Colombo on May 20, 2009. Sri Lanka marked victory over Tamil Tiger rebels with a national holiday, though security forces were on a state of high alert against revenge attacks. On Sunday night, the pair called the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the island's former peace broker Norway, asking for the message to be passed to the Sri Lankan army, diplomats and aid officials said. The Red Cross confirmed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) officials had made contact in the closing hours of the war, after offering to "silence their guns." "We were approached by the LTTE and Norway as part of our role as a neutral intermediary," ICRC spokeswoman Sarasi Wijeratne said, adding that the message was passed to the Sri Lankan government. "I don't know what happened. We lost contact with the LTTE in the final stages," Wijeratne told AFP According to a diplomat familiar with the communications, the last message from Pulideevan was that "they were going to cross over with a white flag, with their families." The source asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. "The next thing we heard was on Monday morning, when the Sri Lankans said they were dead. But what transpired after the satellite phone calls, I don't know. "They may have been shot by their own side for trying to surrender. They may have got out too late, as troops were moving in. They may have been executed by the army. In Sri Lanka, neither side takes any prisoners," the source said. The Tamil Tigers were infamous for wearing cyanide capsules around their necks to avoid being captured alive, and seldom took prisoners during their quarter-century fight for an independent state. Government troops were equally ruthless towards an enemy that had perfected the use of the suicide bomber. A second diplomatic source said Nadesan and Pulideevan -- who always cast themselves as LTTE politicians rather than fighters -- did appear to want to live. "They were non-stop on the phone, trying to get out," the diplomat said. He refused to speculate on the circumstances of their deaths, but commented that "Sri Lanka is just one big violation of the Geneva Conventions." A senior Sri Lankan official said the two were killed by their own side. "I was contacted by a third party (ICRC) saying that the two of them want to surrender," the island's foreign secretary, Palitha Kohona, told AFP. "I told them to follow the widely accepted procedure -- take a white flag and walk slowly towards the army lines in an unthreatening manner. What I learnt subsequently is that the two of them were shot from behind as they tried to come out. "They had been killed by the LTTE," he said. The LTTE has accused the Sri Lankan government of carrying out a "well-planned massacre" of unarmed officers with the aim of eliminating the Tigers' political structure. The LTTE's chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement on Monday that "some member states of the international community" had made arrangements with the Sri Lankan military for discussions on an orderly end to the war. He claimed Pulideevan and Nadesan "were instructed to make contact with the 58th Division of the Sri Lankan forces in the war zone, un-armed and carrying white flags... When they complied they were both shot and killed." The exact circumstances of the last moments of the LTTE, including of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, are unlikely to ever be known. Prabhakaran's corpse has been shown on state television, apparently with a gunshot wound to the head. Defence sources initially said on Monday that he was killed while trying to flee in an ambulance and that his body was badly burned. The ICRC, the only neutral organisation that was working in the war zone, had to halt its operations in the final stages of the war because of heavy fighting. The ICRC also has a strict code of secrecy. Independent journalists, rights workers and diplomats are also barred from the conflict area.

