Anatomy of the LTTE military debacle at Aanandapuram
April 10th, 2009
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
“To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,
- Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization has experienced many major setbacks during the course of its 33 year old history.
Despite misgivings expressed on these occasions by prophets of doom, the movement has always managed to withstand these blows and continue on its politico-military journey.
Nevertheless the debacle it suffered in the Aanandapuram area of Puthukkudiyiruppu AGA division, during the first week of April seems to be different both qualitatively and quantitatively.
In what may very well be the defining moment of the on going war the tigers have lost a vast array of illustrious fighting commanders as well as large numbers of cadres in a single battle.
More than 625 bodies of dead LTTE fighters have been recovered and a special military intelligence squad was busy identifying those killed. Some details are being revealed in stages.
The LTTE keeps “official silence” over the debacle and its propaganda networks keep “mum” but the bad news is spreading slowly yet surely.
LTTE stalwarts are contacting close relatives of the tiger leaders who died at Aanandapuram and informing them of what had happened. The relatives are told to conduct religious rites and funeral ceremonies on a low-key level.
Likewise different tiger officials are informing close family members of the other tiger cadres also about what had happened to their departed relatives.
Among the fallen tigers “Col” Theepan (presumably promoted posthumously as Brigadier) is perhaps the single biggest loss to the movement.
This LTTE veteran with 25 years of experience hails from Kandawalai in Kilinochchi district and served as overall commander of the LTTE northern front fighting formations.
Sivatheepan Thavabalasingham alias Theepan was also the de-facto deputy military commander of the LTTE after the demise of Kandiah Balasegaran alias Balraj.
Theepan’s communications codename was “Tango Papa”. He is married to an ex-tiger woman fighter. They have no children.
Along with Theepan, the top four woman fighter commanders have also been killed.
Vidhusha , special commander of Maalathy regiment, her deputy and Maalathy regimental commander Kamalini, Durga , special commander of Sothia regiment and her deputy cum Commander Mohanaa have all been killed.
An unconfirmed report states that womens wing political commissar Thamilini has also been killed.
Among other senior tigers killed were the special commander and commander of the Jeyanthan infantry brigade, Keerthi and Nagesh.The Jeyanthan brigade is raised from Eastern province cadres.
Manickapodi Maheswaran alias Keerthi is a native of Arasaditheevu in Batticaloa district and served as intelligence chief for the east earlier.
Selvaratnam Sundaram alias Nagesh is a native of Periyaporatheevu and has served as district military commander earlier.
Both remained loyal to Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and despite being eastern sons of the soil opted to fight against Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna after he revolted against the leadership citing northern hegemony.
Another huge loss is that of Gaddafi also known as Viduthalai and Amuthan. This Native of Kotraavathai in Vathiri, Vadamaratchy was at one-time a bodyguard of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran . When Prabhakaran delivered his famous speech at Suthumalai after the Indo-Lanka accord was signed, Gaddafi was one of the two bodyguards standing behind the leader.
Gaddafi was later a commander of the Imran-Pandian regiment. He was in charge of an RPG unit at one time. Gaddafi was one of a ten-member squad trained by the Indian government in firing anti – aircraft missiles.
Later when the LTTE acquired some SAM-7 missiles in the nineties of the last century, Gaddafi became the specialist in firing them. Gaddafi has brought down several aircraft of the Sri Lankan air force through his shoulder-fired missiles.
He was also a weapons expert and spent some months in Europe undergoing special training.Currently he was in charge of the tiger training academy for special forces.
The LTTE’s elite special forces division is named after former tiger leader Harichandran alias Radha. This special force was led by Silambarasan . He was killed.
The deputy-commander of Radha regiment was Anbu. He was seriously injured and captured alive.
Likewise Asmi the leader of “Ponnamman” mining unit was also seriously injured and captured alive.
The fate of these two is unknown
The leader of “Kittu” artillery unit, Manivannan and chief of “Kutty Sri” mortar unit Gopal were also killed.
An unconfirmed report states that S. Thangan , the deputy-political commissar and administrative officer under SP Thamilselvan is also no more.
Seralaathan who was in charge of the Tiger TV “Nitharsanam” was also killed.
Among other senior tigers killed who have been identified are Ruban, Panjan, Nehru, Anton, Maankuyil, Amudha, Iniyawan, Aadithyan and Chitrangan. A senior sea tiger Mahindan has also been killed.
All these top tigers were killed in the first week of April. But the military hostilities leading to their death commenced on March 30th.
Another two senior tiger leaders were killed on March 31st. They were Gopith the Charles Anthony infantry brigade , special commander and Amuthaab , the commander of Charles Anthony brigade.
There is much bewilderment about how so many top tigers could get killed in a single battle and why so many top commanders got caught up in a single location.
To understand what had happened a brief re-run of preceding events is necessary.
The LTTE has been suffering a series of military setbacks in the recent past. It has been a case of the Army advancing and tigers retreating because the security forces enjoy an overwhelming superiority over the LTTE in terms of manpower, firepower, airpower and armour poweR.
The military juggernaut has rolled forward relentlessly and the tigers are currently confined to a small littoral strip of territory located between the A-35 highway (Paranthan-Mullaitheevu road) Nanthikadal and Chalai lagoons on one side and the Indian ocean on the other.
Soldiers numbering more than 50,000 from five divisions and three task forces have besieged the LTTE. The tigers have been trying desperately to break out of this encirclement and drive the forces back.
The LTTE registered minor success in late March when it launched a counter-strike led by senior commanders Sornam and Lawrence. The LTTE pushed soldiers back by about 600-700 metres from their forward defence line positions and then proceeded to the north for about 8 km.
The soldiers however rallied and fought back. They managed to beat the tigers back and regained original positions. Both Sornam and Lawrence sustained injuries. Also, Prabhakaran’s eldest son Charles Anthony also received minor injuries on his back and shoulder.
Against this backdrop the LTTE planned to launch a massive counter-offensive against the armed forces. The idea was to conduct a meticulously planned operation that would deliver a crippling blow to the security forces.
Apparently the tiger leaders were holed up in Aanandapuram along the Puthukkudiyiruppu-Iranappaalai-Puthumaathalan road busily planning a major counter-attack on the armed forces.
The road to Iranappaalai proceeds eastwards from the Puthukkudiyiruppu junction on the A-35 highway.Another road starts out from Iranappaalai east to Puthu (New)maathalan along the coast. There is another minor junction on this road at Pachaipullumottai from where a small road goes to Palam (Old) maathalan.
Anandapuram and Iranappaalai are part of the Puthukkudiyiruppu AGA division, Other areas belong to the Karaithuraipatru AGA division.
More than a thousand tiger cadres converged at Aanandapuram to prepare and launch a well – planned counter attack. The defences in and around the Puthukkudiyiruppu-Iranaippaalai – Puthumaathalan road was in the hands of the Charles Anthony infantry brigade.
What happened however was that the 58 division commanded by Brig. Shavendra Silva, 53 division led by Gen. Kamal Gunaratne and task force 8 led by Col. GV Ravipriya mounted a successful military operation on March 30th that yielded quick results.
