The news emanating from war zone in Sri Lanka is hazy.And the rumour mills are working over time over the fate of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Vellupillai 'Puli' Prabhakaran.
The speculation is so rife that some international observers say the embattled Puli might have escaped along with the tens of thousands of civilians living in the war zone which is situated in dense forest area.Lankan troops have trashed reports which claimed about Prabhakaran’s escape.
Another one doing round is that Prabhakaran is yet to be sighted either by the troopers or by the escaping civilians in Puthukudiyirippu, Puthumathalan areas of Mullaitivu district.
Sri Lankan government has banned the entry of both international and local media and the world is forced to rely solely on Sri Lankan state media.
Tamils across the world are closely watching the developments in Lanka with renewed interest and held huge protest rallies in London, Paris, New York, Chennai and several other European cities.
Prabhakaran’s fate was almost sealed or so it seemed, after Sri Lankan government revealed on Wednesday that two top LTTE leaders - Velayutham Dayanithi, whose nom de guerre is Daya Master, and an interpreter known only as George, surrendered.
Daya Master is LTTE spokesman and is the most senior LTTE official to be nabbed, so far.The question foremost in the minds of those following the developments in Sri Lanka are has Prabhakaran escaped or are the Tigers fighting with back to the wall.
LTTE watchers say in all probability Prabhakaran might have left the battle field.Since the deadline given to the LTTE rebels to surrender ended on Monday, civilians have been asked to leave so that Lankan army could go for a final assault.
As expected LTTE ignored the ultimatum and at least 100,000 civilians have left the area fearing for life and property.But many would like to feel that Prabhakarn might have escaped.
LTTE watchers say civilians would not have been allowed to escape if Prabhakaran was still in the area.
Top Sri Lankan officials have emphatically said that it is near to impossible for Prabhakaran to escape the Lankan Army which has surrounded the area for several weeks now.
In any case, Lankan army officials themselves admit that Prabhakaran would kill himself rather than surrender or let himself caught like former Iraq president Saddam Hussein.
Remember, Prabhakaran himself has ordered each LTTE fighter to bite a cyanide capsule rather than be taken prisoner.Colombo is rushing President Mahinda Rajapashe's brother, Basil Rajapaksa, as a special envoy to New Delhi to brief Indian leaders.
President Rajapakse is in a rush to hold the election in the LTTE held area as early as possible and bring normalcy.Rajapaksa also ruled out a pardon for Prabhakaran if captured alive.
In a non-biding statement that demanded an end to the rebels' use of civilians as human shields, the United Nations Security Council late Wednesday also urged the rebels to lay down their arms, renounce terrorism and join political talks to end the war.
Meanwhile, Lankan army's crackdown on LTTE and the problems faced by Tamil civilians has become a hot topic in Tamil Nadu and has provided ammunition for the political parties to question each other's credentials and concern in fighting for the Tamils' cause.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi even urged Delhi to snap all diplomatic ties with Lanka. He stunned the nation by declaring that Prabhakaran, declared as absconder for his involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as a "good friend".
Like all rebel leaders Prabhakaran’s private life is not well-known.He is married with three kids and one son Anthony is said to be heading LTTE air force wing.
The whereabouts of his wife Mathivathani Erambu whom he married in 1984 in Madras and one daughter and another son are not known too.It has been reported that Prabhakaran is also suffering from high Blood Pressure, diabetes among other health issues.
It should also be recollected here that the LTTE has been fighting for a separate state exclusively for Tamils for the past 25 years.Initially, Prabhakaran claims to have undertaken armed struggle after peaceful ways to find a respectful identity for the ethnic Tamils minority who were treated as second class citizens met with opposition from successive Sri Lankan governments and majority Sinhalese.
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