MADRAS: LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has sent messages to his cadre in Tamil Nadu to immediately return to Sri Lanka to avoid capture by the state police following joint operations against the LTTE by the state police and Indian navy officials said in this southern metropolis Saturday.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a separatist organization in Sri Lanka is the prime suspect behind the May 21 blast in Sriperumbudur in which Rajig Gandhi was killed. Although the LTTE has denied any hand in Gandhi’s assassination the police have rounded up several LTTE cadres in southern India in this connection and many LTTE activists have consumed cyanide to evade arrests.

The official sources told the Press Trust of India that Prabhakaran’s message from Sri Lanka was sent four days ago through the LTTE’s communication network to the organization’s militants in Tamil Nadu and intercepted by official agencies.

In his message the LTTE chief had asked his cadres to return the Island-nation availing o! being dispatched by LTTE Thanjavur coast the sources said He had referred to the situation in Tamil Nadu as being too ‘hot’ f their continued presence and stated there was no point in losing their services by being captured the sources added.

The sources said the Indian navy had been informed at Prabhakaran’s message and close watch was being kept on the movement of boats and men along the Tamil Nadu coast.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991