Sri Lanka: Now the real work begins
The Rebel is No More.....
I Just reviewed a report from France24 that the Sri Lankan Tamil rebel leader, Prabkahakran, has been shot dead while trying to escape. According to the report, "...Troops also found the bodies of Prabhakaran's 24-year-old son Charles Anthony, the group's political wing leader B. Nadesan, and the head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Peace Secretariat, S.Pulideevan...Also reportedly found dead were the LTTE's police chief Ilango, its eastern leader, S. Ramesh, and deputy intelligence chief Kapil Amma." (Source: http://www.france24.com, retrieved 5/18/2009). So, it looks like this long nightmare is really over.
Now, the real work to reconcile the divided population begins. The grievances have not gone away. Sri Lanka won because it got the backing of one of the world's heavyweights: China. This is one of those underreported stories out there today. As I continued to assess the war, I wondered how the Sri Lankan Army could sustain such an massive campaign. The President of Sri Lanka should be congratulated for keeping his committment to his country. I only hope that he is gracious and magnanimous in victory.
Mike Pouraryan
There are 300,000 civilians in refugee camps at this moment. An humanitarian crisis is unfolding and will need as much international help as possible to resolve.