Tamil rebel leader wounded in government air strike

SRI LANKA’S elusive Tamil rebel supremo was wounded in an air strike last month by security forces shortly after his annual policy broadcast, a privately run newspaper reported yesterday.

The Nation newspaper said Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was wounded in an underground bunker in the northern district of Kilinochchi on November 28.

“A section of the bunker had crumbled and some falling debris had struck the LTTE leader,” the newspaper said.

The paper added that Mr Prabhakaran had been treated at an underground medical unit and had recovered fully from “minor” injuries.

There was no immediate reaction to the report either from the Tigers or Sri Lankan defence authorities.

Last month, Mr Prabhakaran’s de facto number two, SP Thamilselvan, was killed in an air attack by the Sri Lankan military. Mr Prabhakaran, 53, then vowed to avenge the killing of his political chief.

The attack on Mr Prabhakaran reportedly took place a day after Sri Lanka’s powerful defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, vowed the military would target the rebel leadership.

“The killing of Thamilselvan sent a very powerful message: They know we have good intelligence on their movements,” Mr Rajapakse said last month.