As many such leaders Prabakharan is a controvercial subject. Also it is impossible to separate Prabakharan the individual form Prabakharan the leader of LTTE. Being a leader of an armed rebel group it is also difficult to differentiate between the facts, myths, legend, and deliberate mis-information about him.

Velupillai Prabhakaran (sometimes spelt Velupillai Pirapaharan, born November 26, 1954) is the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant organization fighting for Tamil self-rule in North-East Sri Lanka. He was born in Velvettithurai, Sri Lanka. In 1972, at the age of 18, he founded an organization named Tamil New Tigers(TNT). In May 5, 1976, TNT was renamed as Liberation Tigers of Tamil-Eelam (LTTE) has been black-listed as a terrorist in some countries, including the USA and India, who seek his extradition over his alleged role in the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. But among a significant number, the vast majority of whom are Tamilians, he is viewed as a freedom fighter who fights against the ethnic suppression in Sri Lanka. The issue of his legitimacy as a leader of his people and his acceptance as a freedom fighter rather than a terrorist, remains controversial. It is also worthy to mention that few other nations have declared him as a rebellion leader—an ambiguous term that carefully avoids the issue.

While few would dispute he has a devoted and loyal following among his people, some even willing to sacrifice their own lives, (Black Tigers)[3] (http://www.eelamweb.com/formation/)he also has many critics. Prabakharan is a freedom fighter because he is engaged in an armed struggle for an independant home land for the tamil population of Sri Lanka. He is also terrorist because the methods used by him and his organisation are violent. During the period he led LTTE, LTTE have waged war against not only the Government of Sri Lanka and its' forces -a legitimate target if one accepts the rights of tamil people have been infringed, but also many tamil political parties and rebel groups that were fighting for the same cause (my POV waste of a useful resource a great leader would have tried to unify and harness). Significantly LTTE and Prabakharan have eliminated most tamil political leaders in Sri Lanka except those loyal to it and many tamil intelectuals and academics who dared to criticise them. (my POV more to consolidate personal power than to serve Tamil Cause) ACTC, TULF, PLOTE, EPRLF, EPDP[4] (http://www.epdpnews.com/news.html), TNA,were among these organizations) Sachi Sri Kantha[5] (http://www.sangam.org/PIRABAKARAN/) says comparison to Pol Pot is unfair, as the numbers of deaths LTTE is accused of is relatively small compared to the number killed by Khemer Rouge. While the numbers may be small the terror LTTE unleashed on people both sinhalese and tamil is not very different. Comparison to Yasser Arafat is also not accurate because the tamil people of Sri Lanka were not forcefully evacuated to refugee camps by the Sri Lankan Government forces like the [Palestinian] people. Discrimination tamils faced in Sri Lanka was more sublte -until 1970 tamils lived and worked in most parts of Sri Lanka alongside the majority Sinhalese. Struggle against the British imperialists did not unite all Sri Lankans in to a Sri Lankan nation. Like in India where the resistance split along Hindu/Muslin lines, Sri Lankan resistance to colonial rule split along language lines. Ensuing power struggle between the two linguistic groups rsolved in favour of the Sinhalese who due to demographics became the most powerful group in post independant Sri Lanka.

Like most newly independant countries Sri Lanka went through a phase of aggressive nationalism during the middle of the last century. English was substituted with Sinhala as the national and administrative language in 1956 enraging the vsat majority of tamils. Buddhism was declared the state religion a move unpopular with the tamil population who were mostly Hindus. Although concessions were made to remady some of these it was too little and too late pacify most tamils. The 'Standardisation of A'Level results' introduces in the 1970s was the last straw that broke the peaceful Tamils'(pun intended) back.

