On the Death of
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Tamil Tiger Leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran
Survival Conspiracy Theories Emerging
Huffington Post, 21 May 2009
Pictures like this will certainly add to the ongoing rumour mill
that LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran is still alive.
I've been speaking to lots of people within the Tamil disapora and
have been shocked by how many people are utterly convinced that the
Tiger leader is safe and well.
There's a general feeling amongst Tamils that you simply can't trust
the Sri Lankan government to tell the truth.
I've heard suggestions that he was never there in the first place.
That the pictures of the dead body the SL government showed earlier
this week were a look alike etc etc.
Most disapassionate observers, experts and diplomats believe
Prabhakaran is indeed dead but I can see why Tamils think otherwise.
This picture was sent to me by a Sri Lankan friend of mine who told
me that it has been buzzing through Tamil cyberspace all day.
For all we know it's a fake, or a lookalike pretending to be
Prabhakaran (he employed many lookalikes). It doesn't really matter
either way.
As long as Tamils believe Prabhakaran is still alive, they have
something to rally around, something to cling on to. The war against
the LTTE may have been won, but it'll take a long, long time before
the peace is also won. |