Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka rebel chief urges global Tamil uprising

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Tuesday exhorted the entire Tamil-speaking world to back the rebels' fight for independence, saying he had no hope of a political settlement with the Sri Lankan state. The reclusive rebel leader also criticised the international community, accusing it of pandering to the Sri Lankan government and sharing the blame for the killing of the head of the Tiger's political wing, who was slain in an air force bombing raid. "To expect a political solution from any of these southern parties is political naivety," he said in an annual "Heroes' Day" address to commemorate slain rebel fighters.

"I ask the entire Tamil speaking world to rise up for the liberation of Tamil Eelam."

"Those who plan to destroy the Tamil nation will in the end be forced to face their own destruction," he added.

Around 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam since early 2006 alone, taking the death toll since the war erupted in 1983 to around 70,000. Analysts say the war is likely to grind on for years.

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