Nobody can touch Prabhakaran: LTTE

Rubbishing frequent claims by Sri Lankan government that the elusive LTTE supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran has been injured in a military raid, his key aide has said the people would soon realise the "futility" of army's claims of success against the rebels.

"A false propaganda saying our leader Prabhakaran is injured is being carried. Nobody can approach our leader," LTTE political head B. Nadesan told the Tamil Daily Thinakkural in an interview yesterday. While the Sri Lankan security forces were claiming success in their clashes against LTTE, Nadesan said the "people of Sri Lanka will realise the futility of such a claim in times to come".

Nadesan accused the Sri Lankan government of trying to sideline the Norwegian mediators besides contradicting the United Nations. "The government is not in favour of peace process," he said. Lankan Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetilleke had said that fighter jets had dropped 20 bombs on Prabhakaran's bunker on November 26, 2007 and had claimed that the rebel leader could have been injured in the attack. The LTTE denied the claim.

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http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/02/17/0802171801_lanka_prabhakaran.html

LTTE chief sustained critical injuries in Nov. raid: Air chief

LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran may have sustained major injuries in the November last year aerial raid on a rebel base but reports of his treatment in India are "baseless", the Sri Lankan Air Force Chief has said.

The Air Force jets dropped 20 bombs during the air strike on the LTTE target on November 26 and they came under "very heavy anti-aircraft" fire from the rebels, Roshan Goonetilleke said participating in a political programme "Thulawa" organised by the state-owned Independent Television Network.

Goonetilleke said he was confident that Prabhakaran had been critically injured in the air strike and added that the war with the LTTE would be over "very shortly", but refrained from giving a time frame.

He, however, dismissed reports of the LTTE chief being treated in India as baseless, the 'Island' newspaper said.

The Air Force chief said he did not subscribe to the view that Prabhakaran had left the country for treatment. "A terrorist leader usually doesn't leave at a critical juncture like this as he fears that someone else might take his place."

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200802161441.htm