Year after death, LTTE chief’s case closed
CHENNAI: The LTTE supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is no more the prime accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In the first official acknowledgment by India of the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran’s death, a designated court for Tada cases in Chennai has dropped all charges against him, on the basis of a CBI report.
“The case against the absconding accused A1 Prabhakaran, A2 Pottu Amman alias Shanmuganathan Sivasankaran is hereby dropped and the charges against them ordered abated,” ruled the designated judge, K Dakshinamurthy, a couple of weeks ago.
The case and charges against Prabhakaran’s trusted lieutenant and LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman were dropped based on the report filed by the CBI’s Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), which was formed in 1998 to probe the wider conspiracy behind Rajiv’s 1991 assassination. Under Indian law, charges against the accused abate automatically on their death.
On May 18 last year, capping the defeat of LTTE, the Lankan government declared the death of Prabhakaran in battle. Though photographs of the bullet-riddled body of the LTTE leader were released to the world, the island-nation had not yet issued a formal death certificate authenticating his death. In the case of Pottu Amman, Lanka has not furnished any photos or certificates, fuelling rumours all over the Tamil diaspora that the two were still alive.
However, last year, when a case pertaining to the 1989 assassination of the moderate Tamil politician A Amirthalingam came up for hearing, the Lankan police filed a report declaring that Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman were dead.
About six months ago, the MDMA filed a report based on the Lankan government’s disclosure, stating that the case could be closed as the two LTTE leaders were dead, as acknowledged by Sri Lanka itself.
Courtesy: India Times
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Dear Nicholas,
Some time ago, I posed two questions to you on OnLanka. the questions are
Why has GOSL not issued death certificates to VP and his former intelligence chief?
Why was the so-called remains of VP not DNA tested by an authentic source such as India where comprehensive medical records of VP are avalable?
You and others who may have answers have been silent on these questions.
Now, VP and his Intelligence Chief are free men. They may opt to fly into the BIA VIP lounge one of these days!
Adolf Hitler killed himself in the final hours of WW2. His body was cremated by the victorious army of the USSR who reached the scene first. No death certificate was issued. This fuelled theories that he was not dead and would one day return to lead Germany to the 4th Reich of the Neo Nazis.
I agree that some tissues should have been taken from VP’s body before cremation for DNA testing as evidence, and also a formal death certificate should have been issued. This would have ended theories that he has escaped afterall. Perhaps death certificate was not issued because of the need for a formal postmortem beforehand. VP died in battle and his bullet riddled body was discovered and confirmed as his body by Karuna and a few other former LTTE cadres. Photos of his corpse were not accepted by yourself and other diaspora LTTE as fake, stating that it was some other corpse with a rubber mask of VP. Many SL soldiers died in the war, or were abducted by LTTE and their bodies never recovered. Hence no postmortems and no death certificates. In these situations it should be possible to issue death certificates without a postmortems. If VP is not dead where is he then? We know doctored photos of him were issued by Tamilnet as evidence he is alive. This proves nothing.
Thank you Nicholas for agreeing on GOSL’s failure to nail down VP’s death with unquestionable evidence.
As a Tamil, I do hope Gen SF’s army was able to eliminate VP in the last days of the war.
If the “now free” VP arrives in the BIA VIP lounge, the current rulers will welcome him with open arms and keep him in protective state custody along with KP in Visumpaya and use him (just as is the case of KP and Karuna and Pillaiyan) to oppress not only the tamils but our southern Sinhala brethren as well.
Each case has to be treated on its own merit. Karuna and Pillaiyan were the first to breakaway from VP with their cadres. They did so for several reasons. They resented the barbaric cruelty of VP in committing genocide of the Sinhalese and the Muslims. They carried out orders of VP with unquestioning loyalty to commit genocide. They said enough is enough. They realised VP is a madman like Hitler, Stalin and Saddam Husein. They realised there is no future for the ordinary Tamil masses in SL under VP and his killing machine. They fled to the Government side with their cadres. They repented and were forgiven This is in the spirit of the Buddhist dhamma. They gave their unstinted support to eliminate VP to liberate the country from this fascist madman. It was the right decision and action.
Today we are rid of VP and the LTTE. The SL Tamil citizens can breathe free. Their future is bright for generations to come as SL develops with the Tamil citizens support. I do hope DC you will also assist the SL Tamil citizens to achieve a better future for themselves as SL citizens, and participate in the development of a one united nation. Enough of this divisions on race, religion and caste etc. Divided we fall. Let us appreciate each other’s culture. Let us forgive one another. Evil of divisions and bloodshed were caused by the extremists on both sides. It is time for peace and reconciliation. It is time to rebuild our lives as one nation. Let us not become the catspaw of evil imperialist Western vested interests. As for VP, there is no chance of him coming to life. He is in hell for all eternity with the other misguided fools who followed him. Have the courage to rise above your biterness of experiences of discrimination by Sinhala public officials. It is noble to forgive and to join MR on a voyage to a better future for all.
May the Good Lord bless you!
Nicolas, I always read ur comments and I appriciate that your comments are useful for “blind” people to open their eyes (if they read) and specially appriciate your patience towards narrow minded extemists. You are a real son of mother Sri Lanka. Keep on it. Congratulation !
Thank you Mal for your appreciation.
There are extremist politicians on both sides of the divide. The ordinary citizens are aroused by their inflammatory speeches to kill and destroy. All the barbaric tyrannasaurus instincts are unleashed. In India millions were killed as Hindus turned on the Muslims several times. We cannot allow a repeat of the bloodshed in SL by both extremist groups. Laws have to be enacted that makes it a crime to stir-up racial hatred by inflammatory speeches by extremist politicians, whether Sinhala or Tamil, and the laws enforced. Never again in our history should there be racial discrimination and bloodshed and destruction on racial grounds by pogroms.The Tamils are SL citizens and entitled to full protection by the State against racial hatred and genocide. The full force of the security apparatus must be used to put down any such attempt to incite racial hatred, violence and genocide. SL is homeland for Tamils, Muslims and other ethnic minorities, including aadivaasis as well. They should all be extended equal opportunities in every field. Let the MR government ensure this. Then everyone can live in peace and harmony for the country to progress and become indeed a model to the whole world.
In India, the Hindus dominate. In Malaysia, the Malays dominate. There is no equality of opportunity for the minorities. That is why President MR said let there be no more minorities. Let all be one with equal opportunity in all spheres. SL is homeland for all. Let us care for our fauna and flora as well in the spirit of Lord Buddha. SL is their homeland just as much. This is indeed a tall order. I hope and pray we can achieve it.
thanks god srilanken army,you guys are really brave,having killed world one of worst terrorist call prabakaran,now srilanka and entire south asia we have peace,where all srilanken live peacefully,i am very proud be a tamil and a srilanken.please all world should take srilanka as an example.god bless srilanka
Bravo Pillayan our country need pepole like you . We never ever give chance to divide our country .
Well said Pillaiyan!
Only under the leadership MR and his brother GR, the architects of the utter defeat of the world’s deadliest and most barbaric terrorist group, were the SL Forces able to achieve this victory. The GOSL should not rest on its laurels now but embark on a more ardous journey of economic victory so that every citizen of this country can enjoy a better quality of life with equality of opportunity in every spere. We need to play our role as well in this journey to do our bit, every one of us SL citizens to achieve the impossible.