The 58 proceeding south by south-east from northern Puthukkudiyiruppu and the 53 & TF 8 proceeding north by north-east from Southern Puthukkudiyiruupu advanced rapidly and linked up at Pachaipullumottai junction along the Puthukudiyiruppu road behind LTTE positions.
There was very heavy fighting at Pachaipullumottai where tiger resistance was spearheaded by the special commander Gopith and commander Amuthaab of the Charles Anthony infantry.On March 31st both Gopith and Amuthaab were reported killed.
The Aanandapuram debacle was preceded by this incident which proved to be a major loss to the LTTE.
The loss of these brave fighters Gopith and Amuthab who had a demoralising effect on cadres.
This loss of morale is attributed to be the cause of weakened tiger defences which in turn led to rapid breaching, linking and encircling by the armed forces.
The LTTE cadres in Aanandapuram who were engaged in preparing for the major assault were suddenly and unexpectedly “marooned” on land.
Realising that top tigers were stranded in Aanandapuram and suspecting that Prabhakaran himself may be there the army moved swiftly and encircled tiger positions. A siege was in progress.
Prabhakaran was not there as he had left the place on March 26th.But the other important tigers were ensnared.
The 4th, 6th,8th, 12th,14th and 20th Gajabahu battalions, 5th Vijayabahu,9th Gemunu Watch, 11th and 20th SL Light Infantry along with 1 special forces and 2 commando got into action.
Meanwhile a footpath from Ambalavanpokkanai to Pachaipullumottai used as an emergency supply route by the LTTE was also interdicted.
Thus more than a thousand tiger cadres and leaders were trapped and encircled in a two sq km area consisting mainly of coconut plantations and palmyrah groves.
In a desperate bid to break the siege Sea tiger special commander Soosai sent a contingent by sea to aid his beleaguered comrades at arms. These boats began sailing from Valainjarmadam and hoped to beach near Pattiaddy and fight their way through.
This did not materialise as the Navy maintaining strict vigil engaged the flotilla and beat back the sea tigers. , thus preventing the boats from landing.
The tigers also sent 120 cadres as reinforcements under Lawrence who was already injured. The army using lethal devices , scorched and destroyed two buses and a truck.
Most occupants in the three vehicles were killed and the vehicles virtually reduced to cinders. A few survivors escaped along with the other cadres in the two remaining vehicles of the convoy.Lawrence also returned to safety.
Eventually on April 3rd a sizable number of cadres led by “Col” Bhanu succeeded in penetrating the cordon and escaping to safety. Bhanu himself was injured in the process.
Theepan , the de-facto deputy military commander of the LTTE had an opportunity to escape along with Bhanu. Apparently Theepan was injured twice on both April 1st and 2nd.
Bhanu who goes a long way back with Theepan wanted to carry Theepan along with him. But Theepan the courageous fighter known for leading from the front refused.
He said that he wont desert or abandon his fighter cadres and seek safety. “If I come out I’ll come with the cadres. Otherwise I’ll die with them” he told Bhanu and later informed Pottu Amman.
The military intercepting this were amazed at Theepan’s sense of loyalty to his cadres and his readiness to die willingly.Theepan’s conduct came in for praise among several officers from the Army’s upper echelons.
Another intercept was an exchange between Intelligence chief Pottu Amman and woman tiger leader Vidusha. She was heard pleading for reinforcements and supplies urgently.
A thoroughly upset Pottu was virtually choked up saying all his efforts had failed and that they could not penetrate the blockade.
The writing was on the wall for the besieged tigers.
Despite his commitment to cadres, the rest of the tigers under the overall command of Theepan were not lucky as those who escaped with Bhanu.
Despite the dangerous situation the tigers led by Theepan continued to withstand the three day siege . The tigers were deprived of food , water and medical supplies.Nevertheless the beleaguered tigers did not wilt.
Appeals were made in Tamil through amplifiers to the tigers to surrender but the majority of the tigers refused to heed the call to surrender.
116 tigers surrendered to the army in small groups at various times. But the others in the courageous tradition of the LTTE fought on against overwhelming odds preferring to “die on their feet” rather than to “live on their knees”.
From midnight on April 3rd the nature of combat changed.Massive aerial bombardment through planes and helicopters was done. Continuous artillery shelling was also done.
It appears that more than 30,000 shells were fired throughout April 4th.
It was all over on Sunday April 5th and the soldiers began gradually recovering LTTE bodies and identifying them.
By Monday around 525 bodies had been recovered and around 60 identified.
Many tigers had died by biting the cyanide capsule and swallowing its contents.
By Tuesday a further 100 bodies were found.
About 60 of these were recovered in a bloated condition lying in a field.Another 40 bodies were in charred condition inside two small buildings where the cadres had sought cover.
At least 18-20 injured cadres were captured alive. Some of these are top rung tigers.
Three girls were discovered hiding in a makeshift pit , covered by leaves.
The army released some pictures of the dead tigers including Theepan and Vidusha.
Some pictures of dead tigers laid out in rows were also released.
The state of the bodies shown in the pictures were in abysmal condition.
This led to much suspicion.
Allegations have been made by pro-tiger elements in the Diaspora that incendiary bombs and chemical weapons including poison gas were used to overcome the LTTE.
Some Indian Military analysts however were skeptical of such allegations as the debacle seemed to be a classical example of a successful outflanking manoeuvre.
Other informed sources ruled out poison gas but suggested that “white phosphorus bombs” may have been used.
These bombs are not banned from usage on the military front but are strictly prohibited from use against civilians.
They are used in “siege conditions” to overcome tenacious fighters who resolutely dig in.
The US in Falluja, Iraq, Russians in Grozny , Chechenya, Israelis in Beirut, Lebanon have all been accused of using these incendiary devices.
The US has used them in Korea and Vietnam while Saddam Hussein has done so against the Kurds.
These are not classified as chemical weapons.
The pictures displayed of killed tigers indicate that these “White Phosphorus” bombs referred to as “Will Pete” may have been used.
The hasty manner in which the recovered bodies were cremated has also fuelled suspicion.
The defence establishment has flatly denied these charges. The reason for hasty cremation was the deteriorating condition of the corpses it is said.
Apart from this development, senior commander Sornam has sustained serious injuries while another leader Lawrence has received minor injuries in earlier skirmishes.
The Aanandapuram debacle also resulted in the LTTE losing many weapons including three 130 mm artillery, one 85 mm pounder, five 81 mm mortars, four 12. 7mm anti-aircraft guns and a multi-30 mm Pedal gun.
This piece of equipment has proved very lethal in previous rounds of fighting as it can be used both as artillery and anti-aircraft gun.
Four 30 mm barrels were fixed on this and they could be fired simultaneously like a multi – barrel rocket launcher. It can be fired by stepping on a pedal.
According to military analysts the Aanandapuram debacle appears to be the major turning point in the defiant last stand being put up by the LTTE.
The armed forces had been expecting a major counter-offensive from the LTTE for quite a while now.
