4:26 PM

Prabhakaran Abandoned Tamils he hoped to lead to “Promise Land,”

Contrary to popular myth expressed across the Palk Strait and by some folks in Sri Lanka, Prabhakaran lost popular support faster than he lost his ill-gotten territory militarily. Intelligence sources expressed the view that he may never proclaim his Heroes Day Message again.

He never surrounded himself with the people he hoped to lead into the “Promised Land.” It is an “unwinnable war”- was what the UNP repeated ad nauseam and chanted “armed forces can never take Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.” Alas! The illusionary task of defeating Prabhakaran has become a reality. Intelligence sources added that no leader has ever won a battle without the solid support of the people, call it insurrection or freedom fight.

Aging Tiger leader Velupillai PrabakaranAging Tiger leader Velupillai Prabakaran

Sri Lankan armed forces are in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts as I write. Barring an unlikely disastrous reversal for the armed forces, the war in the north would come to an end this year.

Sources in Washington added that the view that Prabhakaran carried the Tamils with him was never true, contrary to what has been stated recently by the generally media shy National Security Advisor of India, M K Naryanan.

News-Lanka reported that he was on the front pages of Indian and Sri Lanka dailies indicating that "Sri Lanka may win the battle against the Tamil Tigers but not the war as 'they haven't got the Tamil population on their side." According to the news-Lanka report, these observations don't appear to be off the cuff remarks, because he was careful when speaking to The Strait Times: 'I know the Sri Lankan government will be unhappy (at this advice).'

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