Sri Lanka: LTTE likely to carryout a series of morale boosting assassinations

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage and assassination. This is the only way to win a seemingly unwinnable war - Anon
While most Sri Lankans buoyed by the continuous victories in the battlefield are not paying attention, the LTTE is likely to carryout a series of morale boosting assassinations to wipe-out the Southern leadership and thereby regain the upper-hand in this fight to the finish.
This devastating strategy may include a number of high profile assassinations between now and 26th November – LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran’s 54th birthday – Heroes Day, which will decapitate much of the political and military leadership of Sri Lanka and restore his standing at a time when many consider the destruction of the LTTE to be imminent.
The top targets of such a desperate strategy may include:
1. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapakasa (Commander in Chief), his family, including his Brother and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakase who narrowly survived a bomb attack on December 01, 2006;
2. Prime Minister Hon. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (who was also previously targeted by the Tigers), and the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
3. Army commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka who on 25 April 2006, survived an LTTE suicide bomb attack in which he was seriously injured and nine others were killed;
4. All top commanders in the battlefront;
5. TMVP leader Col. Karuna (V. Muralitharan), and Eastern Province Chief Minister Pillayan (Hon. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan);
5. Several other anti LTTE Tamil leaders (Hon. Douglas Devananda & Mr. V. Anandasangaree) and anti-LTTE journalists.
Media reports in the past have stated that there are at least six assassins shadowing top military and political leaders and as in the case of the suicide attack of Hon. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle on April 6, 2008, they will strike at the first lapse in security.
The weapon choice this time around may be the bullet not the bomb as snipers will find it easier than suicide bombers to acquire their targets. Also kamikaze aircraft may be used for dramatic effect. Last week the security around the President’s official residence Temple Trees was toughened.
The first such asymmetrical counterattack by the LTTE may be the with cyanide poisoning of over 200 soldiers at the Henanigala camp in Eastern Province last weekend. The fish were allegedly injected with the poison. Are the camps abandoned by the fleeing Tigers booby trapped?
The most shocking element of an asymmetrical counterattack will be the use of Sinhala Tigers know as the - Revolutionary Liberation Front or Viplawakari Vimukthi Peramuna, to execute these high profile assassinations. Many of them (including female Sinhala Tigers), may have by now successfully ingratiated themselves to the top brass of the government and their staff as was done by Tiger Babu - the killer of President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
Media reports state that the Tigers have also its trained upcountry youth to fight the government. Another dangerous development is the assistance provided by certain religious institutions to the LTTE to continue its murderous campaign.
If the LTTE is able to even target half the above mentioned leaders then it will demoralise the forces and the Tigers will find it easy to defeat them. The demoralized troops are likely to go on rampage and kill scores of Tamil civilians and there are likely to be anti-Tamil riots like 1983 but on a much larger scale and throughout the country. International humanitarian intervention will follow and Sri Lanka will become a UN colony which will then be split along ethnic lines. The UN will help Prabakaran to become leader of the state of Eelam. Think East Timor or Kosovo.
Through the above mentioned series of assassinations, Prabakaran, the master of misdirection, may once again show his supporters why is he a brilliant tactician as he did not have to fight a larger scale and costly war against the troops instead he achieved his objective with just a handful of bullets.
Other methods may include hijackings, kidnappings and blackmailing those trusted by the leadership to carryout these dastardly acts.
Needless to say the writer trusts that steps have been taken to avert such a national catastrophe. Sri Lanka cannot afford to lose its courageous and patriotic civilian and military leadership, especially since many leaders have been ruthlessly slain in the past 33 years starting with the assassination of Jaffna mayor Alfred Duraiappah in 1975 allegedly by Prabhakaran and most recently the killing of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in April on the orders of Prabakaran.
This writer appeals to the patriotic citizens of Sri Lanka to assist the law enforcement authorities to prevent the above mentioned scenario from becoming a reality.
While our leaders and brave soldiers are endangering their lives to bring peace to Mother Lanka by ridding it of the cancer of terrorism, we have a duty to keep them informed of the saboteurs in our midst who are trying their best to undermine this valiant effort.
May the present leadership of Sri Lanka be protected from harm.