Tamil Doubts Over Rebel Leader's Death

Tamil Doubts Over Rebel Leader's Death

(NSI News Source Info) May 19, 2009: The Sri Lankan military has released pictures of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran which it says prove conclusively that he is dead. State and private stations aired footage of what they said was the body of Prabhakaran, along with what looked like his Tamil Tiger identity card and tag. The army says his body has been positively identified with DNA testing. But rebel sympathisers say questions remain about when and how he and other rebel leaders were killed, and over apparently contradictory statements in relation to his reported death. Some among Sri Lanka's Tamil community and the influential Tamil diaspora doubt whether the rebel leader really is dead. Ambushed Video: Sri Lanka: govt says it has found Tamil leader's body "The government is eager to present this as its Ceausescu moment - with photographs of the body of the tyrant widely released to give the impression that a defining moment has been reached," one Colombo-based diplomat told the BBC - drawing an analogy with the filmed execution of the Romanian dictator in December 1989. "But there are questions surrounding Prabhakaran's identity tag. Is it really credible that a man reputed to have numerous lookalike doubles to avoid capture by the army would really carry this around with him?" The army says Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body was found on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon, his last stronghold in north-east Sri Lanka. Army spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said the rebel leader had been shot in scrubland - probably in fierce fighting on Monday morning. That statement contradicted an earlier announcement - made on state television but never verified by the army - that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body was discovered on Monday. It said Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance. He had been badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, it said. Our beloved leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is alive and safe Selvarasa PathmanathanTamil Tiger official State TV also said the rebel leader's body had been found with those of intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Soosai - the Tamil Tiger naval commander. But on Tuesday the army said Soosai's death had not been confirmed. Its version of events was first given by Gen Sarath Fonseka. "The good news from the war front is that the body of the leader of the terrorist organisation which destroyed the country for the last 30 years, Prabhakaran, has been found (on Monday) morning by the army. We have identified the body," he said. Moments later, the private TV stations Derana and Swarnavahini showed soldiers surrounding what the troops said was Prabhakaran's body, with his distinctive moustache and regulation tiger-stripe camouflage fatigues. Denial The government argues that there are perfectly innocent explanations for the differing accounts of Prabhakaran's death - that in war time what is happening on the battlefront can sometimes get confused. The BBC Tamil section's Jagadheesan Leklapoodi says that following the release of the photographs most Indian Tamil newspapers appear to have accepted that Prabhakaran is dead. "But the Tamil population around the world will only grudgingly accept that is the case," he said. "Prabhakaran is revered by some of them as the liberation hero fighting for their cause for over 30 years. Many of them will find it difficult to accept that he is no longer on the scene." So far the most influential pro-rebel website, TamilNet, has not acknowledged the death. Speaking before the release of the photos, a rebel official abroad denied Prabhakaran had been killed and said the Tamil Tiger leader was "alive and safe". "He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people," Selvarasa Pathmanathan said in a statement posted on the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site on Tuesday. But he offered no further details or evidence to support the claim, only drawing attention to what he said was Colombo's "treachery" in the killings of senior unarmed Tamil Tiger political wing leaders in the north-east, who he said had been shot as they carried white flags. While the land fighting between the two sides has finished - the propaganda battle continues undiminished.

EU Nations Calls For Sri Lanka War Crimes Probe

EU Nations Calls For Sri Lanka War Crimes Probe

(NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS - May 18, 2009: European Union nations called Monday for an independent war crimes investigation into the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, who chaired EU foreign ministers talks, said the EU wanted alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws investigated. A Tamil supporter protests against the war in Sri Lanka outside the EU Council in Brussels during an EU Foreign Ministers meeting, Monday May 18, 2009. European Union nations have called for an independent war crimes probe into the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka. It remained unclear who the EU wanted to carry out such a probe in Sri Lanka. Its government said Monday it has crushed the 25-year conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels and had killed rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. Kohout suggested "national authorities" in Sri Lanka could conduct such an investigation, but he also mentioned U.N. officials. "Those accountable must be brought to justice," the ministers said in a statement. As the appeal was issued, about 2,000 British Tamils staged an emotional protest outside Britain's houses of parliament in London. The protesters covered themselves in homemade bandages stained with fake blood and re-enacted what they said were attacks by the Sri Lankan army on Tamil civilians. British Tamils had called for a cease-fire, for humanitarian aid to be sent to the island nation's affected areas, and for the U.N. and international media to be allowed into restricted areas to assess the situation. Regarding the EU reaction, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said there have been "very grave allegations" of war crimes on both sides of the conflict and "they should be properly investigated." But others said the priority should be on getting humanitarian aid to civilians caught in the crossfire. "Now we face ... an extremely difficult humanitarian situation," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "What we are asking is that the United Nations has access to these civilians." She said the European Commission stood ready to provide extra aid. It gave euro3 million ($4 million) in emergency funding for the International Red Cross in April. The ministers urged authorities to seek reconciliation with the country's minority Tamil population. "The future of Sri Lanka is dependent on its ability to build an inclusive society for all of its citizens," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. "The sooner that starts the better." The U.N. said 7,000 civilians were killed in heavy fighting between Jan. 20 and May 7. The U.N.'s human rights office said last week there was evidence the rebels had forced civilians to stay in the conflict zone and had shot at those who tried to flee. EU nations, along with others, had appealed in recent weeks for a cease-fire to safeguard the tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone, but the government refused, denying reports it was shelling the densely populated war zone. The EU reiterated its condemnation of the Tamil rebels for using civilians as shields and forcibly recruiting them into its militias. It urged the rebels to "renounce terrorism and violence once and for all." Separately, former Sri Lanka peace mediator Erik Solheim said Monday in Oslo that the government must follow up its military victory with an effort to build a lasting peace. Solheim, who is now Norway's minister of environment and international aid, said the international community should urge Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to start a reconciliation process with the Tamil minority. "The Sri Lankan government has won the war, but they have not yet won the peace," Solheim told The Associated Press by phone. "As the victor, the government has the greatest responsibility for peace and reconciliation." Solheim spearheaded a secret quest for peace in Sri Lanka that resulted in a 2002 cease-fire that collapsed three years later. The EU branded the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization in 2006, trying cut off funding to the group from EU countries. The rebels had fought since 1983 for an independent state for the Tamil minority, which suffered decades of marginalization at the hands of governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

