Following is a article that appeared in The Daily Telegraph in UK. I reproduced this article for people to make their own judgements.

Tamil Tigers leader Prabhakaran 'will fight till death'

The Tamil Tigers' leader will fight to the death instead of surrendering, his former right-hand man Colonel Karuna has told The Sunday Telegraph.

Mr Prabhakaran, a dumpy 54-year-old with a mustache 
has been described as strangely lacking in charisma Photo: AFP

By Mian Ridge in Colombo and Nick Meo

5:47PM BST 25 Apr 2009

Vellupillai Prabhakaran, whose ruthless will has driven the Tigers for nearly three decades, was believed to be still in command of his surviving fighters last night, cornered in a shrinking patch of territory in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government has urged him to surrender and end fighting in which thousands of civilians have died. But most generals and officials privately say that only the death of the Tigers' leader will end the island's long war.

"Sri Lanka lost so many fighters and civilians and Prabhakaran is responsible for all this," Colonel Karuna said. "I used to say to him, 'Why did you kill all those people?' He's a very horrible man. He has to be eliminated."

Colonel Karuna – whose real name is Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan - was a child soldier who rose to become Mr Prabhakaran's number two before defecting to the government.

He tore the movement apart when he left, taking with him around a third of the Tiger's fighters, in 2006. He also provided vital intelligence which has helped the army to bring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to their knees. He was rewarded by being granted control of a large part of the island's east, which he has run ruthlessly as his own fiefdom.

He gave an interview at his heavily-fortified headquarters in the capital, Colombo, where armed soldiers slouched at every corner and visitors were carefully frisked.

Colonel Karuna split from the Tigers because he feared assassination at the hands of their leader, who for years had any potential rival killed. Since he left he has been just as much of a target. "I am number one on the LTTE's hit list," he said. "Prabhakaran hates me."

Eliminating Mr Prabhakaran, who began the war in 1983, is now the key object of the war. One official in Colombo said: "The Shining Path in Peru and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia both fizzled out when their top leadership was dead or captured.

"It will be the same with the LTTE, and in Prabhakaran's case, it would be better if he dies."

Mr Prabhakaran, a dumpy 54-year-old with a mustache, has been described as strangely lacking in charisma. Outsiders who have met him have described the experience as like meeting a Tamil small businessman. But he has sent more than 250 suicide bombers to their deaths, including dozens of brainwashed schoolgirls, and he now holds thousands of civilians as human shields.

As the fighting has reached its final stages in the past few days, the government has described its strategy as "hostage rescue", although diplomats and aid workers have expressed grave fears for the safety of trapped civilians.

Soldiers seek to kill the leaders and an estimated 300 surviving fighters and allow thousands of civilians to escape. Small "infiltration teams" of snipers have been moving in and out of the Tiger's enclave, which has been constantly buzzed by unmanned drones on the lookout for leaders.

The Sri Lankan navy has maintained a constant patrol offshore on the lookout for any possible escape attempt by submarines, which have been used for gun-running by the Tigers in the past. Many of the fighters have stripped off their tiger-striped uniforms and mingled with civilians to escape.

Mr Prabhakaran, however, seems to have run out of options. His pudgy features are too recognisable for him to slip through army lines.

Reports have said that Mr Prabhakaran's son, Charles Anthony, has escaped by submarine and it is possible that the leader may attempt the same. He has been ill with diabetes however, and may not be able to withstand the rigours of putting on a frogman's outfit to be towed behind a submarine at night past patrolling gunboats.

If he did get out, Mr Prabhakaran could find a welcome in the overseas Tamil Diaspora in Malaysia or India. In exile he could expect to live well; according to Colonel Karuna, he is a billionaire after stealing money intended for the Tamil cause.

Another possibility is that surviving Tigers could commit mass suicide, perhaps forcing their families to take part. Tigers carry cyanide capsules around their necks in case of capture.

One analyst in the capital Colombo said that Mr Prabhakaran has made no public announcement for weeks.

Some fear that even if he dies a handful of Tigers will escape to fight on, using arms caches hidden in the south. But his former right-hand man said that he believes that the fight will now be over. "There are no new leaders waiting," Colonel Karuna said. "The LTTE is finished."