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From Shenuka to Niromi: True tale of a ‘Tamil Tigress’

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  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/ns129a1.jpg/  “Tamil Tigress” is a 320 page book released this year by the Australia –based publishing house, Allen& Unwin. The book has a picture of an armed female guerilla fighter on the cover along with the strap line “My story as a child soldier in Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war”. It is written by a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)under the pseudonym Niromi de Soyza.

The book has reportedly made quite a splash in Australia and New Zealand where it is available at book shops. The Australian Ministry for the Arts and the Australian Arts council have selected it for their 2011 “Get Reading! Campaign” as one of the 50 Books “You Can’t Put Down”! It is earmarked for a second edition soon and is likely to be distributed world-wide.

While the book has been enjoying brisk sales the author herself has been the subject of interviews by Radio, TV, journals and newspapers. She has also addressed breakfast meetings, seminars and public discussions. Some see the author being gradually turned into a minor celebrity.

Many reasons may be attributed for the book’s success, down under, at this point of time.

AUSTRALIA

Firstly there is wide interest over Sri Lanka within mainstream Australia right now. Earlier Australia’s predominant interest in Sri Lanka was whether our Murali was a chucker or not or whether Murali will overtake Shane Warne in wicket taking. But currently this interest has extended beyond Cricket.

Large numbers of asylum seekers are arriving in ships seeking refuge. If the war is over in Sri Lanka then why are there refugees now? is a question puzzling many Aussies. Hence there is an urge to know more.

This curiosity has further increased due to the release of a controversial book on Sri Lanka by another Australian Gordon Weiss who served in Sri Lanka during the war years as an UN official.Weiss has written about his experiences in a book named” The Cage:The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers”. This book and the screening by Four Corners of a documentary”Sri Lanka:The Killing Fields” made by British Channel 4 TV has whetted the Aussie appetite for further information about Sri Lanka.

In that respect the “Tamil Tigress” provides information and insight into a hitherto uncharted area. This is the first time that a former member of the LTTE has written a book in English based on his or her experience in the movement. This pioneering effort is of tremendous significance as it gives the reader a glimpse of the Sri Lankan past from a uniquely different perspective.

The book also makes a fascinating read. It is written dramatically and incisively from a first person’s point of view and grips the readers attention from the first chapter. The narrative is tight and the narration racy. It is primarily written for a “non-South Asian” audience and transports the reader to another place and another time. It is indeed “unputdownable”.

“Tamil tigress” is also a tale of negated idealism and lost innocence. It is about a girl in her teens who joins the LTTE willingly in a spirit of romantic idealism and then gets disillusioned as realization dawns through experiencing bitter reality.

REDEMPTION

The book is also a personal story of redemption and renaissance as the protagonist quits the movement, reunites with her family, seeks safety abroad and relocates finally to Australia. She forges a new life for herself in her land of adoption where she gains post-graduate qualifications and becomes a lecturer. She also marries and is the mother of two daughters.

It is a classic immigrant success story that makes countries such as Australia proud. In this case the “new immigrant”is one who has turned around her child soldier past and is now courageous enough to write about it openly and lucidly. This is a welcome feature. The author’s sophisticated appearance and suave articulation enhances this appeal.

These are the reasons then for the book’s impact and success. This success and fame have evoked a negative reaction too. There is a school of thought within some Sri Lankans and those of Sri Lankan origin that the author bearing the nom –de –plume “Niromi de Soyza” is not whom she claims to be.

This school of thought comprising Academics, researchers,writers and journalists evince doubts that the author had at any time been a “Tamil tigress” as she claims to be in her book. They point out some alleged mistakes, errors and discrepancies in her book and on that basis cast aspersions on her authenticity. “Fake tigress” and “counterfeit guerilla” are some of the expressions used to denigrate her.

Then there are the “conspiracy” theorists. This is a breed that flourishes in Sri Lanka and elsewhere among those with a Lankan connection. The timing of the book release and some of the alleged errors in the book are perceived as being part of a deep-seated international conspiracy to undermine Sri Lanka. The “Tamil Tigress” author had an unpleasant experience in Melbourne a few months ago while signing copies of her book when some “patriots” mobbed her and called her a “fake tigress”.

CHARGES

Some others have a different take on this. They allege that the book is a literary forgery with an ulterior motive. The see it as a ruse by sections of the LTTE and pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora to garner funds for the tigers. In that process, unfair, unsubstantiated charges have been made against a respectable organization engaged in worthwhile activities to better the life of affected people in Sri Lanka.

The only reason why these charges are being laid is due to the fact that the author of “Tamil tigress” has pledged publicly to donate part of the proceeds from sale of her book to the work of this organization. The organization concerned has issued rebuttals to these charges.

The “Tamil tigress” author however has not responded to the many accusations against her. This silence baffles many.

This deliberate silence to me is quite understandable. There is indeed no reason that she should respond to these accusations. If one were to start responding to charges such as these there would be no end to it. Besides it would be demeaning for any self-respecting author to reply critics who doubt her very existential reality.

Some of these critics are known to me personally and I do respect a few of them for their scholarship and merit but I would not blame the author if she suspects these critics or some of them to be part of an orchestrated campaign to denigrate her. Whatever their individual motivation, these critics like the assassins of Julius Caesar seem to have “drawn their knives separately and struck jointly”. Indeed the venom and intensity sustained by at least one of the critics makes one suspect a hidden agenda in this exercise.

Moreover the charges themselves do not seem to be grounded on sound basis. Mistaking is not faking. Blunders and errors of minor detail are signs of sloppiness not fraudulence. The discrepancies and doubts pointed out do not in anyway affect the structure and content of her book. They are not basic or fundamental mistakes that drastically alter the scope and scale of what has been stated.

CREDIBLE

It must also be remembered that a memoir like “Tamil Tigress” is not an auto-biography where meticulous attention needs to be paid to every point or fact mentioned. Accuracy is essential in a historical account. This is not so in a memoir. In this case the book seems to be of a mixed genre. It is in memoir format with characteristics of a realist novel.

However there is no denying that if there is indeed a credible challenge regarding an author’s identity or authenticity then there is an obligation on the part of those challenged to clear their name. In this instance I do not think there is a credible challenge because the challengers are yet to present strong evidence in support of their charges.

There is also another dimension. The author has said openly that the name Niromi de Soyza is a pseudonym. Her real name is something else. If she reveals her name and more personal details explicitly much of the criticism would lose vigour. She is however unwilling or unable to reveal her real name.

