The Sri Lankan military reports the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief ‘Pottu Amman’, and ‘Soosai’, the head of the Tiger’ naval wing. The military also reported it had found the bodies of Prabhakaran’s 24-year-old son Charles Anthony, the group’s political wing leader B. Nadesan, and the head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, S. Pulideevan.
Sources
Tiger leader Prabhakaran killed: Sri Lanka army sources, Reuters, 18 May 2009; Sri Lankan rebel leader ‘killed’, BBC, 18 May 2009; Rebels routed in Sri Lanka after 25 years of war, New York Times, 17 May 2009.
Quotations
“Today we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE,” General Sarath Fonseka, state television broadcast, 18 May 2009.
“This battle has reached its bitter end. We have decided to silence our guns,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, LTTE spokesman, 17 May, 2009.
“We announce today, with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader and supreme commander … attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression. For over three decades, our leader was the heart and soul and the symbol of hope, pride and determination for the whole nation of people of Tamil Eelam. Since the failure of the peace process and the escalation of the war forced upon the Tamil people, the LTTE was faced [sic] to confront the Sri Lankan military that was supported by the world powers. This deliberate bias and position taken by the international community severely weakened the military position of the LTTE. Our leader confronted this threat without any hesitation. He would not waver in his desire to be with his people and fight for his people till the end. His final request was for the struggle to continue until we achieved the freedom for his people. His legend and the historical status as the Greatest Tamil Leader ever are indestructible,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE’s head of international relations, Tamil Tigers confirm leader’s death, Al Jazeera, 24 May 2009.
Related events
Tamil Tigers are formed
13 soldiers killed in Tamil Tiger ambush
LTTE aircraft and ground troops attack Sri Lankan air force base
Prabhakaran’s last significant ‘Heroes Day’ speech, 2007
LTTE suicide bomb kills 27 civilians and former military commander
Sri Lankan military forces recapture LTTE controlled territories
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