The leader of the Tamil Eelam Tigers, Prabhakaran, was believed to be killed in combat over a decade ago. However, now a prominent Tamil nationalist leader has claimed that the late 'Thalaivar' is alive and kicking.

Who?

Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - a militant organisation in Sri Lanka that sought to establish an independent Tamil state in the northern and eastern parts of the country. 

What is the Tamil Eelam?

Prabhakaran's ideology was heavily influenced by Tamil nationalism, which seeks to create a separate state for the Tamil people. He believed that the Tamil people had been historically oppressed and marginalised by the Sinhalese-dominated government, and that an armed struggle was necessary to achieve Tamil autonomy.

• He also saw the Tamil struggle as a global one, and sought support from Tamil diaspora communities in India, Europe, and North America.
• Prabhakaran's ideology thus emphasised the need for Tamil self-determination, and rejected any compromise or accommodation with the Sri Lankan government.

LTTE resistance

Prabhakaran's tactics were equally influential in shaping Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism. He was a master of guerrilla warfare, and his LTTE forces carried out a number of successful attacks on the Sri Lankan military and government targets. Prabhakaran also introduced the use of suicide bombers in the Sri Lankan conflict, a tactic that was later adopted by other militant groups around the world. His military prowess and ability to strike fear in the Sri Lankan government and military gave him a powerful bargaining chip in negotiations, and allowed him to maintain his position as the leader of the Tamil struggle.

However, his authoritarian style of leadership also led to a cult of personality around him, which made it difficult for other leaders within the Tamil community to emerge and play a role in the movement. This led to a situation where the Tamil nationalist movement became closely identified with Prabhakaran and the LTTE, which would later have negative consequences for the Tamil community.

Prabhakaran's leadership and the tactics employed by the LTTE resulted in a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009 with the defeat of the organisation by Sri Lankan government forces. Though Prabhakaran was widely believed to have been killed in the final battle, the circumstances surrounding his death remain a matter of controversy.

How was Prabhakaran killed?

On May 17, 2009, Sri Lankan government forces declared victory in the war against LTTE after capturing the last LTTE stronghold in Mullaitivu.

• Prabhakaran was reportedly hiding in a bunker in the area along with several other senior LTTE leaders.
• According to the Sri Lankan government, Prabhakaran was killed in the final battle along with many of his top aides.
• The government initially reported that Prabhakaran had been shot while trying to flee the area on a motorcycle.

However...

There have been several alternative accounts of Prabhakaran's death, some of which suggest that he was captured alive and then executed by the Sri Lankan military. These accounts are based on eyewitness testimonies, photographic evidence, and videos that have emerged since the end of the war.

• One theory is that Prabhakaran was captured alive and then summarily executed by Sri Lankan military personnel. This theory is supported by a video that shows a man who appears to be Prabhakaran being led by Sri Lankan soldiers. The man is then shown lying on the ground, apparently dead, with several gunshot wounds. However, the authenticity of the video has been questioned, and its provenance is unclear.

• Another theory is that Prabhakaran killed himself by detonating a cyanide capsule. This theory is based on reports from some Sri Lankan military personnel who claimed to have seen Prabhakaran's body with a cyanide capsule in his mouth. However, the credibility of these reports has also been questioned, as they could be seen as a way for the Sri Lankan military to avoid accountability for Prabhakaran's death.
• Finally, there is a theory that Prabhakaran was killed in a drone strike carried out by the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). This theory is based on a claim made by a former Indian intelligence officer that RAW had launched a drone strike on Prabhakaran's bunker. However, this claim has been strongly denied by the Indian government, and there is no other evidence to support this theory.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Prabhakaran remain a matter of controversy, with several different theories and accounts of what happened. The truth of what happened may never be fully known, as the evidence is often unclear or unreliable, and there are conflicting narratives from different sources.

The Prodigal Son returns?

Tamil nationalist leader P Nedumaran held a press conference at Thanjavur on Monday, where he said, 

Despite his many achievements, Prabhakaran's reliance on violence and armed struggle led to the deaths of many innocent civilians, and the Tamil community was often the victim of retaliation by the Sri Lankan military. His rejection of any compromise or negotiation with the government also made it difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Moreover, his authoritarian leadership style and the cult of personality around him prevented other Tamil leaders from emerging, and made the movement overly reliant on him and the LTTE.

Prabhakaran's legacy thus remains a complex and contested one, and his impact on Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism will continue to be debated and discussed for years to come. The consequences of whether he makes a prodigal return to the public eye out of nowhere will be interesting to say the least. 

If Nedumaran's statement if even 1% true and Prabhakaran is alive this scene is how it feels pic.twitter.com/T2skwySZPK

— panjumittai (@mutta_puff_) February 13, 2023