By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Members of a dozen Sri Lankan Tamil families gathered in the evening at the residence of a fellow Tamil in Switzerland in early November 2022. They had all been ardent sympathisers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when the tigers were militarily active in Sri Lanka. Most of them were from the same neighbourhood and known to each other. They had been invited by the host to hear about a “Mukkiya Arivippu” (important announcement) concerning the Tamil people that evening.

The people were told by their host that someone would arrive shortly to make the announcement. After a while, two men who at one time were LTTE activists in Switzerland came in. They had a startling piece of news.

The assembled gathering was told that LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran described as the ”Thamizh Eezha Thesiyath Thalaiver” (National Leader of Tamil Eelam) was not dead as reported by the Sri Lankan Govt.He was living incognito in a safe country. Sadly the leader was now seriously ill and required urgent and expensive medical treatment and care.

It was further revealed that Prabhakaran’s wife Madhivadhany Erambu and only daughter Duvaraka were also alive and had been living with Prabhakaran. But due to Prabhakaran’s ill health and the urgent need to procure funds for him, the mother and daughter had embarked on a mercy mission. They were now in Switzerland to seek help for the leader from patriotic Tamils possessing a Tamil nationalist consciousness.. Both will now talk to you, the gathering was told.

Thereafter one of the men took our his mobile and called. The phone was put on speaker mode. A female introducing herself as Madhivadhani came on line and said her husband was alive and required urgent medical help. In a voice choking with emotion, she appealed for financial assistance and then started sobbing. Then another female voice was heard saying” Ammaa, Alatheyungo(Mother don’t cry). This was followed by the second female also requesting financial help for her father after claiming to be Prabhakaran’s daughter Duvaraka.

The people were then told that both Madhivadhany and Duvaraka were in a vehicle outside the house. “You can have a look if you want ,but you cant speak to them” it was said. . Some people went outside. Two women got down from a parked vehicle and clasped their palms together in traditional greeting style. Both were wearing Balaclavas covering their faces partially. They got into the vehicle which drove off.

The mood inside the home was emotional. A few ladies were in tears. It was quickly decided that they should donate immediately for the leader’s recovery. A sum of 23,635 francs was raised through cash, cheques and pledges. It was then suggested the amount be made a round figure of 25,000 francs. This was done and the total sum of donations went up to 25,000 francs. A swiss franc currently equals 381 Sri Lankan rupees. The two men then left.

November and December 2022

The above mentioned incident was one of many happening in Switzerland among Sri Lankan Tamils in November and December last year. This writer described this particular incident in detail because of two first hand accounts received from confidential sources. Many Tamil families in Swiss Cities such as Zurich, Bern and Basel were approached individually and in groups by persons known to be Pro-LTTE activists in the pre-2009 years.

The modus operandi was basically the same with slight differences in the routine adopted in some places.. People who had been supportive of the LTTE were first contacted by persons who had actively worked for the tigers in the past. Meetings with small groups were set up. Then came two unidentifiable women claiming to be Prabhakaran’s wife and daughter. Their faces were partially covered due to security reasons,it was said. The women appealed for financial aid to pay for Prabhakaran’s urgent medical expenses who was supposedly afflicted with serious illness. Many people got emotional and donated willingly.

How Could People be so Gullible?

Many readers in Sri Lanka may be baffled as to how and why Tamil families fell for what was obviously a blatant confidence trick. It is indeed well-known that the LTTE leader Prabhakaran died in May 2009. His spouse Madhivadhany, daughter Duvaraga and sons Charles Anthony and Balachandran .were also dead. But now it was being claimed that Prabhakaran, wife and daughter were alive and that the sick tiger leader urgently required cash for medical expenses. How could people be so gullible?

The main reason for some Tamils believing the fake news about Prabhakaran being alive is due to the stance taken – after the war ended in 2009 – by the overseas branches of the LTTE in the global Tamil Diaspora as well as prominent pro-LTTE elements in Tamil Nadu. The LTTE structures overseas were financially well-endowed in 2009. The tigers through front organizations, institutions and trusted individuals controlled a lot of money making ventures. They also collected huge sums of money through “contributions” to the LTTE cause. More than a hundred operatives in different countries were full time tiger activists drawing monthly salaries and living comfortably off LTTE funds.