Had the envisaged counter-offensive occurred as planned the army would have received a tremendous jolt.
Ironically, the tables were turned and the expected offensive was thwarted by the army in a military move amounting to a pre-emptive strike.pre=empted and thwarted.
In the process the LTTE has been dealt a massive setback from which it may never recover.
(This is a revised, updated version of an earlier posting “Top Tiger Leaders killed in a major debacle for LTTE”)
DBS Jeyaraj can be reached on dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
Entry Filed under: Nature
82 Comments Add your own
1. Nathan | April 11th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Hi ,
You are correct in many aspects,
Theepan has root in Varani ,Thenmaradchchy.
I think there was tiny mistake that,Maran was LTTE ‘Vaani region political leader” and killed during 88/89 period in ‘panrikkeytha kulam’ by ambush by IPKF along with 13 others and has no any relation 1990’s.
2. confused confucious | April 11th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I feel really sorry for the livelihood of the people who earned money by taking ransom in the name of liberation fighting, from the innocent or not so innocent Tamil diaspora.
They are in recession but the good news is for the innocent diaspora, you have a concession now and do not have to pay anything any more.
3. S. Ramachandran | April 11th, 2009 at 2:41 am
How is it that these heroes came to be hiding behind grandmothers and children? How is it that they killed all Tamils who opposed them and slaughtered Sinhala and Muslim villagers at their Leader’s command?
4. Nishan | April 11th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Tamils at least NOW have to realise that for Tamils to have a peaceful existence in SL, getting rid of LTTE is essential. What has the LTTE done to Tamils over the last 30 yrs? Tamils have gone back 30 yrs and two generations of Tamils are uneducated and have become LTTE ’soldiers’. But the terrorist leaders’ children are being well educated and well looked after. It is the poor Tamils’ kids who suffer. Until Tamils get together and say enough is enough, Tamils will be gone for another generation or two. Are you (specially ones in overseas) ready to send your own kids to LTTE? It will be a big ‘NO”, won’t it?
Tamil Diaspora blames everyone EXCEPT the LTTE. That has been the case for a long time. The biggest killer of Tamil people is the LTTE. Unfortunately innocent Tamil people can not raise their voice against these terrorists due to no protection available for them. Even some Tamils living overseas cannot escape their brutality and have been forced to contribute funds to fund its terrorist acts. The day we all see the end of these terrorists, is the day of awakening for Sri Lanka.
It is time to draw a line in the sand. Wars have been fought, lives lost (Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim), families destroyed, two generations of tamils uneducated, a country now full of cemeteries, progress stalled. What has been achieved? It is time for tamils to reject LTTE, press against their terrorist tactics and choose democracy. Ignore this at your own peril.
5. Murugan | April 11th, 2009 at 3:55 am
It is all over now. The LTTE should surrender. Hiding behind a human shield is pure cowardice.
It is best that we forget about Tamil Eelam. This single-minded mindset is unhealthy.
We must humble ourselves to India. We need to beg for forgiveness. We humiliated them by assassinating Rajiv and the LTTE fighting IPKF. If we humbly bow before them, perhaps they can partially forgive us for the LTTE’s childish behavior.
And we should beg the Sri Lankans to forgive us for causing so much hurt to every community.
The shortcoming of the LTTE is its unhealthy single-minded attitude. This attitude led it to reject India’s generous 1987 federal solution. This unhealthy single-mindedness led to cowardly justification and rationalization of so much disgusting behavior (such as attacking civilian targets, killing TELO cadres, shooting at civilians fleeing from Tiger held territory and so much more… the list goes on forever).
Moreover, this unhealthy single-mindedness is a reflection of Jaffna society itself which compels children to focus all their effort on studying for entrance exams from the time they are born.
Now it is time for this society to find its place in the dustbin of history.
Only humility to our enemies and generosity from our enemies can save us now.
The LTTE thought they could use their brain-power to cleverly employ force to win a stalemate. They thought they could use their force to achieve Tamil Eelam. Tamil Eelam was their intention, but they have not achieved this intention. Their use of force has only caused hurt and destruction for the Tamils.
More and more civilians die in the No Fire Zone every day. This alone should be reason for the LTTE to surrender. But these cowards rationalize their sins by saying they are fighting for Tamil Eelam.
What a low mindset our people have.
6. shankar | April 11th, 2009 at 5:17 am
dbj
good article but some gaps.
nice article but when i add 2and 2 i get 5. just does not seem to add up, thats all.
you may be right that it is a defining moment. your predictions are usually right.what is puzzling is the army’s low key response to this great victory.
7. Agamemnon | April 11th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Primitive style.
8. swarth | April 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Thank you DBS for another informative and well written article.
The LTTE as an organization lived by the gun and is now dying by the gun. It is time both the Sinhalese and Tamils did some soul searching and introspection. The Sinhalese need to consider how their widespread chauvinism, racism, and discrimination helped create the LTTE. The Tamils need to consider how come they believed an uneducated extremist killer who is incapable of compromise was their savior and then why they supported and followed his organization to its destruction.
One thing is clear. All the money raised, lives lost, bodies wounded, and psyches scarred by the LTTE over the past 30 years will soon have been for nothing. Prabhakaran by following a course of violence has brought untold misery to the Tamils and made things much much worse for us than they were before. It’s sad it took so many years and so much suffering for this to become clear.
9. AAM | April 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Total annihilation of the LTTE under the Sinhala chauvinist regime of the Rajapakes may strike a death blow to the entire Tamil cause. Tiger death under Chandrika or Ranil would have been reasonably good because of their balanced approach to the ethnic problem. The existence of LTTE at least in a low intensity would be a deterrence against the ethnic cleansing of Tamils and Muslims that the regime is contemplating to perpetrate in the days ahead. Its for sure that the Rajapakses will not present a sustainable resolution to the ethnic problem; the rhetoric will never be translated into genuine actions.
From a broader perspective, such annihilation will be bad even for all Sri Lankans, including the Sinhalese. While emboldening the Sinhala chauvinists it will immensely contribute towards perpetuation of a politico-military banditry rule in Sri Lanka, similar only to Myanmar. Justice and democracy will be crushed; the already crumbling economy will sink to the bottom; Disillusionment and confusion reign supreme among the people until a Messiah emerge from among them to save the country.
Debacles are not one sided in the Ealam war. SLA too faced several such debacles under an inferior and poorly equipped force as LTTE. LTTE can be revived with a humanistic face. It has to go for a complete shift of paradigm, including a dramatic change of leadership and change of strategies. VP should take a back seat. It has to pick from its international networks, its unused wealth and the exceptional skills in planning and executing guerilla warfare.