This could be to maintain the privacy of the author and her loved ones. It could also be due to concern for the safety of family, relatives, friends etc. This may be the reason for her using different names for some of the characters and places in her book. Whether this device would help her in the long run is debatable but her intentions in this need to be respected.

Undoubtedly this stance places the author at a disadvantage. While some of her critics try to goad her into divulging her identity and more details the author remains silent. This silence lends credence to the charges of “fake” and “counterfeit” in the eyes of the average reader. The author of “Tamil tigress” is as vulnerable as a wounded tigress surrounded by a hyena pack.

GENUINE

It is against this backdrop that I want to write about this “Tamil tigress” author. My intention is not to write a review of her book or examine the charges of “fake,forgery or fabrication”leveled against her. I do not want to analyse and dissect the allegations and accusations concerning her book and argue for or against or even remain neutral.

This is because I know with certainty that she is the genuine article and not counterfeit as alleged by her detractors. Her nom de guerre in the LTTE was Shenuka!

When I know that she is truly a real person and has indeed experienced what she states in her book there is no need for me to delve into the criticism of her book.Incidently some of these charges are now translated into Tamil and is fuelling another controversy in the Tamil media.

The famous French Film director Jean – Luc Godard who along with some like minded “auteurs”pioneered the new wave in French cinema made in 1967 a masterpiece “Two or Three Things I Know About Her” (2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle).

As far as the author of “Tamil Tigress” is concerned there are not two or three , but many,many things that I know about her. Also I know people who know more things about her like family members, relatives, neighbours, classmates, schoolmates, colleagues and erstwhile comrades at arms.

Moreover I am also familiar with the time in which the bulk of her narrative is set in.Also with many of the places, persons and events she describes so vividly in her book.

I have been covering the so called “war” for decades and have frequently visited the north during those times. I lived in Jaffna for many months while working as Deputy –editor of “The Saturday Review” in 1986. I was also in Jaffna when the war erupted between the Indian Army and LTTE on October 10th 1987. I was arrested and detained at the 4th floor and later produced in courts due to my reporting on that outbreak of war.

PSEUDONYM

It is that context in which I want to focus on the author of “Tamil Tigress” in this column. I want to write her story so that people realize she is not fake or counterfeit as charged. I hope to set the record straight about her to the best of my knowledge.

While writing what I know about her and about some events of the past I also hope to provide some background and context to an era when Tamil youths flocked to the militant movements to fight for the lofty goal of national liberation.

Niromi de Soyza is a pseudonym or nom de plume adopted by the author of “Tamil tigress”. Niromi is the name of an old schoolfriend and a name she liked. De Soyza is for Richard de Zoysa, the well-known journalist, TV announcer,screen and stage actor who was abducted and killed by “state terrorists” in February 1990.

Richard was immensely popular in Jaffna those days as a TV Personality. So his dastardly murder was a shock to the author .Selecting Richard’s name as her nom de plume was both a tribute to his memory and a manifestation of solidarity with media persons victimized by state terror. Richard’s name was a symbolic choice.

This choice of pseudonym too is viewed with suspicion in some circles. Although de Soyza is Portugese in origin it is perceived as a Sinhala name in Sri Lanka. So, some see it as a diabolical ruse by a Tamil woman writing under a Sinhala name while others suspect a Sinhala woman of pretending to be an ex –Tamil tigress.

So what then is her real name? Who is this person whose nom de guerre in a previous avatar as a militant was “Shenuka” and her nom de plume in her new avatar as author is “Niromi”?Much as I would like to reveal her full name publicly and dispel doubts about her identity, I do not want to do so at this juncture due to a constraining factor.

“SHARMILA”

Rightly or wrongly the author of “Tamil Tigress” has certain reasons for not divulging her real name. Even if one diagrees or agrees with her reasons one must respect her position on this. In my code of ethics exposing her name against her wishes is simply “not done”to use a phrase that is now going out of vogue in language and in conduct. Until and unless “Shenuka-Niromi” is ready and willing , her real name will not be disclosed by me. I do think that the disclosure of her full name would be inevitable at some point of time.That decision is entirely up to her.

Let me be a tad facetious here and play a word game supplying a few clues. She has three names in all. Her first name is of North Indian origin but widely used by Tamils.;the second is of Irish origin but widely used by the English, Scottish and Welsh people. The third or maiden name which is her father’s, is a Sanskritised Tamil name.

I have coined a name that has the first letters of all three names – “Sharmila”. It is by this name that I intend referring to her in this article up to the time she teamed up with the tigers. In the meantime if anyone wants to guess her real name in full then please be my guest!

The “Tamil Tigress” author called “Sharmila” was born in Kandy in the Central Highlands some weeks before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in what was described by him as a “small step for a man” and “giant leap for mankind”.

“Sharmila” was the eldest of two daughters. The second is younger by three years and is referred to in the book as “Shiranee”.

Her father is an “Ilangaithamizhan”(Sri Lankan Tamil)of Jaffna while her mother is an “Inthiya vamsaavazhithamizhachchi”( Tamil woman of Indian descent)from the up country.The father is a Catholic and old student of St.Patricks College in Jaffna. Her mother was a Hindu who converted to Christianity after marriage. Incidently both her paternal and maternal grandfathers had been station masters in the Railway department.

ENGINEER

The father who is an engineer worked at the Electricity board for many years and was stationed in up country areas. It was then that he met and fell in love with “Sharmila”s mother who was then working in a Govt department.Later she took to teaching.

The family moved from place to place living in different houses at different times.While they were living in Dunbar Road, Hatton “Sharmila” studied at St.Gabriels.

After the 1977 anti-Tamil violence the parents decided to send the eldest daughter to Jaffna for studies in 1978. She stayed with her grandmother at 3rd cross street in Jaffna town. Her father’s family was originally from Veemankaamam in Thellippazzhai but was residing in Jaffna town

After a while her father opted to seek lucrative employment abroad. He went to Dubai. The mother and sister then relocated to Jaffna. They left the 3rd cross street residence and moved to 4th cross street. Later they moved to a house in Rakka lane, Jaffna.

“Sharmila” studied for some years at the Holy Family convent in Jaffna. Later she moved to Chundikuli Girls College, Jaffna. After passing her General Certificate of Education (GCE)Ordinary level examination with four distinctions and four credits she began following Bio-Science subjects (Botany, Zoology, Chemistry,Physics) for the GCE (Advaned Level) classes She did not complete her A-levels as she later joined the tigers.

