The cat that has more than nine lives

There are many a daily reminder in different forms of the ongoing conflict in the northeast, but EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda remains one living reminder. A fortunate man who survived some 11-assassination attempts, one would say that he is the cat that has more than nine lives.
Douglas Devananda is the only surviving Tamil minister in the ruling Sri Lankan government alliance after the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
He lives in a leafy, upscale neighbourhood in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, with doctors and businessmen for company.
But his neighbours hardly get a peek of the minister of agricultural marketing and development and Hindu affairs, and the most heavily guarded Tamil politician in the country.
The 50-year-old guerrilla-turned-politician, who leads the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party and is implacably opposed to the Tamil Tiger rebels, lives in a fortified building.
He has survived a number of attempts on his life - at least 11, says an aide - allegedly by the rebels.
Last July, a girl suicide bomber came visiting him. When his security men took her to the local police station, she blew herself up there, killing four people.Herein I have posted the video...
In 1998, Mr Devananda was bludgeoned and knifed inside a jail where was visiting prisoners. He lost his sight in one eye.He was attacked by 15 LTTE suspects.They stabbed and clubbed him several times including on his head and eye.But still they couldn't kill him as he fought so hard making severe damages to the LTTE inmates.It is said that finally he was clubbed on the head and fell on the ground cursing LTTE while LTTE cardres were cheering their leader .
Four years earlier, jeep-borne rebels carried out a daring commando attack on his residence in Colombo.
The gun battle killed four of his security guards. "We fought, I survived," he says.
"I live in a bunker," Mr Devananda tells people when they ask him about his home.
In 1983 he was arrested(At that time he was fighting against the government) and sent to the Welikada prison located in Colombo.
It was the time of Black July and Sinhalese extremist were killing Tamils in the capital responding to Tamil seperatists' act of killing 13 soldiers in Jaffna..
So the inmates in the Welikada prison, while most of them were Sinhalese started killing Tamil inmates.Dozens of inmates came to attack Douglas Devananda and other Tamil inmates.They had clubs, knives, stones everything available but with this Fatah trained,Karate black belt owned Douglas Devananda fought bravely and managed saved his life causing fatal wounds to the opponents.
He was able to escape from the Baticollo prison in 1984 and he decided to flee to india.When he and few of his mates were going to India, their boat sunk in the middle of the sea.While others consumed cyanide and commited suicide he decided to swim and miraculously came to the shore after hours of swiming.Even in India he faced the death and won.
What I believe is that the secret behind his life is his undying passion to give up at nothing which has proved in many times.He is a true legend of our time may be the luckiest person in the world at the moment.Long live Mister Devananda!!