Then, all Sri Lankans will have an effective deterrence against the aggression to be committed against them by the regime in the days ahead
10. nature | April 11th, 2009 at 10:07 am
can the tigers ever recover?
are there any remote chances of luck and destiny to carry on the path of liberation?
can the tamils rally up and chase the occupational force and thereby liberate their homeland?
what about prabhakaran?
is’nt he a major strategist?
what about uyir aayutham karumpulikal?
atleats what about the increased number of potential recruits due to sinhala racism?
i admit this theepan was in fact a courageous commander
so are the 500 odd special LTTE fighter who sacrificed their lives in the tamil martial way
but still there seems to be a large amount of commited fighters in the LTTE
they are determined to chase the enemy from a land that has always belon ged to them
geographically and morally this terrain suits tamil warriors destined to win
although i cannot verify the authenticity of a partiular article, it has stated some stuff i belive imortant
it has mentioned the tigers have moved in their vanni sirappu padainadavadikkai ani numbering 2000 cadres under 2 anonymous senior commanders
lethal weapons and flamethrowers have been supplied to this ani.
i also heard that just a 45 man team of this ani held on of the divisions in anandapuram battle for half an hour allowing bhanu to escape.
if this is what this so called padaiyani can do
imagine the strength of 2000
i hope this wanni operations squad story is really true bacause as tamils with pure blood we are destined to win our land in the martial way
11. Murugan | April 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
The single-minded approach that Tamil Eelam is the only solution is an unhealthy mindset.
This unhealthy mindset can lead one to justify and rationalize cowardly behavior.
12. Reader of DBS Jayaraj | April 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Mr. jayaraj gets the right info from some were and does an excellent, information flow through write up. Now please write about how you see Sinhala can live side by side in the northern Province.
13. asangaw | April 11th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
This is a tragedy for all Sri Lankans, as was the case when 1200 soldiers lost their lives when Elephant Pass was overrun, or when 800 policemen were massacred in the East. The incidents of human carnage are too numerous to mention. These are all Sri Lankans we have lost and for each death, there is a weeping mother, father, brother, and sister. A country gets its strength from its people and we (as a collective) have managed to wipe out an entire generation of youth who were full of promise, and as a secondary consequence, created thousands of orphans on both sides of the divide. The people who have gained from this are the merchants of war; the unscrupulous arms dealers, the corrupt politicians, foreign governments that needed field tests for their newly developed arson, and the misguided proselytizers of racial and state divide.
The need of the hour is a genuine effort by the government to listen (and not preach) to the grievances of the minorities and extensively devolve powers within an unitary framework. Everyone should have the right to live in dignity and peace throughout the island.
This should apply equally across the divide – a Tamil living in the South should be free to make a complaint at a police station in Tamil, while a Sinhalese living in the north should be able to do the same in Sinhala. Secondly, a national identity needs to be established. What does it mean to be Sri Lankan? Unsurprisingly, we have a lot more in common amongst all communities than we have different; the warm hospitality afforded to visitors-which is sometimes to a fault, respect for our elders, the value of education and appreciation of intellect, and many more. We have lost our sense of national identity and values. Maybe we never had one to begin with.
I hold hope for the nation but there is a lot of hard work ahead of us.
14. Rana | April 11th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
DBSJ,
You have always tried to give invincibility, courage and determination to tiger cadres. However, tigers have proven they neither invincible nor courageous than any other terrorists by hiding behind children and grand mothers.
They cowards, please do not try to white wash murderous, blood thirsty terrorist cowards any more.
15. Murugan | April 11th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
those who took violence deserve to die and they died. so what is the big thing about thesy deaths.
do we know how many Tamils they killed? killers do not need any prayers.
Jeyaraj uncle, you have to spend your time in writing something good and not about these b—s.
16. Ram | April 11th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Murugan.
Killing people with Thermobaric or phosperous bombs is utterly inhuman and shows the THE CHEAP ATTRIBUTES OFTHE STATE. Barbaric SINHALA government and the BARBARIANS who support. If the Sinhala government kills its own people in this way IS IT OK. This is GENOCIDE .THINK!!!
17. Rana | April 11th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Ram,
Where were you when LTTE tiger starting blowing up innocent civilians including women and children indiscriminately? At least SLG is killing terrorists and they may use anything available to them to get rid of inhumans of the worst kind.
When terrorists kill innocent civilians they write-off their rights, don’t forget that!
18. Mahesan | April 11th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
We must be proud of these fighters who would rather die an honorable death then live a subservient life. They die with valor. All Tamils must remember and cherish their efforts. For, no Tamil has come this far to realising our freedom in modern times.
19. shankar | April 11th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
comment 8-swarth
your para 2 is dead right. you have hit the nail on the head and all srilankans, tamils and sinhalese should read it.
as for para 3 i dont agree. once the ball has started rolling too far you cant roll it back. for the sinhalese amirthalingam was worse than sjv chelvanayagam and prabaharan is worse than amirtalingam. after prabaharan is dead the next one will be worse than him because he will be more intelligent and flexible. after the old tamil poet and fat malayalee filmstar are dead in tamilnadu the ones who take over will be worse than them for the sinhalese. the key to eelam is in tamilnadu. the tail cant wag the dog and praba is paying the price for trying to go it alone, but he has put the foundation for eelam.
when that mild mannered gentleman of the old school type sjv chelvanayagam asked for federalism JR, should not have marched to kandy to stop the dudley chelvanayagam pact. dudley and chelva were gentleman to their fingertips and personified the finest of the 2 races that have lived side by side in harmony for nearly five hundred years. jr thambi who is not a pure sinhalese is the cause of all this. the funny thing is that the sinhalese whose roots can be traced to portuguese(fernandos. pereras,silvas etc ) indonesian malay(rajapakshes),south indians(JR) and to the tamils themselves(sinhalese who are dark colour) are the most chauvinistic shouting till their throats are hoarse about sinhala bhudism, while the actual sinhalese are more refined and quiet.
anyway eelam will be achieved albeit only for the north of srilanka, but not in our lifetime and when it is recognised in the united nations i may be an eskimo chasing seals in the arctic, because who has control over their birth.
20. Preman | April 11th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Murugan,
Whats ypur problem in Jaffna Society spending thier time studying !!! Do you want the Jaffna students to behave the Colombo International school , go nd see thier curriculum and end of year functions.
Also the Tigers have lost fair enough but not to the Sinhala army but to the combined Isarali, The Chinese ,The Pakistani .At the end of the War we will wait and see what a tangle mess Sri Lanka is, A country pawned to all theseforeign morals.
21. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I copied ministry of defense article for your reading.
The men and women in the professional arms of the security forces value honour more than anything else. They fight for the cause they believe in and seek honour by contributing towards its realisation. This is the reason that the armed forces personnel are trained to respect the fallen enemy. We do not wish to insult Theepan, Vidusha, Durga, Gadhapi, Gopith, Nagesh, and the rest who died in the recent fighting. Indeed, they were the cream of the LTTE fighting cadre. It is a shame that they had to die for the wrong cause. They fought for the destruction of their own motherland and their own nation. Their deaths represent the end of the brutal terrorist outfit that devoured some 75,000 lives of Sri Lankan citizens, the lives of their own brethren. But, the mean spirited that mislead them, still desire more deaths, and continued bloodshed in this country. We dedicate this editorial to all Sri Lankans who fully realise the diverse forces that by misleading and misguiding the flower of our youth, brought death and destruction to our country, and are now determined to say - Never Again.
22. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Murugan, Change your name first, you are hiding behind the Tamil name, you are true coward, come back with your real name .
23. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Nishan, Go back to school and study Lankan history again, how your racist leaders cheated Tamil people over and over by signing devolution packages for decades.
24. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Sinhala people, please refrain from commenting on intellectually deep subjects. You people have given ex 7-eleven clerk defense portfolio, how stupid that is ?
25. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
(Gr. phosphoros: light bearing; ancient name for the planet Venus when appearing before sunrise) Brand discovered phosphorus in 1669 by preparing it from urine.
Properties
Phosphorus exists in four or more allotropic forms: white (or yellow), red, and black (or violet). Ordinary phosphorus is a waxy white solid; when pure it is colorless and transparent. White phosphorus has two modifications: alpha and beta with a transition temperature at -3.8oC.
It is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide. It takes fire spontaneously in air, burning to the pentoxide.
26. sam | April 11th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
sivanesan, you must be an expert in 7-11 clerks comments most probably you are a one! idiots like you over the last 194 years being trying to degrade the other communities in Sri Lanka,( especially the Sinhalese community) are the ones directly responsible for the mess the Tamils in North of SL are going through at the moment. Why don’t you just go and jump in the sea along with your much loved prabhakaran do the Innocent tamils in SL can co-exist with the rest of the communities?
27. Hela | April 11th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I had a view that almost all Tamils (bar few like in any community) are tiger terrorist supporters who are hell bent on destroying our beautiful motherland, Sri Lanka.
While I can still see number of commentators rejoicing in the destruction of the country that they were able to cause during the last 30 years, and few others still wanting to perpetuate the carnage through a rejuvenated LTTE, increasing number of commentators seem to be realising the futility of such destruction and it’s impact on all irrespective of race, religion or caste.
We need to amplify these voices of reason & moderation around the world to put a stop to the financial, political & moral support still being extended to the non viable, wasteful, morally bankrupt & coward LTTE.
28. Mahason | April 11th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Sivanesan - the 7-11 clerk has done what Oxford educated bureaucrats failed to do: kick the living daylights out of your soon-to-be-dead-in-an-agonizing-manner 8th grade dropout of a scumbag leader. Ha! That must hurt for a clearly \”deeply\” intellectual like yourself. Stop spreading hatred.. It\’s people like you who are to be blamed for the current mess.
29. Judy Ratnarajah | April 11th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Sivanesan Thambhi
Cool down brother. I am as upset as you are of the whole scale slaughter of our freedom fighters but I doubt whether insulting people calling them 7_eleven clerks is going to cut it. I think the man is an IT guy who had to work at a 7-Eleven for the up keep of his family. Whats wrong with that?? We have people from Jaffna working in Canada at much lesser positions but still proud of their jobs.
If we go by “qualifications” what can we say about our leader?? Last time I checked he was educated only to grade 8..
Enough of your snobbery.. You bring a bad name to all of us Thamils.
30. Mano Rajah | April 11th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
It is hard to believe those sons and daughters of Tamil Eelam who breached SLA defenses and proceeded to the north for about 8 km couldnt break the siege. The fact remains, that the SLA couldnt withstand the tiger onslaught and used chemical weapons (white phosphorus bombs?). There is no bravery on the SLAs part, only a cowardly act.
31. ere Ravindran | April 11th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Sivanesan. Chill baby, chill. There is no doubt about the disappointment on the battle field. You win some and you lose some. That\’s the way it is. There really is no need to throw insults at anyone.
I ask you a simple question. What have we achieved in the last 26 years ?
32. Murugan | April 11th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
#15 is not my comment.
Ram, I am also enraged by reports that Sri Lanka used chemical weapons.
Preman, I admire Jaffna society. I am just saying there is a difference between concentration and extremism. We are an extreme people in general. Extremism is bad. Concentration is good. We must study hard and concentrate. That is our strength. But the LTTE has crossed the line and they are just extreme. Only an extreme culture can produce such an extreme organization. We need to take heed to the difference between concentration and extremeness.
Sivanesan, it takes braveness to be humble and ask for forgiveness.
I really don’t know what is the correct course of action. I just feel shame for all the hurt we have caused due to our fanatical dedication to Tamil Eelam.
It is okay to believe in Tamil Eelam in spirit. But it is extreme to believe that its creation is the only solution.
We just need to concentrate on winning our freedom. There are many different ways solve this problem.
33. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
DBS please publish my comments without editing it.
DBSJ RESPONSE:
Sivanesan
The tone, style & content of your “comments” necessitate editing. Instead of simply deleting them and saving time I have tried to accommodate you to some extent. Let me reproduce here a para from what I wrote in my inaugural blog about comments
“Another integral part of a blogging is reader comments.There will be a comments section. But bitter experience necessitates some monitoring. That’s the sad part of the blogosphere.
I will welcome your comments but you do not have to post for the sake of posting or confront me or each other.
There will be many readers who will definitely have more knowledge about or fresh insights into the subject matter of the respective blogs.
Please share your knowledge and perspectives. Let’s make it informative and interesting.
The idea is to have an amiable conversation not an indecent confrontation”
That’s it Sivanesan
34. sivanesan | April 11th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I certainly dismiss the notions that Majority of Sinhalese have about Tamil problems since independence. Majority of Sinhalese certainly believed that Tamil insurgency was created by LTTE alone, none else contributed to cycle of violence that has engulfed Sri anka since 1970s. We Tamils certainly believed it was Southern leadership that marginalized and ignored out grievances for the sake of winning elections by cajoling Sinhala populace.
35. pala | April 12th, 2009 at 12:09 am
I am not completely convinced that all those cadres and commanders got together in one place just to plan an attack. If so they would have moved to safety once the pacchaipullumottai defence was breached and Gopith & Amitab were killed.This was one of the few remaining camps/hideouts where they were driven from Adampan to Anaiyiravu. Where they can escape to? The couple of places to the east is already packed and suffer from shortages of supplies and ammunitions. Moreover some, if not most of the cadres were most probably injured from other fronts and sent here for treatment.. Though Bhanu escaped for the time being for how long?.They can only postpone but cannot avoid the inevitable. This is the end result of a series of mistakes starting from 1984 massacre and burning of own Tamil freedom fighters and the grave one was commited in Sri Peramputhur.
36. muththu | April 12th, 2009 at 12:55 am
what do you expect from sinhalese?
37. velluprabhakaran | April 12th, 2009 at 2:24 am
has there been a similar instance in the world where the expatriates of a community (in this case the tamil diaspora) kept on fighting indefiitely to save a leader (in this case prabhakaran) who kept on kidnapping & killing their own community in cold blood?
while al qaeda & hamas takes israelis & westerners as hostages LTTE HAS TAKEN THEIR OWN TAMIL PEOPLE WHO CAME TO SEEK PROTECTION AS HOSTAGES.
the tamil civilians are trying to escape towards the so called sinhala enemy while LTTE keeps shooting people who try to escape. it’s all gone haywire for LTTE.
i do not think that there has ever been such a ridiculous parallel anywhere ever in the history of mankind.
it would have sounded extremely funny if it wasn’t so tragic.
