The 47-year old Tamil leader who finally appeared at the venue of the press conference in his now standard blue-greysafari suit, surrounded by armed bodyguards, a little after 5.30 p.m -- it was scheduled takeplace in the morning -- spoke in Tamil during the the two-and-a-half hour press conference while sitting next to him, the London-based AntonBalasingham, acted interpreter, often embellishing Prabhakran's remarks withhis own.