Sri Lanka's reclusive Tamil Tiger rebel leader made a rare personal appeal Wednesday to international aid donors and U. N. organizations to help ethnic Tamils affected by the disastrous tsunami waves that hit the island. "I solicit the support and magnanimous assistance of the international community and the U. N. agencies to help our people in distress," said rebel commander Velupillai Prabhakaran in a highly unusual personal statement posted on pro-rebel TamilNet Web site.
| "We will, of course, spit in your face once we have the money..." |
"The devastation caused by this tidal surge has exacerbated the sufferings of our people already affected by a war that continued for over twenty years and has torn asunder our nation," he said. |