Mumbai terrorists blast Prabhakaran’s last hopes

H.L.D. Mahindapala

Just when Velupillai Prabhakaran needed the undivided attention of India, particularly Tamil Nadu, on the most important day set apart by him to focus attention exclusively on him, his fellow-terrorists in Mumbai blasted their way into the headlines, shutting him out of the Indian radar screen. In political terms this means that whatever shred of hope there was for Indian intervention to stop the war on terror in Sri Lanka went up in smoke in the flames burning in Mumbai.

“The Deccan Mujahideens”, who claimed responsibility, attacked the financial hub of India , Mumbai, imitating Prabhakaran’s brutal tactics. Faced with the biggest terrorist attack ever, India has better things to attend now than lending a hand to rescue Prabhakaran at this time - a time when India is experiencing what Sri Lanka had endured for decades under Tiger terrorism.

The timing of the terrorist attack on Mumbai was impeccable. It couldn’t have come on a better day than when Prabhakaran was pleading for understanding from India. Not knowing that he was going to be whacked for a six in Mumbai he announced: “Today, there are great changes taking place in India. The dormant voices in support of our struggle are re-emerging aloud again.

There are also indications of our struggle becoming accepted there. The positive change in environment gives us courage to seek renewal of our relationship with the Indian super power.” Even as he was expressing his hopes of building new relations with India the “Deccan Mujahideens” stormed in to dash all his hopes.

He never bargained for this turn of events. The last thing Prabhakaran expected was the “Deccan Mujahideens” to hit him like the way the tsunami hit him when he was on the verge of launching his offensive against President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Right now, when he was expecting Delhi to throw him a lifeline the “Deccan Mujahideens” hit Delhi.

As declared in his speech he was hoping that “the great changes taking place in India “ would turn in his favour. But the Mujahideens put paid to that leaving him in limbo. So does he have a future after Killinochchi ?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the nation that his Government would hunt down the terrorists and make sure that they pay a heavy price. He was announcing the toughest stand taken by India against terrorists. Against the grim background of Mumbai burning - deaths had mounted to nearly 200 - only a delusional optimist from cuckoo land would expect India to put pressure on Sri Lanka to stop the offensive against the Sri Lankan terrorists banned in India.

Prabhakaran’s plans and hopes were different when his speech writer was drafting his text. He was hoping to manipulate Delhi through Chennai.

His text describes his political strategy: “Not withstanding the dividing sea, Tamil Nadu, with its perfect understanding of our plight, has taken heart to rise on behalf of our people at this hour of need.

This timely intervention has gratified the people of Tamil Eelam and our freedom movement and given us a sense of relief. I wish to express my love and gratitude at this juncture to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and the leaders of India for the voice of support and love they have extended.

I would cordially request them to raise their voice firmly in favour of our struggle for a Tamil Eelam state, and to take appropriate and positive measures to remove the ban which remains an impediment to an amicable relationship between India and our movement.”

All his speechifying to butter up India and Tamil Nadu is not going to save him now. No one takes him seriously any longer. Apart from the events in Mumbai, a leader who has lost his base and power will not be taken seriously. He can no longer boast of being on par with the Sri Lankan government. Even his latest speech lacks the thunder and the lightning that marked his earlier pronouncements.

In his latest speech a desperate Prabhakaran is appealing to the world to take him seriously as a peace-loving, global actor worthy of some respect. But no one is listening. The international backlash against Tiger terrorism has been mounting ever since 9/11. After 9/11 terrorist violence -call it “liberation”, call it “freedom struggle”, call it what you like - lost its gravitas to win sympathy, or claim any political respectability from the international community.

Led by President Bush the international community ganged up against terrorism opening up multi-national fronts to combat terrorism in all its forms.

Prabhakaran was among the first to feel the backlash sweeping the globe. He is fully aware of the responses of the international community. In his speech he lists them one by one. He said: “They (the countries that have banned him) denigrated our freedom movement as a terrorist organisation. They put us on their black list and ostracized us as unwanted and untouchable. Our people living in many lands were intimidated into submission by oppressive limitations imposed on them to prevent their political activities supporting our freedom struggle.

Humanitarian activities pursued by our law-abiding people in many countries, well within the purview of the law of the land, have been belittled and curtailed....... However, these humanitarian activities were branded as criminal activities in those countries. Representatives of the Tamil people, along with community leaders were arrested, jailed and insulted. The explicit bias shown by the activities of these countries affected the talks, in its balance and in its consideration of our status as an equal partner.”

This is a virtual admission that the end has come to Prabhakaran internationally. In this para he has virtually written his obituary. He knows he has no future without the backing of the international community. But he continues to blame the world for his gross blunders and brutal violence.

His theme has been to insist consistently that the world must change its ways and accept his political ideology and violence instead him accepting the norms of the world. He expresses his frustrations about the world not taking him at his word.

His initial violence lifted him out of obscurity and gave him the illusion of being “the sole representative of the Tamils”. But after 9/11 every terrorist attack elsewhere reflected on Prabhakaran. His violence has run out of steam. Indians are now claiming that Mumbai is their 9/11. How much support can he expect from India after their 9/11 in Mumbai ?

It is now reported that even the rains are washing away his defensive bunds. Nothing seems to be going right for him. The attack on Mumbai can give the finishing touches to the current offensive cutting him off further from the international community.

Prabhakaran is also confused. He is at sea, not knowing where to go from here. Most of his speech is spent on boasting about the past. What has he to offer in the future except that he will carry on fighting for his elusive Eelam. More importantly, he has nothing to offer the Tamil people for their future.

His speech is full of the dead past and not about the coming future. He can brag as much as he wants about the past. But can the Tamil live on his failed past? What are all his boasting about defeating India in the past worth when he can’t get its support for him to survive today and tomorrow ?

His speech indicates that he is still wary of India. On the one hand he woos them and pledges his friendship and on the other he is rubbing India ‘s nose in the dust saying that he defeated them. He adds: “We have faced forces much mightier than ours. We have had direct confrontations even against superior powers, stronger than us. We have withstood wave after wave of our enemy attacks.” Clearly, he has not forgiven India for standing in the way of his Eelam.

He is now pledging his support to India not because he loves the Indians - his writings published by the Uppsala University reveal that he hates India - but because he needs India ‘s help to get the ban lifted.

He also accuses India indirectly of helping the Sri Lankan government. In any case, he has a funny way of showing his love for India. First he kills 1,700 Jawans and sends the Indian Peace Keeping Force packing home. Then he kills India ‘s Prime Minister. He also sabotaged the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement. With friends like Prabhakaran does India need a Pakistan ?

Prabhakaran is a man without influential friends today. He has spent all the reserves of goodwill he needs to survive in committing crimes against his own people. His latest speech is a damp squib. It failed to take off. No pyrotechnics either. Predictably, he has blamed the “Sinhala state” and the other countries for not taking a lily white flower like him seriously.

Now that there is no power behind to back up his claims and threats his speech reads more like the script of a joker who takes himself very seriously.

The Tamils deserve a better leader than Prabhakaran. His ephemeral glory has ended in a disaster for him and all those who believed in him. Even this failure is pardonable. What is not acceptable is his cruelty to his own people. The Tamils will continue to suffer as long as he is there pretending to lead them into a new heaven. But the war-weary Tamils will agree that life with him is like sleeping with a porcupine: there is no rest, only everlasting pricks whichever way you turn.