COLOMBO, Jan 20: Nationalist political parties in Sri Lanka are demanding that LTTE chieftain Vellupillai Prabhakaran be tried in Sri Lanka for assassinations he masterminded instead of extraditing him to India as requested by New Delhi.

The Indian government demands trial of Prabhakaran in India for the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991.

Several political parties, including the representative of Buddhist monk, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a government ally, as well as the Nationalist-Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), insisted on Tuesday that instead of extraditing, the LTTE leader should be tried in Sri Lanka for the crimes he had committed.

The Sinhala nationalists are demanding death sentence to the leader if caught alive during military operations in the North of Sri Lanka aimed at annihilating the Tiger guerillas.

“Prabhakaran has caused mass destruction in this country for over 30 years. He has assassinated Sri Lankan presidents and politicians, including Tamils, who did not believe in terrorism. He deserves nothing but death,” JHU adviser Udaya Gammanpila said. The main opposition, the United National Party, also opposed his extradition.

However, Sri Lanka’s Army Commander Lt-Gen Sarath Fonseka said Prabhakaran might have already fled Sri Lanka with the army charging fast toward the separatist rebels’ final stronghold of Mullativu.

“Prabhakaran is a man who loves his family, so I don’t think he would wait until the military got so close to him,” Fonseka told reporters on Sunday.