Prabhakaran does a Manmohan

The LTTE chief has asked Tamils not to depend on international aid, reports PK Balachanddran. HT Relief Fund

The LTTE supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran, whose absence from the public eye had fuelled rumours of his death, surfaced at a disaster management experts' conference in Kilinochchi on Monday to appeal to the Tamils not to be dependent on foreign aid to get over the crisis triggered by the tsunami onslaught.

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"We should not allow our people to be become dependent on international aid. Instead we should implement projects that can build confidence and self-reliance among our people," the elusive supremo is quoted as saying in the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website.

Accused by the UNICEF and other human rights organisations of abducting children for training as combat soldiers in his army, the guerrilla leader stressed the importance of giving special care to children hit by the tsunami.

Children should be provided a "healthy environment to emerge from the disaster's impacts," he said.

"Well equipped playgrounds and creating a happy environment are important to the recovery of our children," he said.

Prabhakaran announced that loans given to the people for economic activity need not repay them. He also stressed the need to preserve the environment while implementing economic development plans.