Sri Lanka Army To 'Free' Civilians

Sri Lanka Army To 'Free' Civilians

(NSI News Source Info) February 1, 2009: The Sri Lankan military has said it will move to "liberate" thousands of civilians in Tamil Tiger rebel areas. The announcement came after the expiry of a 48-hour government truce for civilians to leave the combat zone. International concern has grown over the safety of civilians trapped behind the lines during recent heavy fighting. Meanwhile, the government has warned it will expel diplomats, aid agencies and journalists it deems biased in favour of the Tamil Tigers. An army offensive has pushed the rebels into a 300-sq-km (110-sq-mile) corner of jungle in the north-east of the island, which aid agencies say also holds 250,000 civilians. The army secured the strategic Elephant Pass on 9 January, sandwiched between the capture of the rebels' de facto capital, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu. The agencies say the people are facing a desperate situation, with hundreds killed in combat in recent days and food supplies running low. The government says the number of civilians is closer to 120,000 and that the army has a policy of not firing at civilians. The Sri Lankan government accuses the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of not allowing civilians to leave, saying they are being used as human shields. The rebels say the civilians prefer to stay where they are under Tamil Tiger "protection". The reports can not be independently confirmed as neither side allows journalists near the war zone. 'Utmost care' Officials said about 300 civilians had crossed into government-held territory during the 48-hour truce, which expired late Saturday. "We will now have to save the civilians and move in," the spokesman, Kaheliya Rambukwella, said. "It is now very evident that [Tamil Tiger leader Valupillai] Prabhakaran is... using civilians as cover," Mr Rambukwella said. "We will take the utmost care of civilians when we move in." The military has captured the key towns of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and the strategically important Elephant Pass to the Jaffna peninsula in recent weeks. The BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan has been in the city of Jaffna on one of the first government-approved media trips to the city - the cultural capital of Sri Lanka's Tamil community - in months. The army captured the last remaining major rebel base of Mullaitivu on 25 January. BBC reporter Chris Morris, who was taken to Mullaitivu, says it is a ghost town, full of broken buildings. He said thousands of people had attended a rally held by a pro-government Tamil party calling for the rebels to allow civilians to leave the war zone. Meanwhile a senior government official warned that diplomats, aid agencies and media, including the BBC, will be expelled from Sri Lanka if they seem to favour the Tamil Tiger rebels. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said bias among some foreigners was damaging security forces as they dealt the "final blow" to the rebels. The Sri Lankan army says it is continuing to make advances in its offensive against the Tamil Tigers in the north-east. In an interview with the Sunday Island newspaper, Mr Rajapaksa accused the ambassadors of Switzerland and Germany, and news organisations the BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera of being biased. "They will be chased away [if they try] to give a second wind to the LTTE terrorists at a time when the security forces, at heavy cost, are dealing them the final blow," he was quoted as saying. Mr Rajapaksa said the media organisations were sensationalising civilian hardships by playing video clips from Tamil Tiger websites.