The Hindu : Front Page : LTTE wages hopeless battle

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Monday, May 18, 2009
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Front Page

LTTE wages hopeless battle

B. Muralidhar Reddy

No clarity on the fate of its chief Prabakaran

FROM INSIDE THE WAR ZONE: The Sri Lanka military and the remaining cadres of the LTTE on Sunday were engaged in one of the most intense battles witnessed during the 33-month-old phase of Eelam War IV.

Boxed in an area of approximately 600 metres, the Tigers waged a hopeless battle in a bid to prolong the inevitable, if not exactly to save the LTTE top brass.

Military commanders on the front believe that LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran is among the top leaders holed up in what could be the last battlefield. However, there was no clarity on the fate of the LTTE chief and the Defence Ministry only talked about the presence of Sea Tigers chief Soosai and other top Tiger leaders in the war theatre.

With over 50,000 fleeing civilians registering themselves at military checkpoints in the new safety zone (NSZ) in the last 72 hours, it was a free-for-all in the war zone. Since the military operations began at 5 a.m. on Sunday, loud explosions could be heard in the battle zone throughout the day.

“The likelihood of the Tigers committing suicide en masse or burning assets has not been ruled out,” the Ministry said. At least 150 Tiger cadres are believed to have been killed in the offensive. The casualties among the troops could not be ascertained. The fierce resistance put up by the LTTE has come as a bit of a surprise to the ground commanders and strengthened their suspicion that it was their last-ditch attempt to save senior Tiger leaders.

In a statement from outside Sri Lanka, the head of the LTTE International Affairs, K. Pathmanathan, said: “We need to do everything within our means to stop this carnage. If this means silencing our arms and entering into a peace process that is something that we have already agreed to.”

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who returned home from the G-11 Summit in Jordan, kneeled down in prayers on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo. Addressing the Summit on Saturday, Mr. Rajapaksa said he would return home only after participating in the Summit — to a country where all citizens had been liberated from the terrorism of the LTTE.

The Ministry said the troops in the war zone had already rescued all civilians held hostage. The LTTE resorted to an unsuccessful attack on the Army defence line on the eastern bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon .

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