posted March 28, 2005 10:30 AM         

The following are some of the relevant incidents that throw new light on the Tiger movement and the role of Raghavan and Prabaharan :

1. On 7 -09-1978 by planting bomb and destroying the AVRO airplane, the only aircraft owned by the national air carrier Air Ceylon, and also by damaging Government properties in the Northern Province, the armed groups gained popularity among the Tamil people. They began to believe that those acts undertaken to chase out the government security forces were for the good of the Tamil people.

2. On 5-04-1981 Raghavan and Prabaharan assisted in arresting Kuttimani and Thangathurai in Tamil Nadu India, and delivering him to J.R.Jayewardene, the then President. Earlier, on 25 -03-1981 Kuttimani, Prabaharan, Sri Sabaratnam (Tall Sri) and ‘Oberoi’ Devan were jointly involved in the Neerveli bank robbery. The total amount of money burgled was Rs.85 lakhs. At that particular point of time, attempts were made to crush Kuttimani and Thangathurai and a plan was hatched by Prabaharan to claim credit for this daring robbery. To gain credit it was necessary to get rid of Kuttimani and Thangathurai. Both of them went further. They also shot and killed ‘Oberoi’ Devan who also participated in the Bank robbery.

3. On 2 – 01-1982 Sivashanmugamoorthy alias Sundaram, the publisher of Pudiya Pathai, was shot and killed by Raghavan and Prabaharan. This was the first shot fired Prabharan to eliminate his rivals in other armed groups. Raghavan aided and abetted in the killing of a militant fighter Sundaram in 28 -07-1981. Sundaram, who attacked and destroyed the Anaikottai police station for the first time, showed the Pudiya Pathai, a new path, to Prabaharan and Raghavan in the struggle for the liberation of the Tamils.

4. On 10 – 05-1982, at Pondy Bazaar in Tamil Nadu, Prabaharan and Raghavan opened fire on Uma Maheswaran, the person who launched the armed liberation struggle, with Prabaharan and Raghavan as his lieutenants. This was the beginning of Prabaharan’s megalomania to usher in the one-man dictatorship by suppressing the basic rights of the Tamils. Raghavan played a key role in this attempted killing.

5. When a covert operation was contemplated to rescue Thangathurai and Kuttimani from the clutches of the armed forces and from the high security Welikada prison, Prabaharan and Raghavan did their utmost to put off the proposed plan of action. They diverted attention to the Tirunelvely Bank robbery and thus put the government in a state of preparedness for any eventuality. They deliberately hindered the plan to release Kuttimani and Thangathurai.

6. Raghavan played a leading role in abducting the seven female undergraduates of the Jaffna University, who undertook a fast unto death. Because of this abduction Mathivathani – Prabakaran marriage took place despite of Mathivathani’s and her parents’ reluctance to the marriage.

Raghavan who aided and abetted in all the crimes with Prabaharan subsequently fell out with Prabaharan and in 1987. Raghavan sought asylum in London along with Nirmala Nithyanandan (“Broken Palmera” Rajini Thinaragama’s sister). Now he is married to her.
Raghavan was involved in the dozens of killings when he was the second in command to Prabaharan. Later he decided to reside permanently in London. To this day he continues to maintain silence, without coming forward to atone for his own killings.

Like Parbaharan he was pathological killer. So far he has not cared to tender apologies for the unnecessary deaths of his Tamil victims. He aided and abetted Prabaharan in carrying out all those and all those killings and both maintain a grim silence.

Raghavan must be under the impression that by maintaining silence he can save his skin from the wrath of Prabaharan. But he has never thought about the Tamils who have a long memory. These Tamils too have not pardoned him.

As far as the rebel outfits were concerned, it was a common thing to leave the outfit after having differences of opinion with the leaderships. But all those who left the armed outfits came out and criticized the faults of their former leaders publicly. And many of them continue to criticize their leadership. But not Raghavan.

When Raghavan came to know that Prabaharan was making discreet arrangement to draw his blood like the way he sucked the blood out of numerous Tamil youths, he fled and sought asylum in Britain.

Even at this belated hour Raghavan must come forward to expose the atrocities of Prabaharan. His silence amounts to preaching about animal protection while running butchery.

Though late, Raghavan still has the opportunity to atone for his crimes by confessing to the crimes he committed with Prabaharan. This is consensus of opinion among all those armed groups who were destroyed by the Tigers. It is Raghavan’s prime duty to the Tamil people and his victims.