So when the LTTE was defeated militarily and the war came to an end, the situation transformed suddenly. As Yeats wrote in his “Easter 1916” , “All changed, changed utterly”. The rationale for the overseas LTTE to garner and control funds was to finance the LTTE war machine. Furthermore the LTTE itself was centred around its supremo Prabhakaran. So if Prabhakaran was dead and the LTTE was no more, there was no reason for the overseas LTTE activists to generate funds or run commercial enterprises.

Perinbananayagam Sivaparan alias “Nediyavan”

The overseas LTTE was in a quandary. The man in charge of the overseas tigers then was Perinbananayagam Sivaparan alias “Nediyavan”(tall man) based in Norway. He and his cohorts decided to deny the fact that {rabhakaran was dead and the war had ended. Instead it was claimed that the LTTE had “silenced its weapons”(aayuthangal mounikkappattana) and the Leader was still alive.

Nediyavan’s self-serving truth -twisting was opposed by Selvarasah Pathmanathan alias KP” who was then the senior most active LTTE stalwart in the Tamil Diaspora. KP shuttling between Thailand and Malaysia had at one time been in charge of three key functions namely the administration of overseas LTTE branches, raising funds and procurement of arms and ammunition. He relinquished his posts after the 2002 ceasefire. However KP rejoined the LTTE in early 2009 on the request of Prabhakaran as International Relations adviser.

During the final phase of the war, Prabhakaran tried to break through encircling military personnel at the Nandhikkadal area and reach the safeto of dense jungle. He failed. Initially KP was misinformed that the leader was alive and safe. He announced that publicly. Subsequently KP realised that Prabhakaran was no more and retracted his initial announcement.

After the LTTE’s defeate , KP staked his claim for overseas LTTE leadership on the grounds that he was the senior most LTTE stalwart in the Diaspora. This was unacceptable to Nediyavan. This rivalry intensified due to their diametrically opposie positions on Prabhakaran’s death. Though KP had mistakenly announced earlier that the LTTE leader was alive and safe, he later changed position after knowing that the LTTE chief was no more. KP now wanted to publicly proclaim Prabhakaran’s death and pay homage to him and other tiger comrades killed in Mullivaaikkaal by obeserving three days mourning.

Nediyavan refused to do that. He argued that if the LTTE openly acknowledged Prabhakaran’s death,it would demoralise the Diaspora and LTTE activists abroad. The overseas tigers would not be able to raise funds thereafter. The struggle for Tamil Eelam would simply wither away. Most of the overseas tiger activists supported Nediyavan in this. Prominent LTTE supporters like Pazaniyappan Nedumaran and Vaiyapuri Gopalaswamy (Vaiko) in Tamil Nadu also supported Nediyavan over KP in this. KP and some other overseas tigers found themselves isolated. A few months later KP himself was apprehended in Malaysia and taken to Sri Lanka.

No Official Commemoration

Thereafter Nediavan was in sole control. Thus Prabhakaran’s death was never acknowledged “officially” by the overseas tigers. Hence there has been no official commemoration of Prabhakaran or the other LTTE stalwarts killed in May 2009 like Soosai, Pottu, Bhanu, Jeyam or Sornam. The annual “Maaveerar Naal”( great heroes day) observances in November refer to fallen tigers in general and those killed before April 2009 in particular. There was no specific acknowledgement of Prabhakaran and those killed in Mullivaaikkaal as “Maaveerar”.

Tamil Nadu was on the boil when news of Prabhakaran’s death was first announced. Passions were aroused. But the volatile situation was soon calmed by the public pronouncements of Nedumaran , Vaiko and several other known Tamil Nadu LTTE sympathisers who stated the Sri Lankan authorities were lying and that Prabhakaran was alive and safe.

