Tamil leaders 'killed as they tried to surrender'
Text messages sent by Sri Lankan officials told the rebels how to give themselves up. They obeyed the instructions – but were shot dead. Andrew Buncombe reports from Colombo
GETTY IMAGES
Images of the body of the Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran were broadcast yesterday
The desperate efforts of two senior LTTE leaders trapped in the war zone to save their lives were revealed yesterday as it emerged they were shot dead as they prepared to surrender to Sri Lankan government forces.
In a flurry of emails, text messages and telephone calls that passed between NGOs, a foreign government and Sri Lankan officials in Colombo, the two LTTE political leaders frantically inquired as to how they could give themselves up.
They were told: "Get a piece of white cloth, put up your hands and walk towards the other side in a non-threatening manner."
But the attempt to surrender by Balasingham Nadesan, head of the LTTE's wing, and Seevaratnam Pulidevan, who led the rebels' peace secretariat, failed. Sometime between midnight on 17 May and the early hours of the next morning, the two men were shot dead. LTTE officials overseas claim the two men were killed by government troops as they approached them bearing a white flag. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has suggested the two men may have been shot dead by LTTE fighters, angry at them fleeing the conflict zone.
The row over the circumstances surrounding the killing of the men came as Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, told the parliament that the country had been "liberated from separatist terror". "Our intention was to save the Tamil people from the cruel grip of the [rebels]. We all must now live as equals in this free country," he said.
As Mr Rajapaksa spoke, state television broadcast images of the body of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed by government forces on Monday morning. The bloated body of the LTTE leader was shown dressed in a camouflage uniform and lying on a stretcher. A piece of blue cloth had been placed on his head, apparently to cover a bullet wound. "A few hours ago, the body of terrorist leader Prabhakaran, who ruined this country, was found on the battleground," said army chief General Sarath Fonseka.
But while Mr Prabhakaran – the man who always vowed to take his own life rather than surrender – opted to fight to the death with the last of his forces, some of the so-called "civil members" of the LTTE would have preferred to have lived to fight another day. Over the weekend, Mr Nadesan and Mr Pulidevan sent out messages, indicating that they wished to surrender to a third party – namely the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only aid organisation with access to the conflict zone.
The chief intermediary for the two men was the Norwegian government's Environment Minister Erik Solheim, who led efforts to broker a ceasefire between in 2002. On Sunday 17 May, Mr Solheim apparently received calls from LTTE figures who said they wanted to surrender.
Trine Eskedal, a spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs in Oslo, said: "The minister said he spoke with Mr Pulidevan at midnight, who gave him the message that the political leaders wanted to surrender [to the ICRC]. At the time he could hear gunshots in the background." She said that an official, then contacted both the ICRC and the Sri Lankan government.
The ICRC confirmed last night that it had received word from the Norwegians that the two leaders were looking to give themselves up. "The ICRC was approached on this matter by the representatives of the LTTE as well as the Norwegian authorities," said spokeswoman Sarsai Wijeratne. "The information was referred to the Sri Lankan authorities. We have no idea what happened [then]. We lost contact with everyone in the last conflict."
The government's point man in the negotiations appears to have been foreign secretary Palitha Kohona. He said that in the days leading up to Sunday evening, he had received a number of messages indicating that Mr Nadesan and Mr Pulidevan – whom he has met at various peace talks – wanted a way out. It is understood that a number of these messages were delivered from a European NGO with a history of working in northern Sri Lanka.
In an interview in his office in the foreign ministry's oceanfront building, Mr Kohona said that his response had been that "there was only one way to surrender that is recognised by military practice". He said they should obtain a white flag and give themselves up. "I kept saying this for three days," he added.
Mr Kohona produced a text message stored on his phone which he had sent to the NGO at 8.46am on Sunday, 16 hours before the Norwegian minister had his final conversation with the LTTE leaders. The message – in response to a question from the NGO as to whether the two political leaders would be safe if they gave themselves up – read: "Just walk across to the troops, slowly! With a white flag and comply with instructions carefully. The soldiers are nervous about suicide bombers."
