Date : 23/01/2008
NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has
assured to hand over Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief V
Prabhakaran to India, if captured, to face trial in the assassination case of
former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
If Prabhakaran is arrested, he would first be tried in the island nation
and then handed over to India for trial in Rajiv Gandhi killing case, he told
foreign correspondents based in Colombo, Press Trust of India reported
Wednesday.
Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a LTTE suicide bomber in the Southern Indian
state of Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. He was India's premier from 1984-89.
The LTTE has been banned by India, the US and the EU. However, Colombo has
not imposed any ban on the outfit.
The declaration of LTTE as the most dangerous terror group by the US
Federal Bureau of Investigation, has helped the Sri Lankan government, the
president said. (end)
dr.ema
KUNA 231710 Jan 08NNNN