Jaffna then was in a state of semi-liberation. The armed forces were more or less confined to barracks and the Police had ceased functioning. The various militant groups were in “control”. The danger was from artillery shelling and aerial bombardment and strafing. On ground the different Tamil groups were ruling the roost. The LTTE was the dominant entity among these.

MURALI

The LTTE had a student organization then called SOLT(Student Organization of Liberation Tigers). The person in charge of it in Jaffna was Murali also called “Kaliviyankaadu Murali” because the SOLT head office was in Kalviyankaadu.

Murali whose real name was Veluppillai Ratnasingham was born in Aavarankaal on October 10th 1957. As head of the students organization Murali interacted with University, Technical College and College students.

Since there was freedom of movement and easy access ,Murali and other SOLT operatives used to visit various schools and Colleges and address students. This was aimed at enticing potential recruits for the LTTE. The tigers then did not conscript or forcibly recruit but wooed students through systematic propaganda

One day Murali himself came to Chundikuli Girls College and addressed Students. The school was regarded as an elite institution in Jaffna somewhat similar to Ladies and Bishops Colleges in Colombo. Getting “Chundikkulip pettaigal” (Chundikkuli girls)into the movement would have been a prized feather in Murali’s cap.

After listening to Murali’s rousing speech four students from the Advanced level class volunteered to join the LTTE student organization. This apparently was a first for “Chundikkuli” as the school was generally referred to. This was in mid -1986

Among the four were “Sharmila” and her classmate and best pal Ajanthi (real name). Both were inseparable friends having studied together at the Convent and then shifting to Chundikuli Girls College. Ajanthi’s family living on Swartz Lane,Jaffna was also Catholic. Hailing from Mullaitheevu district they had lived in Colombo for years before moving to Jaffna. Ajanthi’s father like her friend’s father was an old Patrician.

THILEEPAN

If I may strike a personal note I too was living on Swartz lane around this time in 1986. I was then working at “The Saturday Review” housed at 4th cross street and living at my friend “Raga”s house on Swartz lane.When thinking of the atmosphere and mood that prevailed in Jaffna then, one can easily understand why youths and students attached themselves to the various Tamil militant organizations.

In the case of “Sharmila” and her friend Ajanthi it was initially a feeling of romantic idealism and perhaps adventurism that impelled them to join the SOLT. After engaging with SOLT as student activists for a while they came under the sway of Rasiah Parthiban alias Thileepan who was then the chief LTTE Political commissar for Jaffna district. Sathasivampillai Krishnakumar alias Kittu was the LTTE military commander and overall chief for Jaffna.

The woman’s division of the LTTE political wing was called the “Suthanthirapparavaigal” or “Birds of freedom”. This was because they published a monthly journal by that name.

The woman’s division of the political wing was a brainchild of Thileepan who was also referred to jovially as “Amirthalingam” by fellow cadres. This was because there existed within the highly militaristic organization like LTTE, a contemptuous attitude towards democratic politics and politicians.

Thileepan and the political wing were the butts of several intra-LTTE jokes as a result, Dubbing Thileepan as “Amirthalingam” was one such joke as Appapillai Amirthalingam , Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) secretary-general and former opposition leader was the foremost Tamil politician of that time.

The author of “Tamil Tigress” used to write Tamil poetry and quite a few of her poems were published in “Suthanthirapparavai” and also the daily “Eezhamurasu” that had been misappropriated through force by the LTTE

SHENUKA

After about a year of working as an activist in the Student and Women outfits both friends decided to join the LTTE formally and obtain military training. What influenced them in this was “Operation Liberation” launched by the Sri Lankan armed forces to regain control of areas in the Vadamaratchy region in Jaffna.

Upon being accepted as military trainees both girls quit studies and went to a camp in Thenmaratchy region for arms training.They were given the option of choosing their nom de guerres. Ajanthi chose her mother’s name Nirmala while”Sharmila” chose Shenuka.Unfortunately most of her comrades mispronounced the name as “Saenuhaa”.

Both girs in their teens were technically “child soldiers”.It was as a fresh recruit of the first batch of “tigresses”to receive military training in Jaffna that Shenuka got an opportunity of meeting ,one to one, the LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran.

TO BE CONTINUED

நன்றி டிபிஎஸ் ஜெயராஜ்

தமிழ் புலிகள்[TAMIL TIGERS] என்னும் நூலை அண்மையில் எழுதிய நயோமி தொடர்பாக பல்வேறு விமர்சனங்கள் அண்மையில் வைக்கப்பட்டன...யாழில் ரகுநாதன் உட்பட பலர் அவரது நம்பகத் தன்மையை கேள்வி எழுப்பி இருந்தனர்...அவர் தொடர்பாக டிபிஎஸ் ஜெயராஜ் எழுதிய ஆக்கமிது படித்துப் பாருங்கள்</p>

Edited by ரதி

  • தொடங்கியவர்
  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

The “Flying Pigeon” Rider who sang “Una Paloma Blanca”

Gaining acceptance for military training by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) organization and being inducted into the movement after a one to one meeting with tiger leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran was a great achievement for the author of “Tamil Tigress” at that juncture in her life.

The seventeen year old girl whose nom de guerre was going to be “Shenuka” in the tigers had realized her long cherished goal at last.

What is remarkable about this act is the fact that neither she nor her friend had been forced into recruitment or arms training. The choice of embracing the LTTE thereby risking life and limb was a voluntary act done willingly. Similiarly when Shenuka opted to quit the LTTE a year later she was allowed to do so with the tigers themselves ensuring she reunited safely with her mother.

This conduct by the LTTE may be hard to believe when viewed against the backdrop of how the tigers behaved later when expanding the number of their cadres.Likewise it may also be perplexing as to why young boys and girls joined militant ranks voluntarily and courted martyrdom willingly in a by gone era.

Forcible recruitment or conscription had become an established practice of the LTTE in the years of the new millennium.It had reached dizzying heights during the final phase of battle.But there was a time when the LTTE and all other militant movements did not engage in recruiting forcibly or conscripting.This was during the early years of the Tamil armed struggle.

Intensive propaganda was conducted to encourage youths to join voluntarily but no force was used.This was because the various movements knew that a conscript would not make a good guerilla.Conviction and not coercion was of paramount importance.Motivation could not be imposed through force.

This unwritten code was first violated by the Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front(EPRLF) and Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) during 1989-90 acting on instructions of the Indian espionage agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing).

LAKSHMANA REKHA

The EPRLF and ENDLF crossed the “Lakshmana rekha” by abducting and conscripting cadres to strengthen themselves in the face of armed resistance proffered by the LTTE towards the Indian army and its allies in the post-Indo-Lanka accord period. These cadres were later forged into a military outfit known as the “Tamil National Army”.