The pro-LTTE website TamilNet yesterday reported claims from rebel officials outside Sri Lanka that Mr Nadesan and Mr Pulidevan had been shot dead by government troops as they advanced towards them carrying a white flag, as they had been instructed to do. The report claimed informed sources said what happened in the early hours of Monday was "a well-planned massacre of several unarmed civil officers of the LTTE with the aim of annihilating its political structure".
Experts say that shooting someone trying to surrender was a war crime. ICRC director of operations Pierre Krähenbühl, told reporters: "Under international humanitarian law, all those who are not or are no longer fighting must be spared. The wounded and sick must be cared for immediately and captives must be treated humanely."
But Mr Kohona said he had been told by troops present at the time that they understood the two men had been shot by LTTE cadres who learned of their attempt to escape. "This is consistent with their behaviour," he added.
What is clear is that the situation inside the war zone had become increasingly desperate on Sunday. During the day, squeezed into a strip of land measuring just a few hundred square metres, the remaining LTTE fighters tried to lay down their arms to secure a ceasefire. This was rejected by the government and later some of the rebels attempted a series of suicide attacks on the advancing troops. "This battle has reached its bitter end," a senior rebel spokesman, Selvarajah Pathmanathan.
It was in these circumstances that the two political leaders – trapped, hopeless and with no other options – made their final desperate attempt to save their lives. The Norwegian minister, Mr Solheim, said he had spoken with Mr Pulidevan and later gone to bed. "The next morning I heard they were dead," he said.
On Monday, as news emerged that the last of the LTTE had been killed, the EU called for an independent investigation into alleged violations of human rights law in Sri Lanka's war.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP logged and may be used to prevent further submission. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by the Independent Minds Terms of Service.
- Print Article
- Email Article
-
Click here for copyright permissions
Copyright 2009 Independent News and Media Limited



Comments
No Eric solehime come up a story with surrendering two of two leaders at the last hour when the toops are 10m mts away.
This is nothing but another attempt to file agaist Sri Lanka for 'War Crimes'. At leats should now stop wasting time on these useless attempts. If you want to help the displaced civilians help them. Now you cant save LTTE nor you can punish Sri Lanka. Just dont be Jokers.
Another thing they excel at is raping children as they are so desperate.
LTTE is not over. SL army has finished their dirty work with the LTTE and now it is time for the Sinhalese mobs to start their dirty work on the civilians as they did back in 1983 which led to the formation of LTTE. The Shinalese will bring back LTTE and when they return they will be return with GREAT VENGEANCE.
Your Gov has sold your country to China and others to help the war. Poor Sinhalese will know this soon.
JUST DON'T STILL BE STUPID.
You won't understand any thing.
tens of thousands of sinhalese died? your sinhalese govt killed nearly 40,000 sinhalese. do you know that?
do you know how many tamils killed by your army?
you sinhalese feed thugs and make the problem.
you don't undersatand any thing.
Whatever it is as Sri Lankan's we do not want LTTE to appear again. From our constitution the usage of Eelam is banned for any political party.
Well done SL President, it's officials and armed forces. We need your support to develop our beloved motherland. We are behind you. We do not respect even UN who have been playing double sided game all these years. Your courage against these evil forces resulted in achieving this victory.
S. Thiagharja
However, I don't see it happening as for every voice of peace and moderation from people such as sthiagharaja and gothamraja, there's dozens of muls66, ram111 and tharisan's who rant and espouse race hatred, vileness and insanity from the safety of this country, which they seem to blame for the 30 years of carnage as much as the Sinhalese (and anyone else in the world they can think except of course their own leaders, be they politicians or warlords). I just hope the voice of reason and sanity prevails. The thought of the likes of muls66, ram111 and tharisan prevailing makes my skin crawl and gives a vision of Sri Lanka generations from now, not as a land that could have been the true inspiration for the biblical Eden, but instead a charnel house to rival Cambodia or Rwanda
ther not surrender for themselves they worried for the wounded people so they try to negotiate with govenment to safe passage the non arm people.
