The last straw

(April 06, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Inching close to the capture of Puthukudiyiruppu, the last military hold of the banned terrorist organisation the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE), it remains to be seen whether the arrest of the outfit’s head Prabhakaran dead or live in a ‘matter of time’ would be a reality.

Reports from the island government have said that if not for the Tamil civilians safety taken into consideration, the defence forces could wipe out the LTTE from the face of earth within half-an-hour.

Till the recent past, the elimination of the banned organisation has proved to be distant ‘dream’ for the Lankan defence forces. Not anymore, if the island government’s communique is to be believed.
As it is said that after the wresting hold of the final bastion of the outlawed force yesterday, the Lankan army is nearing a last- minute combat, that too, hand-to-hand.

So, it seems imminent that the decades-old ethnic strife is closing to an end, if one were to go by the reports saying that Prabhakaran’s eldest son Charles Anthony, an expert in explosives and aerial battles, had been wounded and the outfit, top commanders stationed at Puthukudiyiruppu, Prabhakaran’s bases, have been scalped by the Lankan defence forces which has been gaining ground into LTTE’s zone and effecting a seizure of 133 mm artillery gun and a huge haul of ammunition, not to mention the bullet-proof limousine of the fire-brand crusader of Tamils cause. In this march of the Lankan armed forces, heavy casualties have been wrought upon the cornered terror cadres. Statistics reveal that 420 bodies of LTTE warriors have been recovered in the past three days of intense battle on land and sea.

What is surprising to note is that the guerilla organisation has not mouthed a word about the outcome of the battle and the resultant loss it had incurred over the past few months. Maybe because it would not augur well, rather demoralise the remaining Tigers, if it had to post in its website that they have been driven to the wall.

However, yet another last bastion which is the Safe Zone, along the coast between the Mullaitivu lagoon and the sea east and north of Mullaitivu, where 1.5 lakh Tamils have converged on, is yet to be captured.

The Lankan defence has stated it cannot barge into this zone owing to presence of innocent civilians who had been more or less cannon fodder for the Tigers. It may be significant to note here that the LTTE had stated that it had started this war for their own good and that it would not be useless to pledge their lives.

Whatever the outcome of this warfare on the neighbouring isle, it would have an impact on the political scene in Tamilnadu, and the Indian Union at large where Parliamentary elections are to be held next month.

Many in Peninsular India have had an axe to grind when it comes to the cause of Tamils in the island country. For there have been a groundswell of opinion here that has been mixed, some considering the fight for Tamils cause as not in good taste and others saying it would do a world of good if Eelam is created.

In fact, Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had said that he would be the happiest man if at all Eelam sees the day of its birth, notwithstanding his alliance partner for the forthcoming LS elections the Congress, among others, have strongly disapproved of LTTE, ever since it had been instrumental in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

-Sri Lanka Guardian