Prabhakaran death inside work’, Needle of Suspicion point to Pottu Amman

Colombo, 22 June (Asiantribune.com): New evidence is surfacing to show that the death of Prabhakaran, the LTTE supremo was a ‘retribution killing and that it was an ‘insider’ job. It negates the view held thus far that Prabhakran was killed by an army bullet.

 But it is still not clear who killed him and why though the needle of suspicion points to Pottu Amman. Surprisingly, Amman’s whereabouts are known. The Army claims that he too could have been ‘eliminated’. There are no ready takers for the view. Moreover, Pottu Amman’s body is not yet traced.

 Piecing together circumstantial evidence, sources privy to the operation that culminated with the ‘identification’ of Prabharan said the LTTE chief did not die of firing from the front. ‘He was killed by someone who had shot behind the nape of his head and blew it.’

 Only a person who was very close to him, in whom Prabhakaran had absolute confidence, and whose movements did not raise suspicions could have done the job. Our assessment is that it was an inside job’, the sources said.

 This view appears to gain currency by the day since Prabhakaran was always surrounded by more than 300 elite Tiger commandos. All of them, without an exception, were handpicked by him for the job. Their loyalty to him was beyond doubt just as he had full faith in their allegiance.

 So much so, it is not easy to shoot him in the back of his head. Only someone who was far above the commandos in the hierarchy and yet remained a shadow of the ‘boss’ could have ‘betrayed’ the trust, informed sources said.

 The needle of suspicion, as of now points to Pottu Amman, the intelligence chief. His ‘original’, name however Shanmuganathan Shivasankaran is. He had headed the Black Tigers once.

 Highly placed sources told the Asian Tribune that amongst all the lieutenants who were with Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman alone had privileged position of raising no suspicion. He was privy to all the ‘deeds’ of the chief, which have brought ruin to the Tamils. It is possible that he was frustrated at the way the Tamil Elam dream lay shattered at the end of April. And in a fit of rage, Pottu Amman could have shot at the back Prabharan, and thus could have insured his own survival. 

 Betrayal is not something new to the LTTE chief and his lieutenants. Prabhakaran himself had betrayed the trust of thousands and was responsible for the brutal killings of many.  He killed all the Muslim cadres who were in the outfit in 1991 when he chased away more than 100,000 Muslims from the Northern Province.  He was responsible for the killing of more than 400 policemen who had surrendered to the Tigers in the Eastern province.  More than 40 Members of Parliament, President Premadasa and Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated on the express orders of Prabhakaran.

 TELO Leader Nadarajah Thangavelu alias Thangathurai and Selvarajah Yogachandran alias Kuttimani and Jegan landed in police net and were detained at Manalkadu, Point Pedro East – because Prabhaharan betrayed their trust and sent out an alert as they were trying to escape to Tamil Nadu on April 5, 1981.

 Conjecture in diplomatic circles is that it is not possible for an army to administer the fatal shot on the back of Prabhakaran’s head, unless of course Prabharan’s back was facing the approaching army column.  That was not the case anyhow, according to evidence on record.

Sources disclosed that someone had alerted the army after the ‘shoot out’ to ‘the body’ of Prabharan and the location where it was lying. Army reached the place soon afterwards but took considerable time to be doubly sure that it was not being taken for a ride. Karuna and some other erstwhile lieutenants were flown to see the body and confirm its identity.

-         Asian Tribune -