Prabhakaran got it all wrong in his last interview! -EXCLUSIVE

Slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s last interview was an exclusive with this newspaper, Lakbimanews, carried on December 28, 2008. We asked probably the hardest questions the man has ever been asked in any interview in his life — pointedly putting it to him that he is fighting back-to-the-wall, and that the LTTE had reached the end of the road. As a re-print of the interview shows today, Prabhakaran gave stock propaganda answers, but never betrayed the fact that the LTTE was on the road to nowhere. He seemed to have been under some illusion that his troops would somehow turn the corner, and that there would be an international outcry on his behalf. He vehemently denied using civilian shields, which was laughable, considering what happened during the last days of his life as leader of the LTTE. Perhaps this last press interview is historic as a document, in the sense that it portended the end of a man who was living in a world of his own — a mind that perhaps had come to believe in its own farfetched manufactured myths…

Q: Many people say that the LTTE has reached the end of the road. Despite what you have told an Indian magazine, it is clear that the army is on the verge of capturing Kilinochchi. What are your views?

A: In the history of our struggle, we have faced much bigger military operations and one-sided Sri Lankan Government propaganda. When we displaced from Jaffna and came to the Vanni mainland, the Sri Lankan Government carried out intensive propaganda claiming that we will not be able to function as a conventional army ever again. But it was only after this, that we captured Mullaithivu through Unceasing Waves—1,2 and 3, Elephant Pass, and large sections of Vanni. Even now, Sri Lankan Government is carrying out propaganda that we will soon lose Kilinochchi. Recent heavy losses faced by the Sri Lankan military in Kilinochchi battles, however, foretell the future LTTE victories.

You have said capturing Kilinochchi is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s daydream. But yet you acknowledge that there is a humanitarian crisis in Kilinochchi and there is displacement of civilians there. So what is the truth?

We are a people-based liberation movement. We have been waging the struggle for the last thirty years with the blessing and the strength of support of the people. It is because of this we were able to face and overcome many hurdles and challenges. The entire Tamil people are with us. They are the force behind this struggle. It is the desire of the people that Kilinochchi should be defended and they are also working hard in the background to achieve this. Enraged by the support people have given for our struggle and fuelled by the ensuing hatred of the Sri Lankan Government towards the Tamil people, it is carrying out aerial bombing and shelling on the people. The economic blockade has also been imposed on the same people. Our people know this truth. That is why the people are moving to safer areas to protect themselves.

India will not come to the rescue of the Tamil people in Kilinochchi because India is happy to have the LTTE eliminated because of the killing of the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi also finally abandoned his campaign launched in support of you due to the pressure exerted by the central government. This proves that you have lost the Indian support. Isn’t that the true position?

I reject this fully. The people of Tamil Nadu and its politicians support our struggle irrespective of any political differences among them. None of the leaders there have given up their struggle in support of us. On the contrary, they are continuing to stage protests in support of us. Also, we are working to rebuild our contacts and relationship with the Indian Central Government through political and diplomatic channels. The environment, in which the Indian Central Government too will support our struggle, is in the making. Most people may not know this but I believe some people are aware of this.

Chief Minister Karunanidhi took up the plight of Sri Lanka’s internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kilinochchi, all of a sudden. Karunanidhi and all other South Indian political leaders kept mum when Sri Lanka security forces carried out operations to liberate the East. Many say that they tried to capitalize on the issue in order to get reelected because they are on bad wicket. Don’t you think this is the real reason or are they so concerned about the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils?

All the political leaders of Tamil Nadu are supporters of our freedom struggle. They have immense love for our people and us. I would say that they raise their voice in support of our freedom struggle without any ulterior political motives.

Karuna and Pillayan have joined the government and with the development in the East they are making the LTTE look small. They have drawn a great many Tamil people to their “cause” which is the government’s cause. What is your view?

All the Tamil people in the East support only our liberation movement. Members of our political wing are doing political work there even now. They are protected by the people. The Sri Lankan Government is maintaining people like Karuna with the help of its military and it is conducting excessive propaganda using them through its state media. This is the ground reality.

You have said recently that the LTTE military power remains the same. But it is obvious that the LTTE is fighting back to the wall. The LTTE has not scored any military successes in the recent past. You say this is government propaganda, but even the international media acknowledges the LTTE is weak because they know the LTTE is back to the wall. Your views?

We have not been weakened. Our strength is our people. Recent battles in Kilinochchi have demonstrated the answer to this question. Future battles will further demonstrate that we have not lost our strength.

There are rumours that you are planning to seek asylum in various countries. Eritrea and South Africa were mentioned. Will you desert your cadres?