Till the third quarter of the last century, due to educational inequalities, the majority of entrants to Sri Lankan Universities came from Colombo and Jaffna. The united front Government in 1970, instead of trying to remady the situation by improving educational facilities in rural Sri Lanka, found a quick fix to balance the numbers. Suddenly this changed the ethnic balance this time in favour of the rural Sri Lankans who happened to be mostly sinhalese, causing severe disadvantage to the Colmbo and Jaffna student. (ie. Medicine and Engineering entrants from Colombo and Jaffna needed at least 3 A grades and a B while rural students for the same course entered with merely four S grades) To make matters worse ethnic quotas were introduced later limiting Tamil entrants even further to approximately 20% of the total places available in Universities and government sector employment, reserving narly 70% to the Sinhalese, based on population. Tamils were being displaced from coveted educational institutes as well as from jobs in the state sector [6] (http://www.eelamweb.com/publication/justice/whydid.shtml).

The term racial discrimination is inappropriate to describe (my POV)because there is no racial differnce between the tamils and sinhalese. Although both the Tamils and the Sinhalese have distinct ethno-riligious identities culture and mythology, they have lived alongside for at least two millennia and mixed and intermarried continously. I is also true that the sinhalese lining in tamil areas have accquired tamil idintity and language and tamils vice-versa. So the differences between the two groups are cultural riligious and linguistic than racial.

This was the background to the conflict LTTE and Prabakharan took on so a considerable portion of singhalese people and a few tamils consider him to be a terrorist while many tamils and a few Singhalese would call him a freedom fighter. LTTE loyalists label its victims as traitors or collaborators.

External Links

Prabakharans admirers

   * Tamil Eelam Home Page [7] (http://www.eelam.com/) - Official home page
   * A struggle for Justice[8] (http://www.eelamweb.com/publication/justice/whydid.shtml)
   * The enigma of Prabhakaran[9] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/212361.stm)
   * The Pirabakaran Phenomenon[10] (http://www.sangam.org/PIRABAKARAN/) - by Sachi Sri Kantha. In defence of Prabhakaran.
   * Rare Photos of Velupillai Prabhakaran[11] (http://www.samsloan.com/prabha.html)

Critics

   * Who Really Killed Rajiv Gandhi?[12] (http://www.samsloan.com/gandhi.htm)
   * DR. RAJANI THIRANAGAMA: HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNIVERSITY TEACHERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS [13] (http://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report3/Rajaniwork.htm#_Toc515857061)
   * Prominent Tamil Leaders Assassinated by the LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists in Sri Lanka [14] (http://www.svik.org/tamilleaders.htm)
   * Tamil Tigers kill another Tamil leader and issue death warrant to 5 Tamil leaders [15] (http://www.spur.asn.au/media_release_990904_Tamil_leaders_killed_by_LTTE.htm)
   * Jaffna Mayoress Sarojini Yogeswaran shot dead by LTTE[16] (http://www.spur.asn.au/sarojini.htm)
   * LTTE Tamil Tiger Suicide bomber kills another Tamil Leader, Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam [17] (http://www.spur.asn.au/Neelan_Thiruchelvam.htm)
   * The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Sri Lanka[18] (http://www.totse.com/en/politics/terrorists_and_freedom_fighters/ltte1.html)
   * Not on the right path[19] (http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2121/stories/20041022001105200.htm)
   * EPDP [20] (http://www.epdpnews.com/news.html)

Warning Disturbing Pictures in the following links

   * She Don't Know Nothing About No Tigers[21] (http://www.samsloan.com/notigers.htm)
   * Chronology of Suicide Bomb Attacks by Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka[22] (http://www.spur.asn.au/chronology_of_suicide_bomb_attacks_by_Tamil_Tigers_in_sri_Lanka.htm)

Those who insist they are neutral

   * Amnesty International files of relavence. [23] (http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA370042003) [24] (http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA370231999) [25] (http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA370011998) [26] (http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA370032003) [27] (http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA370111998)
   * Wanted by Interpol[28] (http://www.interpol.int/public/Data/Wanted/Notices/Data/1994/54/1994_9054.asp)
   * Sri Lanka : ICRC asked to help solve missing persons issue [29]