Where were all these LTTE fronts when Prabakaran was declared dead in May 2009, when his father died in 2010 & mother died in 2011? Not even Prabakarans siblings came to conduct his funeral or even the parent’s funeral. Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces cremated Prabakaran & threw his ashes to sea. His father’s funeral was done by TNA MP Sivajilingam who was a relative, while 3 dead dogs were thrown at the cremation site of his mother. In fact, no LTTE front even came forward to look after Prabakaran’s parents who were chased out of the refugee camp by Tamils & had to be looked after by Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces safeguarding them from attacks till their deaths. In fact, Prabakarans ailing mother was not even allowed to disembark from the plane at Chennai airport when she went to get medical treatment to India. Today, the entities that ignored Prabakaran after his death are glorifying him with concrete monuments & crocodile tears! What hypocrites!
Where Were You Then? The Deafening Silence of LTTE Fronts and Diaspora Hypocrites
In the years since the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, a growing number of Tamil diaspora activists, LTTE fronts, and self-serving politicians have engaged in annual spectacles of performative grief—erecting monuments, lobbying Western governments, and organizing “Mullivaikkal commemorations” to canonize terrorists as martyrs. Yet, behind their slogans and slogans of “genocide” lies a shocking and deliberate silence.
For Hindus, funeral rites are sacred rituals that honor the dead and guide the soul (atma) on its journey toward rebirth or liberation (moksha). These rites help sever ties with the physical body, ensure peace for the departed, and fulfill religious duties to ancestors and the divine. They also provide comfort and closure for the living, reinforcing spiritual and cultural continuity.
No One Claimed Prabhakaran’s Body — Not Even His Family
On May 18, 2009, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by Sri Lankan Armed Forces near the Nanthikadal lagoon. The military found his body and confirmed his identity. Even without the dead LTTE leader, everyone knew that LTTE terrorism had ended though separatist ideology lives on.
No family member. No LTTE front. No Tamil politician. No “human rights champion” came forward to claim Prabakaran – whom they had virtually worshipped for decades.
The result: Prabhakaran was cremated by the Sri Lankan Army on May 23, 2009, five days later. His ashes were scattered at sea.
For a man hailed as a “Tamil national hero” by LTTE diaspora fronts, not one representative stepped forward to perform even the most basic Hindu funeral rites. Where were those who now speak his name with reverence? Hiding in comfort zones abroad, busy issuing press releases but chickened out of claiming his body to perform the last rites.
When Tamils chased away Prabakaran’s parents
On May 17, 2009, Prabhakaran’s elderly parents entered government-controlled areas and were placed in Menik Farm (Zone IV) for their protection. Ironically, it was not the Sri Lankan state but fellow Tamil civilians who attacked them, now free from LTTE oppression and resentment. The military moved them to Panagoda Army Camp for their safety & protection— a move conveniently forgotten by critics who paint the army as uniformly brutal.
Thiruvengadam Velupillai, Prabhakaran’s father, died on 6 January 2010 at age 86. His body was handed over to TNA MP and relative K. Sivajilingam. His children did not arrive to pay homage to their father. He was cremated on 10 January 2010 in Valvettithurai.
Parvathi Ammal, Prabhakaran’s mother, passed away on 20 February 2011 in Valvettithurai. She too was cremated. Her children did not arrive to pay homage to their mother either — Sadly, the cremation site was desecrated by local Tamils, with three dead dogs dumped at the scene in a gesture of disgust.
None of their children—Manoharan (Denmark), Vinothini (Canada), or Jagdeswari (Denmark)—came to visit or perform rites. None in the LTTE Diaspora arrived either.
Diaspora Fronts: Big Words, Empty Actions
Today, the same diaspora fronts who couldn’t even claim their leader’s body spend millions on:
- Monuments in Canada, UK, and Europe,
- Genocide campaigns,
- “Tamil Eelam” curriculum propaganda,
- Buying politicians for sympathy votes,
- Hosting gala dinners glorifying LTTE figures.
Where were these millions when Prabhakaran’s body lay unclaimed? Where was their courage when his aged parents were attacked by Tamil refugees? When his mother died, cremated in obscurity?
Their silence then was not an oversight — it was cowardice. It was convenient. And it continues today in the form of manufactured narratives, crocodile tears, and hollow symbolism.
Hypocrisy at Its Peak
How dare these fronts demand that foreign governments recognize an LTTE narrative, when they couldn’t show the most basic decency to bury their own dead?
How can they speak of justice when they turned their backs on the very people they now glorify?
How can Tamil politicians weep at staged commemorations, when they lacked the spine to even acknowledge their family ties or perform a final prayer?
No More False Martyrs
The facts are clear:
- Prabhakaran died unclaimed.
- His parents were chased away by their own
- His parents died abandoned.
- No LTTE front stepped up.
- No diaspora activist offered rites.
- No Tamil politician showed up.
Today, they rewrite history — not to honor the dead — but to keep separatist agendas alive. Let this be a wake-up call to the world: those who glorify terror in suits and slogans were silent when duty called.
It’s time to stop mistaking cowardice for sacrifice,
Velupillai Prabhakaran, the man who claimed to lead Tamils, died unwanted, unclaimed, and unhonored by his own family and followers (both in Sri Lanka & abroad).
And those who glorify him today? They glorify not out of loyalty, but for relevance & their own advantage & agendas. For political clout. For funding. For manipulation.
They were absent when it counted, and now, they shout from rooftops highlighting their hypocrisies.
Let’s be clear: it was the Sri Lanka military who cremated Prabakran when his own deserted him. His parents not only died in obscurity their cremation site was even desecrated.
And today? The same people who were cowards to honor their dead demand governments around the world honor them as ‘martyrs’. They want monuments built, textbooks rewritten, international courts moved – but they couldn’t be bothered to even come forward to claim the dead body of their leader with the same gusto that they make demands now.
When Prabakaran & his parent’s bodies were lying cold & unclaimed, their loudest act was their silence.
Shenali D Waduge