38. Tamil Mahan | April 12th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Very good article, you are getting information�s in uncleared area very well .
39. Nishan | April 12th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Sivanesan,
I have gone to school and learned a lot, to a much higher level than your ‘leader’. And first start respecting people and being proud of what they do. If he works in a 7-eleven shop, that is a reason for respecting him for that as he seems to be very good at what he does. He may have provided good customer service for 7-elelven customers.
Now with the peace accords. You did not realise what your leader was after. He was not interested in any peace. His only aim is to be a king of an area and terrorise its people. After all, why should he embrace democracy? That will throw out all his ‘fringe benefits’. Tell me why did he eradicate dissenting voices - I’m not talking about Sinhala voices, but Tamil voices.
Siva, in your struggle first learn to articulate to others what exactly are you lacking in SL. Do not go back to 1956 etc and I accept the Sinhala governments (greedy politicians) did so much damage to bring about LTTE. But today, it is different. Once you articulate what exactly is missing for Tamils (as opposed to other Sri Lankans) we can work out. For me what is important is EQUAL rights, Nothing more nothing less.
Asking a separate country is not equal rights as Sinhala and Muslims have not got a separate country, but a country called Sri Lanka which belongs to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims, Malay Burgher and all other Sri Lankans. You know what, a separate country, before it is going to be bad for Sinhala and others, it will be a problem for Tamils, as today’s world we need to learn to co-exit and not to live in mono-ethnic regions. Interaction among others is a skill we need to have.
40. Duminda | April 12th, 2009 at 4:42 am
this is a fantastic job by brave SLA forces. they have learnt bravery under 7-11 clerk. Imagine if we put an harward educated sinhalese on the job we would be counting 7000 tiger pussy bodies instead of 600.
It is time for SL tamils to realise eelam is their own death trap set by Indians. they simply played into the hands of Indians specially in tamilnadu . TN tamils are enjoying their lives while sri lankan tamils are sacrifycing lives for mythical eelam created by TN Tamils.
41. Duminda | April 12th, 2009 at 4:47 am
LTTE and Velu still living in ancient era . He has to realise dying unnecesaryly does not show the bravery. once you are dead you become stupid.
42. Duminda | April 12th, 2009 at 5:01 am
I dont think anybody can guess how they died because no post motem were carried out, even close examination will not result in a true caseu of death because bodes were in bloated state.
43. SR | April 12th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Very informative, only recently did I get to know of DBS’s site for military reporting.
Some pretty interesting comments too.
Sirinivasan, I understand your anger and I also dont’ try to deny any of the past mistakes by Sri Lankan governments. At the same time please don’t do the mistake of exonerating LTTE of all their atrocities on that pretext.
What you must understand is that we are here, now, what would matter is whats going to happen in future; are we ready to fight each other for another 30 years??
Sorry, but you are at the very extreme, what you should understand is that there are also Sinhalese who are at similar extremes. As long as such extremism is not given up, we are not going to reach a solution.
LTTE had it’s times, but this definitely is not theirs! They had numerous oppertunities wherein they would have negotiated from a position of strength, but they just simply did not seize those oppertunities.
So, please calm down and try to think other ways of addressing the genuine grievances of Tamil people. I think that is more like the intellectual self that you claim to be!!
44. TDP | April 12th, 2009 at 9:09 am
This article fails to highlight the brilliance of the SL Army. While major forces fro Israel, USA, and Russia struggle against guerilla forces the SLA has whipped the most ruthless guerilla force in less than a year. Numbers and technology does not count in jungle warfare. The brilliant special forces of the SLA massacred the elite LTTE forces in close range combat and maintained a kill ratio of 10 to 1. This is remarkable. Give credit where credit is due. The SLA is one of the best fighting forces the world have ever seen.
45. vasan | April 12th, 2009 at 9:24 am
oru puli vilumpothu 9 puli uruvakum …..failure is first step of success….wait and see..
46. Indika | April 12th, 2009 at 11:37 am
This problem will never end untill tamil people hate sinhalese. Tamils will use anything to take the revenge. The smartest option is LTTE.
When this will stop. Tamil people live in europe adjusting to any conditions or any rule. Come to sri lanka live as normal witout bending , you can gain lot. The people who live outside SL will nit send their childre for this war neither I will not send mine.
When this will be end?
We sinhalese will never give our concent to elam but for a solution to live with dignity for all of us - yes.
Dont support LTTE. LTTE is not the solution for Tamils and it is the time to realise it.
47. Thamilzhichi | April 12th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
How could one construe the cowardly act of the SLA as an LTTE military debacle? If the SLA had courage to take on the LTTE, they would not have sought chemical weapons.
It is a well-known fact that the SLA has used these “white phosphorus bombs” against civilians as well. We all know who the real terrorists are.
48. Shehara | April 12th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
This a wonderful,factual article that is very informative. You have written it lucidly without taking sides describing the event faithfully.
It’s a pity that young lives on both sides are being snuffed out so easily.
I am yet to see an article like this in Colombo newspapers.Our defence writers only write what the security people tell them
49. Shehara | April 12th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Oops! I forgot to mention.
Dear Mr. Jeyaraj
It was my brother in Australia who told me about your website and asked me to read your articles. He described you as the only impartial journalist in Sri Lanka.
After reading you regularly I discovered what my brother said was very accurate
This article specially is a masterpiece. Despite your ethnicity you have been fair and neutral
I find people attacking you for your honest writing and am sad
All I can say is that you should continue undetterred with the knowledge that there are many like us who appreciate and value your work
Thank You
May God Bless you
Shehara
50. Vaanee | April 12th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Dear DBS Anna
Thank you for writing the truth as usual.
Sad to see that LTTE not even calling these heroes “Maveerar” like usual. Want to hide truth to give wrong story to world.
my sorrow for these brave fighters who die in vain for leader and Eelam that can never come
Once again < Nandri Anna
51. Kalu | April 12th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Very well written DBS Jeyaraj. Be careful. Some copycats are using your writing as if it is their own
52. Ratna | April 12th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
What a wasteof valuable lives. It’s all delirium of the brave. Maya! Illusion!!
53. Lohan | April 12th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
As an old soldier I bow my head in admiration for these young fighters. They are the bravest of the brave. You’ve done well in recording their feat for posterity
54. Nihal | April 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Thanks for the great article.
55. Jey | April 13th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Dear Namesake,
Excellent writing.I have been silently reading your articles,but this one time,I thought I wanted to put my comments here.
Hailing from southern Tamilnadu,I really am caught in two minds,if one should admire the bravery of men like Theepan or feel sad for the waste of lives.
Men like these who are deeply commited to a cause,could provide yeomen service to their motherland provided their skills were routed through correct channels.
After 30 years of bloodbath,if this is how its going to end,someone should definitely take the responsibility for leading thousands of such youth towards their death and for what?
