Is present calamity in Sri Lanka connected to Chandrika’s favor to Prabhakaran?

By Walter Jayawardhana

Was the favor done by the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga to LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran by allowing his wife Mathivathani take her daughter to Ireland connected with Prabhakaran’s sudden decision to attack the newly formed government of Mahinda Rajapaksa?

The question was asked by the Tamil oriented Vizhuppu.net website that said Chandrika Kumaratunga went out of her way to help Prabhakaran send his wife and children abroad during the former President’s last leg of her term.

Publishing the above photograph of Prabhakaran the website said,”Imagine Pirabhakaran without wife and children living alone in the Punitha Bhumi in Vanni!”

"What assurance," the website asked, "did Pirabakaran give Chandrika? The calamity at present in the Island is the product of this little favour Prabha got from her?"

The web site, well informed on Tamil affairs, implied that the present calamity was a favor returned to Chandrika Kumaratunga. She was secretly campaigning with few of her cohorts, to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential elections despite the fact that he was her own party candidate. She was also known to have had a secret pact with Ranil Wickremesinghe to form a government after obtaining the support of some SLFP parliamentarians. It was a great disappointment to the Bandaranaikes when President Rajapaksa became the President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

The Vizippu.net website said that "LTTE supremo Pirabakaran’s wife Mathivathani is not in Vanni and is living with her daughter Duwaraka in Dublin, Ireland. Duwaraka is said to be pursuing a fast track course in English language to take up medical science course at the Dublin University," quoting unnamed sources close to the LTTE leadership in London.

The report further said, "Inquiries made with family friends of Mathivathani from her native Punguduthive islet confirm that she is so attached to the children that she will not allow them live without her in another country."

“She is said to have gone to Dublin with the children with the help of the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. It is still not clear why the former President went out of the way to help Pirabakaran during last leg of her term in office as President. What assurance did Pirabakaran give Chandrika? The calamity at present in the Island is the product of this little favour Prabha got from her?” asked the website.