After Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) leader P Nedumaran claimed on Monday that Velupillai Prabhakaran of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is still alive, the Sri Lanka Army categorically denied claim and said there's no such evidence.
Sri Lanka Director Media and Army Spokesman Brigadier Ravi Herath exclusively told ABP Nadu that Sri Lanka has all the records including "DNA certificates" to prove that Prabhakaran is dead.
"...As per our records, there are no such evidence to say that the particular person that you are referring to is alive. So, this particular statement that the politician has made, you will have to ask from him only as to what is the base that he is coming out with such statement," Brigadier Ravi Herath told ABP Nadu.
Asserting that Prabhakaran was killed by Sri Lankan forces in 2009, Brig Herath said: "Definitely, by the end of 2009 when the humanitarian operation was over, DNA certificates and all these confirmations had been taken."
Asked if the Sri Lankan government is going to react or take any action regarding this particular information, Brig Herath said there are "no plans as such", but there could be an official statement by the foreign minister "in the near future".
Speaking to ABP Nadu, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Ali Sabri said they would look into the reports and react.
It may be recalled that Prabhakaran was killed in 2009 in the war between Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE. 'Eelam' in Tamil denotes the homeland of the Tamil people.
In a press conference, Pazha Nedumaran, a noted Tamil nationalist leader, prefixed his declaration as a 'true announcement' and said the international (political) atmosphere and fierce opposition to Rajapaksas by the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka have created the right conditions for the leader of the Eelam Tamils, Prabhakaran to emerge.