After the Indian army began leaving Sri Lanka, the LTTE unleashed its fury on the so called Tamil National army. The tigers were aided and abetted in this by the Sri Lankan armed forces. The conscripted recruits were no match for the LTTE and thousands of hapless youths were massacred by the tigers.

The annihilation of the India-sponsored Tamil National Army by the LTTE demonstrated clearly that forcibly recruiting youths and turning them into a fighting machine was a doomed venture.

Ironically the LTTE too began forcibly recruiting youths in later years demanding that every family should provide a “hero or heroine from the house”(veetukkoru veeran allathu veeranganai)

Just as the unwilling cadres of the forcibly recruited Tamil national army were exterminated by the LTTE,the forcibly recruited tiger cadres were also killed in very large numbers by the advancing army in the Wanni.Young boys and girls with minimum training and no previous battlefield experience were thrown into the front against a sophisticated army that outnumbered and outgunned them.

“SURRENDEES”

Thousands of these conscripts perished in battle. Mercifully a large number of them surrendered in droves during the final days of the war to the armed forces. The bulk of these “surrendees” were housed in detention camps. They are being released in batches after undergoing a process of rehabilitation.

This terrible phenomenon of forcible recruitment was totally absent at the time the author of “Tamil Tigress” whom I have dubbed as “Sharmila” joined the SOLT in 1986 and the LTTE proper in 1987.

To understand why a talented girl with bi-lingual fluency like her hailing from an upper middle class,Christian family studying in an elite school opted to join the LTTE it is necessary to know something about the prevailing situation then in Jaffna.

There was a time when 30-35 armed Tamil groups calling themselves liberation movements were functioning in the North and East.The joke then was that one gun,two cycles and three youths were enough to start a movement. This proliferation however diminished gradually with many groups becoming dysfunctional or merging with other groups. Some were banned or destroyed by the LTTE.

Seven major groups made their mark in Jaffna and carved out a niche in the annals of history by the mid –eighties of the previous century. They were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) led by Prabhakaran, Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam(PLOTE) led by Umamaheswaran, Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front(EPRLF) led by Pardmanabha, Eelam Revolutionary Organization(EROS) led by Balakumaran and Shankar Raji, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization(TELO) led by Srisabaratnam, Tamil Eelam Army(TEA) led by “Panagoda”Maheswaran and Tamil Eelam Liberation Army(TELA) founded by “Oberoi “Thevan who himself was killed by the tigers in 1983.

“SEMI-LIBERATED”

All these organizations were active in Jaffna peninsula which had reached a “semi-liberated” state by mid-1985.The armed forces and Police had ceased moving about within the Peninsula and the various Tamil armed groups were wielding power and ruling the roost. The Jaffna based Govt servants,corporation employees and teachers were getting their salaries from Colombo but obeying the dictates of the gun –toting groups.

The process of shutting down Police stations in the Peninsula had begun after the PLOTE attack on the Anaikottai police station in July 1981. In May 1985 the Jaffna Police station itself was attacked successfully by the LTTE. Thereafter all effective Policing ended. Local poicemen in civils would go to the Jaffna fort and sign up for duty. A police post with non –uniformed cops was maintained at the Jaffna hospital.There was no uniformed Police presence.

The Army too facing innumerable landmine attacks began curtailing their movement.Things took a turn for the worse when New Delhi imposed a ceasefire and arranged for peace talks in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu in July-August 1985.The armed forces were confined to barracks.

The different groups then set up positions around the military installations. The tigers had the lion’s share in setting up these defences. When the talks collapsed and fighting erupted again the armed forces found themselves virtually boxed in.

Thereafter the war situation in Jaffna changed. The cadres from different militant outfits known generally as “podiyal” or boys set up sentry points around the security installations. If and when the army attempted to move out the militant bases in proximity were alerted by sentries. Immediately other cadres with heavy weapons would rush to the spot and mount resistance. The army would regularly venture out from camps,meet with resistance and return to base.

With the mobility of armed forces being restricted on ground the war intensified in a different way inside the Peninsula . Besieged armed forces began firing long range artillery from within their camps against the elusive enemy outside. In many instances these artillery shells fell on civilian dwellings and structures as the militants were living amidst and among the civilians. There were many civilian deaths and injuries.

Another outcome of the new situation was the beginning of aerial bombardment and strafing. Helicopters would bomb or fire down upon perceived or suspected militant targets. Aeroplanes would throw down bombs. As in the case of artillery shelling, the aerial strafing and bombardment also caused many civilian deaths and destruction. In such a situation much resentment and hostility grew in the minds of civilians against the armed forces. These flames were fanned by the local media.

GUARDIAN DEITIES

In such an atmosphere of conflict and danger the Tamil armed groups began assuming a larger than life heroic image. They were projected as the defenders of the people who were preventing the army from moving in and causing harm to the people. Tamil media described them as “Kaaval Theivangal” or Guardian deities. The armed groups were referred to as “Punitha Iyakkangal” or holy movements.

The armed groups also began to fill the vacuum caused by the rupture in civil administration and law enforcement.They set up “Inakka sabhaigal” or conciliation boards comprising respected civilian supporters to inquire into alleged offences of a civil nature. Their decisions were endorsed and enforced by the movements. Alleged offences of a criminal nature were inquired into by the movements themselves. Those found “guilty” were penalized by the movements who acted as “judge,jury and executioner”.

The armed groups also imposed taxes on businesses and individuals. They issued stamps. They manufactured alcoholic spirits. They engaged in small industry. There were also notice boards at various junctions with up to date news bulletins of the war. There were also public boxes where one could drop complaints or suggestions.Private TV stations also flourished.Some groups like the LTTE ran their own TV and Radio. Several Tamil journals and tabloids were published by the different groups. The privately owned mainstream Tamil newspapers toed the militant line.

Many disturbing developments were occurring in this “Shangri-la” of the Island’s arid north. There was much rivalry among the armed groups to establish supremacy.This led to internecine warfare in which the LTTE triumphed militarily over the TELO and EPRLF and caused the PLOTE to cease overt functioning. The TEA and TELA went out of circulation. The EROS maintained an uneven ,uneasy relationship with the LTTE and survived.

There were also many human rights violations. Persons suspected of being traitors, informants or dissidents were punished most often by summary execution. People were detained in abysmal conditions and interrogated and tortured. While accusing the “Sinhala dominated state” of repression the would be liberators of the Tamil people were also turning slowly into mirror images of their alleged oppressors.