This is blatantly false propaganda manufactured by the Sri Lankan State media. We will never leave our land. We will fight to the last for the rights of our people.

In your estimation how many LTTE cadres are remaining?

There are many thousands of them.

You are getting older. There is no sign of Eelam becoming reality. Any thoughts?

Ours is a freedom struggle. Our movement is a national movement. It has no time limits or age limits that determine the future of our freedom struggle.

All that this war is doing is heaping more suffering upon ordinary Tamil people. Why are you not thinking of laying down arms and coming to settlement, purely in the interests of the Tamil people who have suffered for far too long?

Our struggle will continue until the political aspirations of our people are achieved and the security of our people is ensured. No one can suppress this freedom struggle through bargaining or by threats. Our people are making all types of sacrifices to win their rights. If everyone concerned understands this truth, finding a solution to the ethnic problem will become easy.

Do you regret helping to elect the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government by forcing the people to boycott the last presidential election? A UNP government would not have attacked the LTTE in this way.

People boycotted the elections on their own. We respect the feelings of the people. There is a false propaganda going on regarding the people’s boycott of this election.

The international community has abandoned you. It is because the international community is not attracted to your tactics of terror. You cannot lose on all fronts internationally and locally. Isn’t that correct?

The international community has started to realize that our struggle is a just struggle. We do not carry out terrorist actions. International community must realize whether actions of the Sri Lankan Government that carries out aerial bombardments and imposes economic blockade on a people are terrorist acts or whether a struggle waged to protect a people and win their rights is a terrorist act. I appeal to the entire international community, including the Sinhala people, to understand this.

The LTTE killed retired Major General Janaka Perera recently. Was it as an act of revenge or a desperate attempt to confuse the people who might think the government had a hand in it?

There is no connection between this and us. In recent times there were serious conflicts between the Sri Lankan Government and Janaka Perera. The Sinhala people also know this very well. The time when the Sinhala people will start to wage protests against such murders by their government is not very far away.

There are allegations that you engineered the boycott of the last presidential election because top persons who are in the government now, paid you off handsomely. Any comment?

Our freedom movement is a righteous movement. We cannot be bought with money, bribes or perks.

The LTTE “air force” has not achieved anything except inflict minor damage here and there. Aren’t your tactics backfiring, because India doesn’t like this “air force” in its backyard, however irritating and insignificant it may be?

It is the Sri Lankan Government that has launched the military offensive on the Tamil homeland using its armed forces. The Sinhala state is the aggressor in this war. Engagement of our military forces in our defensive and counter-offensive measures, only target them. All our armed forces, including the naval and air forces, are aimed at safeguarding our people and the defence of our homeland. There is no threat posed to anyone else. It is only the Sri Lankan state and its head Mahinda Rajapaksa, who are outraged by the efficiency of our forces.

Who is your second in command? Do you have any succession plan at all – if so what is it?

Our people have accepted me as their national leader and the leader of our movement.

You have said that the government’s propaganda machine is making it look as if the Sri Lankan forces are winning the war. Even assuming that’s correct you are in effect saying that the government has superior propaganda. Why is the LTTE failing in every front?

This is your wrong judgment. We are functioning successfully in several political, diplomatic and military fronts.

It appears that the Sinhala people are sure of two things one of which is that you will not settle for anything less than Eelam and the second of which is that you have repeatedly attacked innocent Sinhala civilians. If not the LTTE who carried out the bombings in buses of civilians in the South?

We are a people’s freedom movement that is struggling for the freedom of the people. We are not against the Sinhala people and we do not kill Sinhala people. We are not racist either. We expect their support for our struggle. Most of the Sinhala people have started to realize the justice behind our struggle. However, they fear openly demonstrating this, due to fear of the Sri Lankan Government’s oppressive tactics. However, in the future, many of the Sinhala people will raise their voice in support of our right to self-determination.

Even organizations such as Amnesty International have accused the LTTE of using human shields in the face of army attacks. Why are you inflicting such suffering on helpless Tamil civilians?

We totally reject this allegation. We have never used our people as human shields. Concerned people must understand the truth that we are struggling for the rights of our people.

Sri Lanka’s development has been severely hampered due to the war. Every democratically elected government since 1978 tried its best to find a solution but failed due to the time limit on such governments. But terrorism has no time limit but it buys time always, for its survival. That is why the war is still going on. Isn’t that the true position?

If the successive Sri Lankan governments have fully understood the reality of the Tamil national question and tried to find a solution with a broad and progressive outlook, the economy of this island would not be in such a bad state.
If the political parties that came to power had given up their old and discredited tendencies and followed the solutions to ethnic problems adopted in the modern world to find a solution to the Tamil national question the economy of the island would not have reached such a sorry state.

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