The reported death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the dreaded chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has brought relief and hope in the hearts of Sri Lankan expatriates in the Kingdom. Prabhakaran, the terror face of the Tigers as the LTTE cadres are popularly known as, was also allegedly involved in the assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, besides the killings of scores of unarmed and innocent people in the island nation of Sri Lanka. Although the menace of terrorism is haunting several nations around the world, the LTTE terrorism wreaked havoc on the island nation for over three decades. Several Sri Lankan diplomats and expatriates, contacted by Saudi Gazette, expressed optimism that with Prabhakaran's death and the virtual annihilation of the LTTE, peace will finally return to their beloved country. “This is our independence day in a way because the country has been liberated from the clutches of terrorism after almost 30 years,” said Abdulatif Mohammed Lafeer, the Sri Lankan Consul General. “It must have come as a shock to other countries who thought that it was not easy to get rid of LTTE. I must say it could happen with the efforts of Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and his lobbying and efforts of President Mahindra Rajapaksa we have achieved this victory,” he said. The Consul General himself has suffered at the hands of terrorists when he was living in the eastern province of Sri-Lanka and the LTTE put the whole town on fire in 1990. He lost many of his relatives in that incident. “The whole Sri Lankan community should appreciate the efforts of President Rajapaksa and chief of the army for this great humanitarian operation,” he said. Other expatriates also expressed the same views. “I am very happy for everyone since we had this problems for over 30 years now. Though there still are followers of LTTE they can make a political party instead of fighting against their own country and people,” said Gregory Sudath Stepheen, a compound manager in Jeddah. P.T.A. Hassan, the outgoing president of the Sri Lankan community in Madina and moderator of Lankan Muslim Group said that LTTE had an opportunity to achieve peace. “I hope the government and UN agencies and the Sri-Lankan people will bring immediate relief to internally displaced people (IDP) and give the rights to the minorities so the whole nation can live together in peace and harmony and help in the development of the country,” he said. “For me this will be a new dawn for our country, we grieve for our youth who gave their lives for the country,” said K.M.A. Perera, welfare officer at Saudi Glass Company. “I must say that all Sri Lankans must build the future of the country together,” he said . In what could mark the end of Asia's longest running civil war – one that left more than 70,000 dead in pitched battles, suicide attacks, bomb strikes and assassinations – the rebels appeared to finally admit defeat.