I used to hangout a lot on other blogs on Srilankan affairs like defencewire,defencenet,lone ranger and also puligal today.People in puligal today still strongly believe that Theepan is alive and they call this a “Net kill” by Srilankan forces.
All this indicates only one point.This war might be over soon,but the struggle in Lanka will continue unless a meaningful solution is arrived upon at the earliest before someone else starts carrying the baton that will soon fall of the hands of the elusive Tiger supremo Prabhakaran
56. warnakulasigham | April 13th, 2009 at 12:32 am
lots of important tigers have in past died but LTTE not destroyed. singalam army comes and goes but tigers go on for ever
57. Prabathasan | April 13th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Prabakharan is the mainstay of eelam struggle and LTTE. As long as he is there nothing to worry
58. Nigel Walker | April 13th, 2009 at 1:30 am
I’ve been reading you Jeyaraj from the time you wrote “Behind the Cadjan Curtain” in “The Sunday Island” of old. I feel that this piece is one your best. Jolly good show. keep it up
59. Meera | April 13th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Dear Jeyaraj
You have written very well. But we Tamils are sad by what has happened. LTTE can pay for its sins. But why must Tamils pay for LTTE sins?
Thanks
Meera
60. Thev | April 13th, 2009 at 1:55 am
For all the Sinhala people who write these hatred comments: if you say there was no problem in Sri Lanka for Tamils, why do you think all these diaspora’s are holding Prabhakaran’s photo and call for independent state? No one thretens them in these countries they now live in. So now, are you calling all the Ceylon Tamils as terrorists? This clearly shows your mentality. Wake up and get real! This is why you people need some education.
61. Vijay | April 13th, 2009 at 2:02 am
With Theepan’s death, Tamil Eelam too seems “dead and gone”. Like Yeats, one can only ponder “ was it for this the wild geese spread” and “for this that all that blood was shed” and also on “all that delirium of the brave”.
Was it for this the wild geese spread
The grey wing upon every tide;
For this that all that blood was shed,
For this Edward Fitzgerald died,
And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone,
All that delirium of the brave:
Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.
- William Butler Yeats
62. Thev | April 13th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Duminda:
Do you call your father, mother and your grandparents supide, when they are dead? You are the true Sinhala! Bravo!
63. Thev | April 13th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Duminda:
, it is spelled “HARVARD” not “HARWARD”
64. pina kaludava | April 13th, 2009 at 2:20 am
Prabathasan,
Your “Sun God” is seeking the protection of the Tamil civilians who are supposed to be protected by him. The glorification of Sun God” as military genius and strategist are bullshit! The invincibility of the LTTE has been proved wrong by the SL forces. The most ignomius and cowardly manner in which he escaped leaving behind his scores of air-conditioned mansions with even personal belongings is unbelievable given the picture that has been portrayed by his believers.
Nothing left for him but commit suicide. He is being sieged by 75, 000 strong army with many special forces, much dreaded and well recognized by US army as the most effective counter terrorist unit in the world. They are being supported by SL commandoes, the most trained among similar units in the region
Poor Diaspora still believes that Sun God will do wonders as has always been doing during the past 33 years.
One may wonder why SL forces had not been able to do this last 30 years. There are two prominant reasons: SL never had a correct politico-military leadership and Sun God had been exceptionally fortunate!
Thanks Jayaraj for your article. I have been a follower of you though I dont agree with some of your views. The point is the Sun God ushered the destruction to the Tamil community. The more Tamils believe him the stronger the destruction that would befall on them!
65. SR | April 13th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Thev; yes there are grievances for Tamils in SL. But VP & LTTE is / was never the solution. Instead of becoming a solution, they became a part of the problem itself!!!
Other point is that majority of Sinhalese do not have a problem with Tamils, but with the LTTE. Sooner you realise this, the better!
Further, hatred is evident from both sides, time for all of us to have a reality check, no one is superior, everybody is equal. Once everybody accepts this, solution would be easy to achieve.
66. Jayagowri Ganeshan | April 13th, 2009 at 7:44 am
What is regrettable is the loss of young fighters brainwashed into joining the movement (and increasingly forced into it in recent times). Of the senior members of the LTTE, it is very difficult to glorify their battlefield achievements in isolation of the massive cruelty with which they have treated the Tamil population (politicians like Amirthalingam, Thuraiappa and Kadirkamar, teachers like Anatharajan, academics like Thiranagama, civil servants like Panchalingam, militants like Maheswaran and Pathmanaba were all killed in cold blood, not under combat conditions). So were a large number of poor villagers in provinces bordering the Vanni, the 800 policemen who surrendered and the ten Indian soldiers who were kept captive. Add to that the Muslim population of Jaffna who were chased out of their homes, and you can have very little sympathy for the leadership of this organisation, of which many of the commanders you name in your article are very much part of. Even when they won battles, it was because they could send hundreds of teenage kids, recruited largely from Eastern villages, as cannon-fodder against the army guns. There isn’t much heroics in that. My only regret is they could not be put on trial to answer in open court for their actions. In such an imagined trial, of course, parts of the high command of the SL defence and political establishment will join these now departed war heroes in the docks!
Much damage has been done to Sri Lanka by the nationalist and racist agenda on all sides. It is time to put a stop to these and think of a future with a new agenda: economic development, health, poverty reduction, rule of law and education!
67. Ramanan.G. | April 13th, 2009 at 8:35 am
DBS
you have written a fine article describing the battle.
You have been regularly offering constructive criticism to the LTTE urging the tigers to do a course corection.
From the Karuna episode to 2005 presidential elections you have warned the LTTE not to do certain things.
You correctly predicted doom if the lTTE continued this way. But they never listened. Their goons attacked you physically.
They vilified you in their media calling you traitor and government agent.
But to your credit you continued in your own way never letting tigers frighten you.
Today you have been proved right. The LTTE is on its deathbed.
This article demonstrates that very clearly
68. pravin | April 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am
i have been reading your articles for quite few years.i alwaysthought that you are a intelligent tamil/srilankan journalist,though i disagree some of your opinion..but now i am fully convinced that you are no different from a chavunist sinhala person.in the past
69. cedric | April 13th, 2009 at 9:49 am
It is now clear the violent path to freedom or empowerment has come unstuck for the tamil people .30 odd years of bloody struggle has come to nothing . It has only resulted in tears and sorrow to put it mildy.
The problem for the Tamils is , there has not yet emerged a brave sinhala leader who will and can offer them a meaningful solution to their just grievances. No one can wait for this messiah to show up, either, and even if he or she did come ,the hardline chauvanists will put a gun to his/her head. ! remember what happened to SWRD Therein lies the dilemma for the tamil people,obviously the armed struggle has’nt worked but has brought a lot of attention to the problem especially over the last six months it has drawn massive amount of publicity all over the world. Having said that, under the present circumstances post 9/11 Prabakaran and the LTTE became collaterel damage, and as a result he is a big big liability.
I say to the Tamil people ditch Prabakaran his use by date is over rebrand the product under a different name and seize the momentum that you have created internationally to your favour with both hands .
