Tigers' losing game

Many rumours are circulating about the escape of Velupillai Prabhakaran. The most recent one is where the LTTE supremo had escaped by plane. The Navy claimed its gunboats opened fire at an aircraft flying over Chalai. The Air Force has denied this claim. In another claim, Prabhakaran is now living in Malaysia.

We have obtained definite proof that Prabhakaran was still hiding in the 400km2 area now under siege until the 12th. A hardcore cadre captured recently claimed that he had seen Prabhakaran on the 12th, in person.

Meanwhile pro-LTTE media had claimed it sank a Dvora FAC off the northeastern coast. A group of LTTE suicide boats were sent to penetrate the naval blockade in force off the coast of Mulaitivu and Nagarkovil, which was effectively engaged by the Navy. One boat exploded close to a Dvora causing reparable damage.

The LTTE strategy to break through the blockade comes in the wake of Army plans to advance along the Nagarkovil-Chalai coast upto Mulaitivu thus effectively isolating and trapping the LTTE to a land area smaller than Thoppigala.

The Tigers have in a way, isolated themselves by abandoning 26 Mirage Class boats at the beginning of the Kilinochchi siege. They stripped 15 boats of their armaments and hid the boats away from SLAF's watchful eye, but some were destroyed in air strikes.

The task of suffocating the Tigers is gradually being implemented by the 55, 58 and 59 Divisions as we speak. The move could completely suffocate the LTTE giving the Army the opportunity to systematically get at the remaining 200 or so LTTE leadership.