PET MONKEY ”BELLE”

It is against this backdrop that the LTTE emerged as the foremost Tamil armed group in Jaffna.Despite its abominable conduct in many spheres the LTTE did retain an aura of heroic valour. The tigers impressed the people particularly the youths through their projected image of dedication and sacrifice. The sight of its colorful military commander Sathasivampillai Krishnakumar alias Kittu whizzing around in a double –cab with his pet monkey “Belle”sent young hearts racing “pitter-patter”.. The sight of young, handsome, dashing tigers on their motor cycles caused many eye-lids of girls to flutter.

The elaborate funerals and homage for fallen fighters instilled among the people, a feeling of admiration and gratitude for their sacrifices. The prevailing atmosphere and mood was one in which the tigers were seen as saviours and protectors who needed to be supported no matter what their acts of omission and commission were.

It was in such an environment and period of time that the “Tamil Tigress” author opted to join the tigers.Apparently her decision to do so was met with disbelief and even skepticism by many of her contemporaries and acquaintances.

This was mainly due to her family background,upbringing ,interests and aptitudes. It was difficult to accept that a person like her would willingly join the LTTE and fight for liberation.

Even the LTTE leaders who interacted with her seemed to have misgivings about her decision to get arms training. One reason may have been due to doubts about her ability to withstand the rigorous life of an armed guerilla. Another reason may have been genuine reluctance to pluck a talented young girl from school and expose her to great risk and danger as an armed fighter.

Muralie who recruited her first into the LTTE’s student organization SOLT was hesitant initially into enlisting her for arms training. Thileepan the political commissar was totally opposed to the idea. He tried hard to persuade her to continue schooling and make a decision after two years. Even the tiger supremo Prabhakaran in his first meeting with her had wondered aloud whether a girl like her from a relatively privileged background could undergo the harsh, hard life of an armed guerilla.

It appears that Sharmila’s outward appearance, interests and way of life made many who knew her react negatively to the news of her opting for military training in the LTTE.

DETERMINATION

”Sharmila” through her determination managed to convince them all.

I have been gathering some additional information about her in the past weeks. Many of her classmates and schoolmates remember her vividly and retain many memorable anecdotes.What I have learnt enables me to form an impression of the author of “Tamil Tigress” at the time she was a student in Jaffna.

“Sharmila” as I refer to her at this point seems to have been a girl with an aptitude for languages and a flair for the creative arts.As a student at Holy Family Convent(HFC)Jaffna she had topped the class in both Tamil and English. She had also won prizes in speech, essay,poetry and spelling competitions in both languages.Sharmila has also written and acted in plays.One play she acted in was staged at the Jaffna university.Her close friends at HFC were Ajanthi (who joined the LTTE with her) and Shereena who now lives in North America.

One incident remembered by her former classmates was one where she had an argument with the Tamil teacher Sr.Yolande (who is now the principal at HFC). The clash was over the “Ramayanam” written by Kambar. Sister Yolande’s teaching was contested by “Sharmila” who interpreted Kambar differently.

“Sharmila” was also devoted to the Tamil poet Subramania Bharathy referred to generally as “Bharathiar”.Subramaniya Bharathiyar sang of Tamil and Tamils and India and India’s freedom.He also sang of women’s emancipation and envisaged a liberated woman whom he depicted as the “puthumaippenn” or novel woman.

“PUTHUMAIPPENN”

Enchanted by Bharathiyar ”Sharmila” thought of herself as the bard’s “puthumaippenn” and stubbornly refused to learn cooking at home.She also wrote poems and short stories in Tamil. Some of her classmates recall an intriguing practice by her. Apparently she would write a short story without an ending and pass it around her classmates asking them to suggest one.Later she would read them all and select the best “conclusion”.

Another aspect remarked upon by many contemporaries is her handwriting. It was strikingly beautiful. One of the things she did those days was to write Tamil poems and drop them off “anonymously” in the suggestion/complaint boxes maintained by the LTTE. The tiger cadres of that time used to wrack their brains trying to identify the writer. Finally it was her uniquely lovely handwriting that helped to identify her.One poem she wrote then was about the LTTE handing over bodies of dead soldiers to the Army lodged at the Jaffna Fort.

She also had a red notebook in which she engraved her poems. This notebook given to a distant relative in the EPRLF fell into LTTE hands when the former was attacked by the latter. Later the poetry book was seized by the Indian Army during a raid on a tiger camp. The red notebook got into the hands of an Indian army officer from Tamil Nadu who was immensely impressed by the poems.

Sharmila as a child had been fond of reading the children’s magazine”Ambulimama”. Her favourite feature was the Vikramadithan –Vethaalam story series. As a teenager she read various Tamil magazines. Her favourite writer in Tamil those days was Pattukkottai Prabakar who specializes in mystery and thriller stories.

The “Tamil Tigress” author was equally fond of reading in English too. As a child she liked to read cartoons like Herge’s adventures of Tintin and books by Enid Blyton. Her favourite books by Enid Blyton were “Famous Five” and “Secret Seven” series. Adventure books seem to have fascinated her in childhood. Later her interests changed to more serious stuff.

INTERESTS

Singing, dancing and music were also among “Sharmila’s diverse interests.Her first Bharatha Natyam “guru” was Gnanamani Chelliah .Later it was Vineetha Swampillai. Sharmila had performed at Veerasingham hall Jaffna and was also preparing for her imminent “arangetram” or public dance debut when she teamed up with the tigers.Instead of “Alarippu” and “Thillana” life became a “ruthra Thandavam”.

Sharmila had a penchant for music and could play the Piano, Violin, Piano accordion, guitar and the Veena. She could also sing well and learnt Carnatic music from the well-known classical singer Thilaganayagam Paul.

Like most Jaffna schoolgirls she was an avid listener of Tamil film music and an ardent fan of music composer Illayarajah and to a lesser extent KV Mahadevan and MS Visvanathan.Her favourite actor was Sreedevi.

She was also interested in western music. Needless to say like the majority of her generation Michael Jackson was “God”. She also warbled the songs of Rick Astley, Glen Medeiros and Phil Collins all of whom she liked. And there was ABBA of course.

Sharmila” was a huge success at a YMCA competition where she came first in solo singing “Una Paloma Blanca” by George Baker. Her group in which she was lead singer also won the group singing prize at the same competition singing ”Move on” by ABBA. She also sang (Alto) in her School and Church choir.

Apart from interests like music,singing,dancing,poetry and drama she was also good in painting and sketching and had some of her work displayed in school art exhibitions.