Gradually many prominent Tamil Nadu politicians who said Prabhakaran was alive got “enlightened” later. They changed their position or became silent with the exception of Nedumaran. The leader of the Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) consistently stated in media interviews and public meetings that Prabhakaran was alive and safe and that the tiger leader would emerge soon to take the Tamil Eelam struggle forward. No one contradicted or challenged Nedumaran publicly on this out of deference for the veteran politician who had sacrificed much due to his steadfast support of the LTTE. His views were treated with tolerance as the utterances of an old, embittered and frustrated politician . But some in Tamil Nadu believed Nedumaran.

The pro-tiger world however was split between those who said Prabhakaran was alive and those who said he was dead. All sorts of ruses were employed to project the Prabhakaran was alive claim. A Tamil Nadu newsmagazine “Nakkeeran” published a cover story with the image of Prabhakaran seated on a sofa watching TV. The TV screen portrayed Prabhakaran was dead while the Prabhakaran”on the sofa was laughing at it. Several calculated rumours were also systematically spread. One that gained much currency then was that Prabhakaran and 12,00 tigers were at a secret camp in Eritrea preparing to resume combat in Sri Lanka.

With the passage of time, the overseas tigers declined in power. Sivaparan(Nediyavan) and wife Sivagowri had to relocate to a place 240 km away from Oslo due to pressure by Norwegian authorities. He was no longer able to exercise authority over the overseas tigers as earlier. The oversea tigers fragmented with tiger elements in each country or city becoming autonomous. Many persons in whose names LTTE properties or businesses were registered appropriated them. They either sold these assets or ran them as their own.

Those continuing clandestinely under the tiger label also got divided and sub-divided. Several factions or groups began posing as the “Official”overseas tigers. Media announcements were made from time to time. When eminent persons with pro-tiger leanings passed away they were bestowed the “Maamanithan”(great Man) or “Naattuppatraalar”(Patriot)titles posthumously.

In a more srrious and significant development, these overseas tiger cliques established closer links with Tamil political parties and Tamil pliticians in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. They also cultivated media personnel and institutions. Finances were also provided in many instances.Hence different sections of overseas tiger elements were able to influence some Tamil politicians,political organizations and political parties un Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. Some of the hawkish,unrealistic positions adopted and views expressed by Tamil politicians can be attributed to this factor.

A dangerous dimension to this was the financing and encouragement of violence. There have been several attempts by some ex-LTTE members in Sri Lanka to engage in violence again. Fortunately most of them were nipped in the bud. In almost every incident, the would be perpetrators had been financed and egged on by overseas tigers elements.

”If only Prabhakaran was alive now”.

As the years passed by the Prabhakaran is alive belief began to wane. Life went on but there was an overwhelming feeling of sadness among many Tamils that the Tamil struggle had ended so pathetically without achieving anything tangible. The loss of thousands of lived in the war and the lack of accountability saddened and troubled many. There was also a lot of overt and covert sympathy for Prabhakaran who had died along with all the members of his family.In private conversation some would wistfully yearn”If only Prabhakaran was alive now”.

It is this frame of mind that was now being exploited by a set of fraudsters with tiger links , to hoodwink Tamils into donating money for the supposedly alive and sick LTTE leader, to women posing as his wife and daughter. The victims of this confidence trick were all LTTE sympathisers. The perpetrators orchestrating the “Mathivathany-Duvaraka”charade were persons identified with the overseas LTTE in the past. Thus it was easy to make suckers out of people with this mindset.

