Prabhakaran's undercover mission!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Colombo::The young Indian journalist Tamil Prabhakaran (22), who was arrested earlier this week in Kilinochchi on charges of filming and photographing military installations, was not the innocent Indian 'tourist' he claimed to be, and may be a pawn in a larger plot to revive separatist ideologies in the North, The Nation learns.

 

Our investigation gives rise to suspicion that Prabhakaran may have been using his connections with Tamil Nadu Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Leader Vaiko and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District Parliamentarian S. Shritharan to build a case against the Sri Lankan Government and its Armed Forces, perhaps with the aim of aiding those making representations to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March next year. The Nation has also obtained photographs that Prabhakaran allegedly took from his camera, which clearly show that he was secretly taking photographs of the military and its installations.

 

It has also come to light that Prabhakaran had long held a fascination with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and has written extensively about the terrorist outfit. Articles written by him about the LTTE and the alleged plight of Tamils in the country's North since the organization's destruction have appeared in the popular Tamil Nadu magazine Junior Vikatan, which he works for. A search of his personal blog at www.magatamizh.blogspot.com reveals articles and poems that essentially glorify the LTTE and speak of a desire to establish Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. A correspondent Born in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Prabhakaran Mani had initially been a web designer, before joining the magazine Junior Vikatan as a correspondent. He made a name for himself within a short period, winning the best student reporter and photographer award at the Junior Vikatan magazine in 2012.

 

His work had also made him come to the attention of MDMK Leader Vaiko, and the two had developed a close association with each other. Prabhakaran had reportedly first met TNA Parliamentarian S. Shritharan in Chennai in January 2012, when they both attended a literary festival in the state. He had then arrived in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa on November 13, 2012, spending 24 days in the island. Prabhakaran had travelled extensively during his stay, spending time in Colombo, Hatton, Kandy, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee among others. He had met MP Shritharan during his visit to Kilinochchi, even spending a day at his office before moving on.

Subsequent to this visit, he had written a series of articles regarding his travels in the island which were published in the magazine, Junior Vikatan. These articles contained photographs of security forces personnel and military installations among others. This series of articles was later published as a book under the title Puli Thadam Thedy (Searching for Footsteps of Tigers). A copy of the book was also presented to Vaiko.

 

In this book, Prabhakaran is alleged to have stated that Tamils in Sri Lanka were 'massacred' under the cover of so-called 'Humanitarian Operations,' and claimed to have visited all the areas where the alleged massacres took place. According to investigations, Prabhakaran's second visit to the country, which commenced on December 21 this year, was directly facilitated by Shritharan.

 

Arrest

 

It is reported that the scribe, who again arrived on a tourist visa, was driven around in a vehicle provided by the TNA MP during his stay up until the moment of the former's arrest. He had even spent the night at Shritharan's house in Jaffna and had attended a TNA meeting held at the Vavuniya Urban Council hall on December 24. On Christmas Day, he had accompanied the MP in a van to a TNA meeting held in Valaipadu in Pooneryn. TNA Northern Provincial Councilor S. Pasupathipillai, Karachchi Pradeshiya Sabha member Thayaparan and others were also present at this meeting.

However, instead of attending the meeting, the Indian national had stayed in the van and photographed troops who were on cycle patrol. This had been noted by several soldiers who proceeded to inform the police. A subsequent search by police officers of the suspect's camera had revealed images of soldiers on patrol, military installations and their protective fences, others. He was at once detained and taken to the Jeyapuram police station. He was later handed over to officers from the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for further questioning. Prabhakaran's ally Vaiko has already come to his defence, demanding that he be released immediately. Vaiko even fired off a strongly worded letter to Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday expressing 'grave concern for the life and liberty of Maha Tamil Prabakaran' and urging the Prime Minister to intervene to secure the release of the journalist.

 

Vaiko's concern

 

"A journalist has every right to visit any country on tourist visa and freedom to meet the people. But, in the island of Sri Lanka, human rights have been totally destroyed by the Sri Lankan Government. It is a known fact that there is no freedom of the press and the journalists have to face mortal danger to their lives," Vaiko has charged in his letter to the Indian PM. However, Tamil Prabhakaran has so far failed to identify himself as a journalist to investigators who are interrogating him, insisting that he was here as a tourist who was simply visiting the island on a personal visit. Prabhakaran would also have virtually unimpeded access to all parts of the country by using the vehicles of MP Shritharan, since he is covered by Parliamentary privileges. Questions have also arisen as to why Prabhakaran was so intent on photographing troops and military installations secretly from vehicles, if he was indeed a 'tourist' out to enjoy his vacation. Questions will also inevitably arise as to whether the frantic efforts currently underway in Tamil Nadu and in Sri Lanka by pro-LTTE elements to secure Prabhakaran's release is due to fears that his unexpected arrest would lead to the unraveling of a larger conspiracy to reignite separatist ideologies the Tamil population in the country's North.

MP Shritharan has been accused of being at the forefront of these efforts to revive the LTTE. He was arrested in January this year when a stock of explosives were found at his TNA office in Kilinochchi. He was also those who attended the opening of the LTTE memorial in India on invitation from Nedumaran, another firebrand pro-LTTE politician.

 

When contacted, however, TNA MP S. Shritharan vehemently denied there was any 'conspiracy,' but claimed he did not know that the man he had been friends with and whose travels in Sri Lanka were essentially sponsored by him, was a journalist. "He (Prabhakaran) contacted me while I was in Tamil Nadu and that's how I got to know him. He contacted me again when he came to Sri Lanka and wanted my help to travel around the North. I had no idea he was a journalist," Shritharan claimed. However, analysts point out that it is difficult for anyone to believe that the MP was completely ignorant of Prabhakaran's profession, given Shritharan's close relationship with pro-LTTE elements in Tamil Nadu.

 

Courtesy : The Nation.