In contrast to her literary and artistic aptitudes Sharmila was not in the forefront in sports and games unlike her friend Ajanthi who represented school in netball.She was however junior and senior squad leader at physical training competitions and once came first at a district walking race in her age group.

The “Tamil Tigress” author was also a cricket fan. She would play improvised home cricket with the children of neighbouring families. “Sharmila” was also a great admirer of cricketers like Australia ’s Dennis Lillee, England ’s Ian Botham, India ’s Chetan Sharma, West Indian Viv Richards and Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle.

FLYING PIGEON

Girls riding bicycles singly or in pairs or in groups was a familiar sight in Jaffna those days. The author of “Tamil Tigress” also used to cycle alone and also with her friends.She had a “flying pigeon” and used it to ride to school, to visit friends, to go for tuition classes and to drop in at restaurants like “Rolex” and “Subash” for snacks or for ice cream.

Both she and best friend Ajanthi were fond of dogs. Ajanthi who lived in Swartz lane with her family had a Pomeranian cross named “Rosie”. Unfortunately a coconut fell on her accidentally and Rosie was no more.”Sharmila” living in Rakka lane had three Pomeranians as pets. One was named “Scamper” after the dog in Enid Blyton’s secret seven. The others were named “Bruno” and “Remo”. These names were selected after perusal of the St.Patricks College school magazine.

Interestingly enough the girl whom I have dubbed as “Sharmila” had a nickname among boys in Jaffna then. She was called “Thalai Thadavi” or “head stroker”. This was because she had long wavy hair that was often unruly when she rode a bicycle. So she would frequently stroke and pat her hair while cycling thus earning the “thalaithadavi” nickname.

She and her friend Ajanthi were customers of the Jaffna hair stylists.”Shaggy Salon”. “Sharmila” used to have her hair cut like Princess Diana.Later she changed it to the fashionable “material girl”hair style.

The greater part of “Sharmila”’s education in Jaffna was at Holy Family Convent where she passed her GCE (OL) with 4 distinctions and 4 credits. It was for her Advanced Level classes that she joined Chundikuli Girls College which is the “sister school”of St.Johns College, Jaffna.

RED AND BLACK

Students of both schools had the same red and black tie. She was in the GCE (AL) first year class when she joined the LTTE student organization SOLT and in the second year when she abandoned studies and went in for arms training.

This then was the author of “Tamil tigress” as a schoolgirl more than twenty years ago. She was a typical example of an upper middle class girl from a bilingual Christian family studying at an elite school in Jaffna.

As stated earlier it was a sign of the times and environment she lived in then that a girl of her background chose to leave a the comfort and security of family and home and begin a new journey into the unknown ,risking great peril, in pursuance of what she deemed to be a lofty ideal at that point of time in her life.

http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/3378

Edited by ரதி

இதை தமிழில் படித்தேன்.இணைத்தால் பிரச்சனை என்று விட்டுவிட்டேன் .பல இடங்கள் வன்னியில் பிரபாகரன் என்ன செய்தார் என்ற கோமகன் இணைத்த கட்டுரைக்கு பதில் போல் இருந்தது.

i know her and her real story personally.. i wont go on more then this but the book is not even 10% accurately written but then again it's all just business..

Edited by Panangkai

  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

இதை தமிழில் படித்தேன்.இணைத்தால் பிரச்சனை என்று விட்டுவிட்டேன் .பல இடங்கள் வன்னியில் பிரபாகரன் என்ன செய்தார் என்ற கோமகன் இணைத்த கட்டுரைக்கு பதில் போல் இருந்தது.

உறவினர்கள் பலர் (வன்னியில் இன்றும் வாழ்கிறார்கள்) தான் உண்மையான சாட்சி. இதே போல் பலருக்கும் உறவினர்கள் வன்னியில் வாழ்கிறார்கள்.அத்தோடு தீபச்செல்வனின் ஆக்கங்களை வாசித்தவர்களுக்கும் தெரியும் எது உண்மை என்று.தேனியை நம்பி வாழும் உங்களுக்கோ அல்லது உங்களை போன்ற டி.பி.ஜெயராஜுக்கோ அல்லது மேற்கூறிய பெண்ணுக்கோ தெரியாத வன்னியின் முகத்தை அறிந்தவர்களுக்கு தெரியும் எது உண்மை என்று.

i know her and her real story personally.. i wont go on more then this but the book is not even 10% accurately written but then again it's all just business..

பனக்க்காய் தெரிந்த்தால் எழுதுவது தானே பத்து சதவிகிதம் என்று வெறும் கணக்கு காட்டுவது எதனால்?

  • தொடங்கியவர்
  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

நுணாவிலான் நீங்கள் இந்த கட்டுரையை வாசிக்காமல் பதில் எழுதி உள்ளீர்கள்...நான் இன்னும் அந்தப் புத்தகத்தை வாசிக்கவில்லை ஆனால் எனக்கு தெரிந்த வரை அந்தப் பெண் புலிகளை பற்றி பிழையாக எதுவும் எழுதவில்லை...டிபிஎஸ்சும் இந்த கட்டுரையில் அந்தப் பெண்ணுக்கு ஆதரவாகவும் அருண் அம்பலவாணர்,சர்வானந்தா போன்றவர்களுக்கு எதிராகவும் தான் எழுதியுள்ளார்

  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

நுணாவிலான் நீங்கள் இந்த கட்டுரையை வாசிக்காமல் பதில் எழுதி உள்ளீர்கள்...நான் இன்னும் அந்தப் புத்தகத்தை வாசிக்கவில்லை ஆனால் எனக்கு தெரிந்த வரை அந்தப் பெண் புலிகளை பற்றி பிழையாக எதுவும் எழுதவில்லை...டிபிஎஸ்சும் இந்த கட்டுரையில் அந்தப் பெண்ணுக்கு ஆதரவாகவும் அருண் அம்பலவாணர்,சர்வானந்தா போன்றவர்களுக்கு எதிராகவும் தான் எழுதியுள்ளார்

இப்பிடித்தான் முதலில் ஆரம்பிப்பார்கள்..! பிறகு வாழைப்பழத்தில் ஊசிதான்..! :lol:

போர் முடிவதற்குமுன் புலிகளின் பெயரில் ஒரு புளொக் வந்தது.. அதன் உரிமையாளர் புலிகளை ஆகா, ஓகோ என்று புகழ்ந்தார்.. டிஃபன்ஸ் லங்கா தளத்திலும் வாக்குவாதம் செய்தார்..! பிறகு ஒரு கட்டத்தில் தன் சுயரூபத்தைக் காட்டவேண்டி வந்துவிட்டது..! பார்த்தால் ஆள் சிங்களப் புலனாய்வின் கையாள்..! இப்படிப் பல..! :lol:

