COLOMBO– The elusive leader of the Tamil Tigers may have fled Sri Lanka, with the army charging fast toward the separatist rebels' final strongholds, Sri Lanka's army commander has claimed.
Lieut Gen Sarath Fonseka, leading the most successful army offensive in the history of one of Asia’s longest-running wars, predicted victory within months, as the Tigers’ resistance has been weaker than expected.
“[Velupillai] Prabhakaran is . . . a man who loves his family, so I don’t think he would wait until the military got so close to him,” Lieut Gen Fonseka told reporters on Saturday. “He must have already escaped through the sea.”
He declined to speculate on where he would have fled to. He said Mr Prabhakaran, the Tigers’ founder, would neither commit suicide nor allow himself to be captured.
He said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hold an area 30km by 15km, and said troops had moved 17km towards the northeastern port of Mullaittivu in as many days. The LTTE could not be reached for comment.
Sri Lanka has put its navy and air force on high alert, patrolling the 40km of coast that the army has yet to secure.
Local media has this week reported that intelligence briefings noted Mr Prabhakaran may have sought the help of foreign states to rescue him. – (Reuters)