Posters hail Prabhakaran's birthday

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, NOV. 25. The pro-LTTE activists in the State are revving up once again to blatantly celebrate the birthday of Prabhakaran, the leader of the banned LTTE and the prime accused in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, tomorrow and observe the `Maaveerar day' on Monday.

Posters featuring Prabhakaran's photographs have appeared in prominent places in the City including Saidapet, Santhome and T.Nagar, hailing the LTTE chief on the occasion of his birthday.

The posters, put up by a little-known fringe outfit, Tamil Youths Federation, near the T.Nagar bus terminus, unequivocally praises the LTTE chief as the greatest hero of the world and an epitome of valour.

However, the posters hailing Prabhakaran, which sprung up in various parts of the City this morning, do not seem to have caught the attention of the police yet.

Leading the pro-LTTE bandwagon in the State is the Tamil Nationalist Movement leader, Mr. P. Nedumaran, who has planned a `Tamils awakening' meeting on the occasion of the `Maaveerar day' on November 27 at suburban Avadi and Thorapakkam.

Amidst strident criticism from the Opposition parties in the State, Mr. Nedumaran, a known LTTE supporter, had undertaken a mission to the forest as a key emissary to negotiate with Veerappan for the release of Kannada actor, Mr. Rajkumar.

Significantly, Mr. Nedumaran and fellow emissary and another known LTTE supporter, Mr. Kolathur Mani, will kick off their campaign to `expose' the STF atrocities, at Kolathur tomorrow coinciding with Prabhakaran's birthday.

The LTTE commemorates November 27 as `Maaveerar day' in honour of its cadres who died in the Eelam war.

While the Tamil Nationalist Movement functionaries here confirmed the `Maaveerar day' meetings in the City suburbs, Mr. Nedumaran could not be contacted for his comments as he was away in Mysore to meet the TADA detenus whose release was one of the key demands of Veerappan.

Though Mr. Nedumaran has been observing the `Maaveerar day' for the past few years now, his pro-LTTE activism has come into sharp focus ever since the two State Governments allowed him to undertake the mission to negotiate with Veerappan and his Tamil extremist associates.

Mr. Nedumaran had planned a pro-LTTE conference in Chidambaram in May this year to celebrate the Tigers' triumph in Elephant Pass. However, the State Government had banned the meet and arrested Mr.Nedumaran.

At the height of the Tigers' renewed offensive in Sri Lanka during May this year, posters hailing LTTE `victory' had come up prominently in the City and the police had taken 10 persons into custody for allegedly pasting the posters.

The ban on LTTE was extended for a period of two years by the Central Government in May this year.

Meanwhile, the police have stepped up vigil along the Ramanathapuram coast and armed police personnel have been posted at all the 13 check posts in different parts of Ramanathapuram district to prevent possible infiltration of militants on the `Maaveerar day'.

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Section  : Southern States
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