Which is good for the country? Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman Dead or Alive!

by Malin Abeyatunge

(December 17, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) It’s time to ponder on the subject which is good for the country? Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman Dead or Alive! Prabhakaran’s “Mythical Eeelam” about to vanish in to thin air. Prabhakaran’s citadel will come crumbling down very soon. By now, Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman may be scheming to escape. Tamil Nadu pro LTTE groups may be burning midnight oil in scheming plans to rescue Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman to a safer place. Where he will be safer? Tamil Nadu, London or Scarborough (little Eelam) in Torronto. London or Canada would be safer as they are LTTE havens. With assassination charges framed in India on Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman of killing Rajiv Gandhi, even under the patronage of Tamil Nadu, exile in India is very unlikely unless the Indian government gives official pardon to both of them which is also very unlikely. One thing I can bet on is that Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman will never bite the cyanide pill, if captured because they love their life albeit he has taken oath from his LTTE cadres that they will not surrender to the enemy (Govt. forces) but bite the cyanide pill.

Which is worth? Whether Prabhakaran as captured and alive or dead. If he is captured alive, then Sri Lanka will have added problems and I guess that there will be two scenarios to evaluate. One is whether he is to be handed over to India for the killing of Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi. What’s the guarantee that he will be sentenced to death? What if Indian Government gives both an official pardon? Tamil Nadu will launch a strong campaign to save his life. The second scenario is instead of extraditing him to India, whether to imprison him for 200 years in Sri Lanka for his involvement in Central Bank bombing. At this point, I begin to wonder, with all the killings of thousands and thousands of innocent people, why our justice system could not frame him for murder and sentence him to death. See the cost involved, if he is kept as a prisoner for 200 yrs (if he lives so long).

If Prabhakaran is captured alive and imprisoned in Sri Lanakan prison, he has to be kept in isolation in an isolated Sri Lankan islet in an isolated prison like famous A’lcatraz (tiny island) in San Francisco Bay California meant for dangerous criminals because he is also a dangerous criminal and should not be put in an ordinary prison. If kept in an ordinary prison with other inmates probably with LTTE prisoners, there will be room for prison breakaways and rescue operations by escaped LTTE terrorists have to be envisaged. Special security measures have to be taken at a cost. What will be the cost involved in such an operation and is it worth spending tax payer’s money to keep him imprisoned.

But if the forces can get Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman dead than captured alive none of these problems or extra cost to the government will arise. The remaining LTTE cadres will give both a suitable burial or cremation which deems right for taking down them the garden path.

So I think it’s better to get Prabhakarn and Pottu Amman dead than alive. - Sri Lanka Guardian