Switzerland has around 55,00 to 60,000 Tamils. Many of the Tamils are employed in hotels and restaurants.While Swiss Tamils are less in number than the Tamil Diaspora in countries like Canada, Britain, USA, France or Australia, the immense contribution made by the Tamils of Switzerland to the war effort of the LTTE in those days proportionately exceeded that of Tamils living in other Western countries.This quantitative contribution earned Switzerland the description “Puligalin Thiraisaeri” (tiger treasury) in Europe.Thus Swiss Tamil soil was fertile soil to plant the seeds of fraudulence. The LTTE is not banned in Switzerland and functions under the aegis of the World Tamil Coorinationg Committee (WTCC)

Drama of Deception

The drama of deception to milk sympathetic Tamil Diaspora cash cows was enacted several times in Switzerland in November and December. The two women would be in vehicles when visits to residences were undertaken. They would also meet people directly when visiting apartment buildings. The two women -one youn and one old-would not talk much and would appear to be worried and sad. Though the fraud was mainly in Switzerland, a few attempts were made in Germany,France and Italy too.

As the news of Prabha being alive and sick buzzed on the Tamil community grapevine, there was a backlash too. Several Tamils – with and without pro-tiger leanings – began to smell a rat. In the forefront of the doubting Thomases were former LTTE members who had been in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka during the final stages of the war. They knew the truth about the demise of Prabhakaran and his family. These persons started a counter campaign emphasising that the leader had been martyred and urging people not to be deceived by the women claiming to be Madhivadhany and Duvaraka. Among those exposing the fraud was “Dayamohan” the former LTTE political wing head for Batticaloa and Amparai districts who is now living in Switzerland.

Impostor “Duvaraka” Exposed

An interesting encounter further exposed the fraudsters.Prabhakaran’s daughter Duvaraka had been a members of the LTTE women’s brigade. She had received training to drive vehicles of different. The woman who trained her then was also living abroad with her husband. When the two women went to a house soliciting funds for “sick”Prabhakaran, the wife was out. The husband questioned “Duvaraka” on the person who taught her to drive vehicles. The unsatisfactort answer demonstrated that this “Duvaraka”was an impostor. This incident too began spreading within Tamil society in Europe.

In January this year a statement was issued in Tamil on behalf of the LTTE on its letter head. The statement openly condemned the fake news fraud and entreated the people not to be deceived by these tricksters. The statement is believed to be the handiwork of some former LTTE members living abroad. There is no “official” LTTE now and this statement too was counterfeit in a sense. Nevertheless it seemed to have made an impact and the attempts to garner funds in the name of a “sick”Prabhakaran have reportedly ceased in January.

Interestingly enough another story floated in Europe from November 2022 to January 2023 was that the LTTE leader Prabhakaran was going to revive the LTTE after recovering from his illness. The “new”LTTE would be led by his daughter Duvaraka and operate under his guidance.

It is against this backdrop that the February 13th announcement by TNM leader Nedumaran about Prabhakaran being alive along with his wife and daughter has to be viewed. Many suspect that the veteran Tamil Nadu politician has been inveigled by fraudulent elements in Europe into making this pronouncement in order to continue with the fraud. Though Nedumaran’s announcement has created a stir and revived the “is Prabhakaran alive or not” controversy, there seems to be no indication so far about fresh efforts to collect cash again in the name of Prabhakaran in Europe.

No Respect for LTTE Leader

The brazen fake news racket using two woman impersonators to collect cash in the name of a supposedly ailing Prabhakaran is despicable. Furthermore it is being done by persons with links to the LTTE. This cheap fraud shows that these elements do not have any respect or regard for the LTTE leader or for the cause he believed in.

It is alleged that the mastermind behind this fraudulent racket is Jeevaratnam Jeevakumar alias “Chiranjeevi master” a former deputy of ex-LTTE intelligence chief “Pottu Ammaan”. The plan devised by “master” was allegedly executed on ground by “Abdullah” a former financial head of the Swiss tigers. Abdullah’s real name is Chelliah Jeyapalan. He is from Aanaikottai in Jaffna. Abdullah is the man suspected of coordinating and implementing this “sting”operation besmirching the name of former LTTE leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran. It is hard to believe that this fake news fraud was undertaken by Abdullah without the knowledge of the current Swiss tiger chief Ragupathy.

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com

This is an enhanced version of the DBS Jeyaraj Column article appearing in the “Daily Mirror”of March 4th 2023.It can be accessed here –

https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Fake-news-fraud-using-Prabha-and-family/172-255242