LTTE ideologue Balasingham suffers from cancer

Colombo, Nov 22: London-based political advisor and ideologue of the Tamil Tiger rebels Anton Balasingham is suffering from a severe cancerous disease and is battling for his life, a media report said here today.

Colombo-based Tamil language newspaper Sudar Oli, known to have close links with Mr Balasingham, quoting the medical reports said ''the cancer that hit the 68-year old chief negotiator of the LTTE is at an incurable stage as it has fast spread to liver, lungs and born marrow''.

''The exact kind of cancer will be known within a couple of days when the test report of his liver is released,'' the media report said, adding that Balasingham was admitted to a hospital in London last Thursday.

Balasingham, living with a transplanted kidney is already a heart and diabetic patient and has been living in London with his Australian-born wife Adale Anne.

The reports of Balasingham falling ill have come at a time when the LTTE is commemorating its ''heroes' week'', which will culminate with the elusive rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's annual speech on November 27, which is considered the policy statement of the rebel outfit.

UNI