All these tales made an indelible impression.īeing a native of Valvettithurai was another factor in making a militant out of Prabhakaran. Young Prabha also heard the famous story of the Brahmin priest in Panadura being burnt to death in a bonfire, and also about the infant thrown into a tar barrel. Upon inquiring, the little boy was told that the woman’s home had been set on fire by a “Sinhala” mob. One day, Prabhakaran’s home had a female visitor whose legs were scarred by burns. The gruesome tales he heard as a four-year-old child about the 1958 anti-Tamil violence impacted greatly. Prabhakaran’s attitude and political thinking was shaped by contemporary events and environment. As his eyes were large and striking, Prabhakaran was teased as “muliyan” (goggle-eyed). His eyes were always sharp and roving taking in the surrounding area and ever on the alert. Prabhakaran would remember faces, names and the last time he had seen someone years ago. As a kid, Prabha would prowl about areas of dense vegetation searching for his quarry. Another pursuit in boyhood was the targeting of squirrels, lizards, chameleons and small birds with a catapult. But he was no sportsman and preferred to read or watch action films. Prabhakaran’s ancestors constructed the famous Sivan Temple of VVT.Īs a schoolboy, Prabhakaran, like most youngsters of his age was fond of cycling and playing volley ball and soccer. Prabhakaran’s family was of respected lineage in VVT known as the “Thirumeni kudumbam” or Thirumeni family. Prabhakaran’s family hailed from the coastal town of Valvettithurai, generally referred to as VVT. His father was Veerasamy Thiruvengadam Veluppillai while his mother was Paarvathipillai. Since he was the youngest, Prabhakaran’s pet name was “Thambi” or younger brother. He was the youngest in a family of two boys and two girls. Prabhakaran was born on 26 November 1954. The LTTE under Prabhakaran fought on relentlessly towards its avowed objective of a separate Tamil State until the very last. There was a time when nearly 34 outfits – big and small – existed.Īmong all these, the single organisation that kept the Tamil armed struggle alive for decades was none other than the LTTE led by Veluppillai Prabhakaran. The evolution and growth of the armed struggle for the goal of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka saw many Tamil militant groups emerge across the politico-military horizon. I shall be re-visiting some of my earlier writings in this two-part article about the LTTE and its supremo Prabhakaran. Most readers know that I have been writing extensively on the LTTE for many years in the past. It is against this backdrop that this column focuses this week on the rise and fall of the LTTE. It could be seen, therefore, that the month of May has proved to be of great significance in the Tamil armed struggle for Tamil Eelam spearheaded by the LTTE known as the Tigers. By a very strange somewhat “prophetic” coincidence, the number of years the LTTE was active in combat from May 1976 to May 2009 was alsp 33. The number of bullets in the tiger logo was 33. In that the growling tiger has a halo like circle of bullets criss crossed by two rifles. The original logo of the LTTE was designed and drawn by an artist from Madurai in Tamil Nadu named Nadarajah Master according to the wishes of LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran. His body was recovered on the banks of the Mullaitivu lagoon known as Nandikadal.
The long war came to an end on 18 May followed by the official announcement of LTTE Leader Thiruvengadam Veluppillai Prabhakaran’s demise on. Prior to that the armed forces had been steadily advancing and compelling the LTTE to retreat gradually despite the tenacity of Tiger resistance.įour days in May, 15 to 18 May, were of crucial importance in this respect. Thirty-three years later in mid-May 2009, the LTTE suffered a total military defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan armed forces in the Mullaitivu District of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The Tigers were also perceived as the determining force in Sri Lankan politics for many years. The LTTE developed into a powerful militia that adopted positional warfare and was capable of capturing, retaining and defending extensive territory. Thereafter the Tigers engaged in armed confrontation against the Sri Lankan State for several decades. The LTTE, which became popularly known as the Tiger organisation, had as its fundamental objective the setting up of a separate Tamil state on the island through armed struggle.
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