The international community will force a solution down Sri Lanka,s throat ,for sure but they are waiting for you to throw out the outdated product first. !
70. Ramanan.G. | April 13th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Pravin
You are an ignoramus.
71. velluprabhakaran | April 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
i seriously think that LTTE supporters need a serious reality check. with the impending $ & the western financial crisis the diaspora will be under severe stress to carry on their blood thirsty campaign indefinitely.
all good (or bad) things have to come to an end. if diaspora were planning to carry out this struggle backed by their forked tongue terrorist fighting western sponsors indefinitely they better think again. the west will be broke pretty soon. all signs (even by their own financial experts) point to that.
sri lanka on the other hand has smartly backed their future on solid non nonsense countries like china, pakistan & iran. these countries unlike the west do not shoot off their mouths & unnessecarily criticize & blackmail countries that are fighting for their survival.
the treacherous west has lost the confidence of the world not only in politics but in everything. they can’t do anything right anymore. politics, banking nor manufacturing. the western countries are very bad friends but very good enemies.
72. Thev | April 13th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Do you want to talk about democracy? Do you want to talk about violence? Who started the violence?
When this peace accord was signed, if I remember correctly, all the sinhala leaders were shaking in their boots due to the “Elephant pass”, “Mullaitivu” and “BIA” failures.
Now with the help of some countries such as Pakistan, China etc, the Sinhala leaders are enjoying the honeymoon and think that they crushed the Tamil’s urge for an independent state. This is the exact mentality of the sinhala leaders that created the LTTE. Mind you, LTTE is not the cause, it is the byproduct of the deception caused by the chauvinist sinhala leaders.
73. shankar | April 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
comment 66 jeyagowri
quote”economic development,health, poverty reduction,rule of law and education”.
jeyagowri, if you are not living in a western country i will shave my head and become dalai lama no 2.
please send a dictionary too to the baboons in the zoo surrounded by beautiful lake in kotte, so that they can find out what that all means.
74. Compassion | April 13th, 2009 at 11:50 am
What happend to the 116 surrendered and 16-18 captured alive ?
This will tell How GOSL/SLA is going to treat the tamils in the future.
Yes the True & Brave fighters who believed in the cause gave them selves.
We (Tamils) would not have been in this situation if VP would have agreed for Central Committe as some of the Early Members ( Mostly educated from the Jaffna pennisula who didn’t believe in internal killings) who understood issues for the long term benefit of the tamils. These individuals left the LTTE organization in 1984-1985 and leading their own life knowing it is a lost case. What they knew then about VP’s foolisheness only now slowly people are understanding. What Adela Balasingam knows what happened during the peace talks and what AB ’s thoughts were will be interesting.
Unfortunately most haven’t understood yet or don’t want to accept it, that VP’s Autocratic ways has caused this.
75. shankar | April 13th, 2009 at 11:54 am
comment 61 vijay
your poetry is fantastic. reminds me of tamil poet muthuvel karunanithi.
76. Uditha | April 13th, 2009 at 11:58 am
This is probably the battle in the SL Army’s history that used highest number of RPGs.
Most of the burn wounds are from RPG rounds. No white phosphorous has been used. RPGs have been the force-multiplier in this operation.
One of the buses got 4 RPGs, and the other got 3. Armed truck got two RPGs from the rear and both were exploded inside the truck.
ARMY has treated the captured and wounded LTTErs in a highly humane way surprising most of them. One group has said, they would have never raised a hand against Army or join the LTTE, if they had knew that people in the Army are such good people.
In one occasion, one 20GW soldier hit on the arm while carrying a wounded LTTE cadre to the safety. He still carried the LTTE cadre to safety for 300m while his hand was numb and bleeding.
77. Balakkumar | April 13th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Great article….but this time you did not get right info. soon you going to here some surprise news. You may have to re-revised the article. Good Luck
78. Harris | April 13th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
DBS,
Thanks for providing this kind of information. Can you please try to shed some light on how hundreds or thousands of soldiers managed to out flank thousand tigers?
Were the tigers playing blind mans bluff at the time?
79. Tharaka | April 13th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I am happy to see some of the Tamil bloggers understanding the futile efforts of LTTE to carve out a separate land for Tamils. If Sinhala politicians lead acts against Tamils did harm our unity in some way, the acts of LTTE supported by Diaspora has done it many more times. We have gone rounds during last 30 years and come to the place where we started.
Apart from few selfish politicians in both sides, majority of Sri Lankans of all ethnicities have realized that war against each other will gain nothing but poverty, destructions and never ending killings. Unfortunately majority of the Diaspora who has been hearing only one side of the story seems unable to realize this fact as evident from the blogs.
It is time for all of us to stop grumbling about the past acts and work for the future of our country.
DBS, I would like people like you also to use your skills to make people understand this reality and unite all Sri Lankans.
80. Uditha | April 13th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Compassion,
You have asked “What happend to the 116 surrendered and 16-18 captured alive ?”…
All the cadres would undergo,
1. A Medical examination
2. A pre-screening session (this is a very friendly chat and asking a set of questions to make them comfortable as well as determine whether they are honest)
3. Rehabilitation and MI screening -verifying the information provided against MI and determine whether immediate rehabilitation is possible
4. If cadres have voluntarily given them up and can be rehabilitated with ease, depending on their suitability, they would either be released to IDP camps to live with their families (if available) or directed to Rehabilitation Centers through Northern Command.
5. If a cadre found to be hardcore and has further intentions to cause destruction, would be handed over to the Police for further action i.e. remanding for prosecution
Many hardcore cadres have stated that they had no other alternative than joining LTTE, and are willing to undergo rehabilitation to lead normal lives when provided with alternatives. Now they consider LTTE as their main enemy. Their main fear is LTTE taking revenge from them for entering into rehabilitation.
During this phase of war SLARMY has shown highest level of professionalism and integrity in dealing with the IDPs, captured cadres, and the general public. They have destroyed the myths that LTTE has spread about the Army. As I mentioned before too, surrendered LTTErs have expressed utter surprise about kindness and friendliness that they have extended towards them.
81. Thev | April 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
There are many people writing comments under Tamil names. It is pretty obvious to see they are people who do not want to reveal their true identity and write these comments. They simply do not have the guts to write under their real identity.
82. sanglian | April 13th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Funny how a few of you make SL army sound like children of mother Theresa. A snake will always be a snake, no matter what time of the day that is. The core belief tigers have of getting captured by the Army = humiliation and torture is not something made up.
83. Keatharan | April 14th, 2009 at 1:52 am
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Hi DBS!
First I’m unable to beleive this even when watch the Theepan’s body also. But now have to believe this. How it were possible to SLA.
U want to correct ur details in ur article from the defence sources Theepa’s full name was wrong. It may be Velayuthapillai Sivatheepan or Thavabalasingham.Because Theepan’s younger brother Lieutinant Colnel Kilman who was Charles Antony regiment Senior commander died by an bomp explosion as an accident in Trincomalee in period of 1992 his full name is Velayuthapllai Sivakumar.
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