Rajan. Sydney
As for Tamils in the West like MIA yelling out that the fight will go, you are disgusting because YOU will not be doing the fighting. If you want to do something useful, fly with your family and children to Sri Lanka and volunteer that you all take the place of a Tamil family in the north so that family can fly back in your place to the UK or Canada for medical treatment. You can even offer your 12 year old kids as volunteers for the next generation of LTTE "freedom fighters".
These pathetic terrorist r credible? u must b joking? What is their credibility, and who r the liars?
This article gives a wrong impression about these two terrorist. Nadesan was a LTTE fighter and was the LTTE police chief. So was pulidevan.
The question is 2 weeks ago, the government had a ceasefire of 48 hours and gave the LTTE an ultimatum to surrender, why the hell did they not surrender then?
They wanted to stay more and kill innocent civilians and destry the country.
Now when there is no way out, these pathetical cold blooded murderers ask for mercy, while having no mercy themselves.
Thi must be a joke ? And the article tries to portray as if 2 innocent civilian officials were killed in cold blood.please don't mislead the world.
These terrorist stayed till the last moment to command there army and when things became desperate they tried to surrender? what about the human rights of the civilians they killed in cold blood?
Please get an idea about what you are writing before making propaganda!!!
As I recall the story, Dracula was a lot more ethical than the LTTE ever could be. More charming, too.
The question is 2 weeks ago, the government had a ceasefire of 48 hours and gave the LTTE an ultimatum to surrender, why the hell did they not surrender then?
They wanted to stay more and kill innocent civilians and destry the country.
Now when there is no way out, these pathetical cold blooded murderers ask for mercy, while having no mercy themselves.
Thi must be a joke ? And the article tries to portray as if 2 innocent civilian officials were killed in cold blood.please don't mislead the world.
These terrorist stayed till the last moment to command there army and when things became desperate they tried to surrender? what about the human rights of the civilians they killed in cold blood?
You will be free when you bite down on your cyanide capsule. Make sure you wash it off first to prevent infection.
Sinna Raman
KP is not stupid. He planned it that way to take over the leadership of the LTTE. I bet he even gave the information to the SLA. And I bet he got money for doing it. He won't be a good leader, though. Like Taglia in the movie The Godfather, KP is "just a pimp".
We wont allow EU , US or another country to interfere our matters. Sri Lanka is not Afghanistan, Bosnia or Iraq . Mind your own business. Or continue weeping for the terrorists.
Gimme a break. I'm an American and I'm overjoyed that every member of the LTTE leadership is dead. Read the comments here. Sri Lanka has many western supporters commenting here. You can hardly expect us to go out and block traffic and tear up embassies in support of the Sri Lanken government. That's the difference between us and you on onehand and the LTTE supporters on the other. And it's called civilization.
What Srilanka has done is a brutal holocaust, measuring in its devilishness to World War 2. Srilanka cannot be forgiven, for 61 years of abuse, state terror, bombing and killing of Tamil civilians. It has used hate against religion and language to oppress, divide and kill over 100,000 civilians. I don't know how many died over the last few months alone. Who ever will?
This hate infested country, where Buddhist monks once carried out suicide attacks against the British during colonial period, will never allow anyone to live peacefully. Let alone, the Tamil minority that thrived throughout history. Srilanka cannot be forgiven. Srilanka will not be forgiven. Buddha's Graveyard aka Srilanka, must answer to its crimes.
ask them to surrender with the help of UN, US, ICRC and they are asked by the president to come with the white flag. SL government even fax letter to UN about the surrender and confirmation. once surrender killed at point blank ---300 people including LTTE political wing head around within 12 minutes. what you read is the true story.
US, UN, ICRC, Even SL gov fully aware about it.
it is shame for every person in srilanka,
When the truth comes out I think that we will see that hundreds of SLA soldiers were killed or wounded just to save the Tamil civilians because they used small arms instead of heavy weapons which could have saved soldiers' lives. I would like to see any Sri Lanken citizen, including those lying doctors, who spread false rumors about the troops shelling civilians be prosecuted for treason.
Let's not also forget that the LTTE has killed enough Sri Lankan Sinhalese and Tamils who were non-combatants - a war crime in itself.
Let's also not forget war crimes by the US such as the use of white phosporous in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the use of cluster bombs by Israel:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-Ne
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?N