The Promised Land

“Today many intelligence sources say, although the security forces managed to disable LTTE military wing, its intelligence head Pottu Amman and some others escaped unharmed.”
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By Keethi Ratnayaka

(November 27, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Shanmugalingam Sivashankar, also known as Pottu Amman is a Sri Lankan Tamil Militant,v currently in the wanted list of Interpol for terrorism further, indicted by the Indian government's Jain Commission for involvement in the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Though India made a request to the Sri Lankan Government soon after the military crushed the LTTE in the Wanni in May for the death certificates of Tiger Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence head Pottu Amman, to wrap up the case into the assassination of former Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi, Colombo has so far failed to act on the request. Sources at the Foreign Ministry, through which the formal request was made by the Indians, however, said the responsibility for furnishing the two death certificates was with the Attorney General’s Department.

Mahinda Rajapaksa who returned from Jordan on Sunday (May 17th) addressed the nation on Tuesday (May 19th) and Wednesday (May 20th) was a national holiday. President Rajapaksa confirmed the LTTE leader's death in a telephone call to the Indian Foreign Minsiter Pranab Mukherjee, who in turn arranged for the Indian national security adviser MK Narayanan and foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon to travel to Sri Lanka. Responding to the where about of Pottu amman, Gotabhaya said, "We have identified the bodies of all the leaders except Pottu Amman. Our soldiers were on a search and destroy operation and in these circumstances, Pottu Amman's body could not be identified ... There were so many bodies we could not identify. All the people who were there were killed and I am 100 per cent sure that Pottu Amman was also killed in the confrontation with Army."

Today, not only is there much controversy about the death of Pottu Amman, but Prabhakaran as well, with some Tamil circles argue that both are not dead, while others are speculating about how he died. Many have raised doubts about the Government version of events and have become suspicious of its behavior. On 22, May 2009 an Army spokesman admitted that no DNA testing was done on the purported body of Prabakaran to prove his identity. They solely relied physical identification. In more the same way, contrary to previous claims of having performed a DNA analysis, the Minister of Defense ordered the body burnt quickly. Most independent journalists and the ICRC were not allowed to see the body. The body was also not brought to Colombo, as rumored, but Karuna was air lifted to the Wanni to help identify the body.

The Sri Lankan government concocted many stories about the body, first saying they found it in an ambulance, then in a lagoon. Next they said a DNA test was done and was conclusive, but later an Army spokesman said that it was not required because Karuna and Daya Master identified the body, and the Government also had a video. This seems almost comical,as Karuna is not a DNA specialist. Prabha's LTTE Identity Card, as shown by the government TV, was another comical act, which could have been recovered from one of Prabha’s earlier hideout. Furthermore, would the most wanted man in the area dress in army camouflage and carry his identity card? The Sri Lankan prime minister confirmed to CNN and IBN that the three leaders Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman, and Soosai were killed when they ran into a Special Forces squad while driving out in an ambulance with protection. Would they expose themselves to collective risk by traveling together in such a fashion?

For ten years Sri Lankan intelligence has possessed Prabakaran's finger prints.When the central bank bomb case was being investigated, CI Nilabdeen was traced by trailing an arrested LTTE cadre.This cadre revealed that Prabakaran had given him a plaque as token and went to have a "last supper" with Praba before embarking on the suicide mission.This plaque was recovered from a house in Trincomalee. Then, fingerprints were taken by SL intelligence, but SL intelligence didn't possess a master finger print to match. However, there were reports within Indian intelligence that Praba was fingerprinted twice in India. Once after the Pondi bazaar shooting 1982 and the other after the arms seized in 1986. Subsequently, CI Nilabdeed received a prefect match with the master copies from India. If the government wanted to prove the LTTE leader's death by judicial, medical evidence there were many measures available, but the government merely staged a comedy.

The main respondents in the Lakshman Kadirgamar assassination case are Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman. A special report submitted by the Defence Ministry to the Colombo High Court, related to the assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar states that although there is confirmation on the death of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on May 19 near the Nandikadal lagoon, there is as yet no verification received to prove the death of LTTE Intelligence Unit Head, Pottu Amman. The report was handed over to Colombo High Court Judge Kumudini Wickremasinghe. The special report submitted to the Colombo High Court by SL Defense minister states that LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed near the Nandikadal lagoon on May 19 and that the remains were confirmed to be of the LTTE leader following a DNA test, conducted with samples extracted from his son, Charles Anthony. But story of the DNA test was hood-wink created by the Sri Lankan Defence minister to cover their own bull.

The Defence Ministry report also states that the intelligence units have confirmed that Shivashankar alias Pottu Amman was shot around 4 a.m. on May 18 when he tried to cross the Nandikadal lagoon with a group of LTTE cadres and that he succumbed to his injuries. However, the report states that it is yet to be confirmed if the body recovered is definitely the remains of Pottu Amman. When the Judge inquired from the defence lawyers if there were any objections to the report presented by the Defence Ministry on the death of Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman, the court observed that the defence had no objections and the court accepted the report of the defense minister, although the requirement in such a case is usually a death certificate. While the Kadirgamar assassination case was fixed for the forth date, the judge ordered the names of Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman to be removed from the list of respondents even without the death certificates, but Sri Lankan the defense minister's reports are totally invalid where Indian establishments are concerned. Now its seems Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence is carrying out the duties of the attorney general by reminiscing the story of the dog and donkey.

Today many intelligence sources say, although the security forces managed to disable LTTE military wing, its intelligence head Pottu Amman and some others escaped unharmed. Further, it was reported that a daring attack was launched by the LTTE on the 18th may 2009 after the 58th and 59th divisions linked up. Defence.lk reported that "attack on the Nanthikadal lagoon was foiled." In fact, the Tigers carried out a surprise attack under the cover of darkness when 60 to 80 black tigers attacked to brake the siege and few leader managed to flee the battle. The last words of LTTE " This battle has reached its bitter end. We decided to silence our guns" is a secret message to remaining cadres to pause to its operations instead of trying to wage a guerrilla war directly afterwords. It is difficult to think Pottu Amman or any other senior leader will make an appearance in the North on Nov 27, as it is not the right time, but it is worth quoting Gen.Fonseka:

“What we did in this fight was to destroy the front-line killers, but we don’t think that all Eelamists are destroyed, ... Everyone must remember that the war is still not over. As an army, as a government, and as a people we must realize this. Otherwise all we did will be a waste.”

This means the return of the banner of the wiped out LTTE is a matter of time.

-Sri Lanka Guardian