  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

பிரபாகரனுக்கு நோர்வே எழுதிய அச்சுறுத்தல் கடிதம்! - விக்கிலீக்ஸ்

letter4pirabakaran.jpg

போர் நிறுத்தம் நடைமுறையில் இருந்த காலப்பகுதியில் தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் அமைப்பின் தலைவர் வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரனுக்கு நோர்வே எழுதிய அந்தரங்கமான கடிதத்தில் "விடுதலைப் புலிகளமைப்பு ஆக்கபூர்வமான வழியினைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்பதற்குத் தவறுமானால் அனைத்துலகத்தினது எதிர்விளைவு மோசமானதாக இருக்கும்" என அச்சுறுத்தப்பட்டிருந்ததாக ஆதாரத்துடன்செய்திகள் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

இவ்வாறு விக்கிலீக்ஸஸ் வெளியிட்ட ஆவணங்களில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருப்பதாக கொழும்பில் இருந்து வெளியாகும் 'சண்டே ரைம்ஸ்' இதழ் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

ஓகஸ்ட் 17 2005 அன்று நோர்வேயினது வெளிவிவகார அமைச்சர் ஜான் பீற்றசனும் துணை வெளிவிவகார அமைச்சர் ஹெல்கேசனும் விடுதலைப் புலிகள் அமைப்பின் தத்துவாசிரியர் அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கத்தினை லண்டனில் சந்தித்து உரையாடியபோது பிரபாகரனுக்கு என முகவரியிடப்பட்ட கடிதமொன்றைக் கொடுத்திருக்கிறார்கள் [கடிதத்தின் முழு விபரம் கீழே தரப்பட்டிருக்கிறது].

 

நோர்வே பிரபாகரனுக்கு அனுப்பிய கடிதத்தின் முழுமையான பகுதி இங்கு தரப்படுகிறது [தயவுசெய்து இதனைக் கவனமாகப் பாதுகாக்கவும்].

வெளிவிவகார அமைச்சு,

ஒஸ்லோ

16 ஓகஸ்ட் 2005

திரு.வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்,

தலைவர்,

தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள்.

அன்புடன் பிரபாகரனுக்கு,

அமைதி முயற்சிகள் மிகவும் இக்கட்டானதொரு நிலையில் இருக்கிறது என்பதை நீங்கள் முழுமையான விளங்கிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறீர்கள் என நான் நம்புகிறேன். கடந்த சில மாதங்களாக இடம்பெற்றுவரும் கொலைகள் மற்றும் பதில் கொலைகள் என்பவற்றை நோர்வேயும் அனைத்துலக சமூகமும் அதியுச்ச கரிசனையுடன் அவதானித்து வருகிறது.

விடுதலைப் புலிகளமைப்பு சிறுவர்களைத் தொடர்ந்தும் படையில் இணைந்து வருகிறது. அமைதி முயற்சிகள் தொடர்பில் விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் நோக்கம்தான் என்ன என்ற அவநம்பிக்கையினை ஏற்படுத்துவதாக இவை அமைகின்றன.

சிறிலங்காவினது வெளிவிவகார அமைச்சர் லக்ஸ்மன் கதிர்காமர் படுகொலை செய்யப்பட்டமையானது நிலைமையினை மேலும் மோசமாக்கியிருக்கிறது.

இவ்வாறு தொடராக இடம்பெற்றுவரும் கொலைகள் தொடர்பாக இடம்பெற்றுவரும் சட்ட நடவடிக்கைகள் பற்றிய முடிவுக்கு வரவேண்டிய தேவை நோர்வேக்கு இல்லை.

எவ்வாறிருந்தாலும், இந்தக் கொலைகளுக்கு விடுதலைப்புலிகள்தான் காரணம் என சிறிலங்காவிலும் அனைத்துலகிலும் மக்கள் கருதுகிறார்கள். மக்களின் இந்த எண்ணம்தான் அரசியல் யதார்த்தமாக உள்ளது.

விடுதலைப் புலிகள் அமைப்பானது அமைதி முயற்சிகளில் தொடர்ந்தும் முழு ஈடுபாட்டுடனேயே இருக்கிறது என்பதைக் காட்டும் வகையில் புலிகளமைப்புச் செயற்படவேண்டியது அவசியமானது.

தற்போது தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் அமைப்புக்குள்ள அரசியல் தெரிவுகள் தொடர்பாக எடுத்துவிளக்குவது எனது கடப்பாடு என நான் கருதுகிறேன். இக்கட்டான இந்தத் தருணத்தில் விடுதலைப் புலிகளமைப்பு ஆக்கபூர்வமான வழியினைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்பதற்குத் தவறுமானால் அனைத்துலகத்தினது எதிர்விளைவு மோசமானதாக இருக்கும்.

இந்தப் புறநிலையில் கீழ்க்காடும் நடவடிக்கைகளை முன்னெடுப்பது தொடர்பில் விடுதலைப் புலிகள் விரைந்து செயற்படவேண்டும் என நான் கோருகிறேன்.

01. இரண்டு தரப்பினரும் போர் நிறுத்த ஒப்பந்தத்தினை முழுமையான ஏற்றுக்கொண்டு செயற்படுவதற்கான நடைமுறைச்சாத்தியமான வழிகளைக் கண்டறிவதற்கான போர் நிறுத்த ஒப்பந்தத்தினை நடைமுறைப்படுத்துவது தொடர்பான மீளாய்வுக்கு நோர்வே விடுத்திருக்கும் அழைப்பினை ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல்.

02. பாதுகாப்பினை மேம்படுத்தும் வகையில் கிழக்கு மாகாணத்தில் விடுதலைப் புலிகளுக்கும் சிறிலங்கா இராணுவத்தினருக்கும் இடையிலான நேரடித் தொடர்புகளை ஏற்படுத்துதல்.

03. விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் உறுப்பினர்களின் போக்குவரத்துக்காக போர் நிறுத்தக் கண்காணிப்புக் குழு முன்வைத்திருக்கும் பரிந்துரைகளை காலதாமதம் எதுவுமின்றி ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல்.

04. வடக்குக் கிழக்கில் சிறிலங்கா அரசாங்கம் முன்னெடுத்திற்கும் மீள்கட்டுமான முனைப்புக்களை வேகப்படுத்தும் வகையில் நடைமுறைச்சாத்தியமான அரசியல் வழிவகைகள் ஊடாக ஒத்துழைப்பினை வழங்குதல். இதற்கு பி-ரொம்ஸ் எனப்படும் ஆழிப்பேரலை நிவாரணத்திற்கான உடன்பாடு தொடர்பில் விடுதலைப் புலிகள் தொடர்ந்தும் ஈடுபாட்டுடன் செயற்படுவது அவசியமானது.

05. கொலைகளையும் சிறுவர் ஆட்சேர்ப்பினையும் உடனடியாக நிறுத்தும் வகையில் வினைத்திறன்கொண்ட முனைப்புக்களை மேற்கொள்ளுதல்.

தற்போது நிலவுகின்ற மோசமான நிலைமையின் தன்மையினை நீங்கள் முழுமையாக விளங்கிக்கொண்டிருப்பதோடு அமைதி முயற்சிகள் தொடர்பாக விடுதலைப்புலிகள் அமைப்பு தொடர்ந்தும் முழு ஈடுபாட்டுடன் செயற்பட்டு வருகிறது என்பதை அனைத்துலக சமூகத்திற்குக் காட்டும் வகையிலான உடனடி நடவடிக்கைகளை முன்னெடுப்பீர்கள் என நான் வெகுவாக நம்புகிறேன்.

தங்கள் உண்மையுள்ள,

ஜான் பீற்றசன்

தமிழாக்கம்: தி.வண்ணமதி

http://mullivaikkalm...-post_2996.html

Edited by nunavilan

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<p>

இப்பிடித்தான் முதலில் ஆரம்பிப்பார்கள்..! பிறகு வாழைப்பழத்தில் ஊசிதான்..! போர் முடிவதற்குமுன் புலிகளின் பெயரில் ஒரு புளொக் வந்தது.. அதன் உரிமையாளர் புலிகளை ஆகா, ஓகோ என்று புகழ்ந்தார்.. டிஃபன்ஸ் லங்கா தளத்திலும் வாக்குவாதம் செய்தார்..! பிறகு ஒரு கட்டத்தில் தன் சுயரூபத்தைக் காட்டவேண்டி வந்துவிட்டது..! பார்த்தால் ஆள் சிங்களப் புலனாய்வின் கையாள்..! இப்படிப் பல..!

உங்களைப் போன்றவர்களுக்கு தான் //வாய்மையை வெல்லும்//என்ட கவிதையில் நிழலி விமர்சனம் எழுதியுள்ளார்...டிபிஎஸ் ஒரு பத்திரிகையாளார் அவருக்கு சரி எனப்படுறதை அவர் எழுதுகிறார்.எங்களுக்கு சரி எனப் படுவதை நாங்கள் எடுப்பம்...இவர் சோ.சக்தி,யோ.கர்ணண் மாதிரி எப்பவுமே புலி எதிர்ப்பு பாடவில்லை...எந்தளவிற்கு துரோகிகளாலும்,எதிரிகளாலும் புலிகள் அழிந்தார்களோ அதேயளவிற்கு உங்களைப் போல புலிப் பாட்டு பாடுபவர்களாலும் அழிந்தார்கள்...அந்தப் பெண்ணிணது பேட்டி அவுஸ் தொலைக்காட்சியிலும் வந்தது,ஓரளவுக்கு புகழ் பெற்ற பெண்ணாகவும் ஆகி விட்டார்,எந்த குரூப்பில் யாரோடு பயிற்சி எடுத்தார் என்டு டிபிஎஸ்சும் எழுதி விட்டார்...இனி மேல் அந்த பெண் அரசிற்கு ஆதரவாக எழுத முடியுமா?
  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

ரதி, நான் இந்தப் புத்தகத்தை முழுவதும் வாசித்தேன்!

பல விடை காண முடியாத கேள்விகள் என்னுள் எழுந்தன!

உங்கள் திரியில் வரும் கருத்துக்களை வாசித்துக் கொண்டு போகின்றேன்!

சிலவற்றிற்கு விடை கிடைக்கின்றது போல உள்ளது.

பதிவுக்கு நன்றிகள்!!!

  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

Clouds of Deception: Jeyaraj anoints and cloaks Niromi Tigress

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Writing from a Tamil nationalist position which occasionally earned the LTTE monster’s ire, David Jeyaraj has provided the world with invaluable service over the years. He had considerable information on both the Tiger operations and behind the scene events in the Tamil north. I have utilized his articles on numerous occasions. However, in jumping to the defence of a family friend who has presented a “true story” of her engagement in the Tamil liberation struggle, Jeyaraj has recently provided one with a meandering exercise in obfuscation and deception: see his “From Shenuka to Niromi: True Tale of a Tamil Tigress.”

Jeyaraj dazzles his readership by revealing that he knows her real identity in the course of presenting Tamil Tigress as a tale of Niromi-Shenuka’s disillusionment with the LTTE and her recovery of everyday life till she crafted her book as a “story of redemption” and a “classic immigrant success story.”[ii]

He then challenges those who have read the book as a literary forgery by depicting them as “conspiracy theorists.” Rather daintily he avoids naming these critics, namely, Ambalavanar, Roberts, and Sarvananthan, and proceeds to lump all three together in his review with casual disdain for the differences in argument. He dismisses the various charges as “unsubstantiated” and “unfair.”

Jeyaraj affirms that Niromi’s tale is entirely credible because it is a “memoir,” not an “auto-biography” (his words, his casting). In this assertion Tamil Tigress is a “mixed genre” – a book in “memoir format with the characteristics of a realist novel.”

The affirmation is a gigantic bluff. Any glance at the English Thesaurus[iii]or the Oxford English Dictionary would indicate that an “autobiography” and memoir” are synonyms, though a “memoir” has a wider compass in that it embraces biography. In its autobiographical form it may, however, focus on just one episode or event in one’s life (and thus, like autobiographies, on persons and events around one’s activities). Let me cite the OED (p. 905) in full:

Memoir 1 A historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources; 2 an autobiography or written account of one’s memory of certain events or people. 3aan essay on a learned subject specially studied by the writer treatise. 3b the proceedings or transactions of a learned society.

Jeyaraj’s assertion that Niromi’s blunders are matters “of minor detail” and a sign of some “sloppiness” is built on this foundation, a colossal misreading of the category “memoir.” Thus, in claiming that my previous reviews do not amount to a credible challenge,[iv] Jeyaraj builds his critique on a conceptualization that is not merely erroneous, but also amounts to an act of deception (one that, significantly, seems to have taken the Tamil world by storm).

Besides, he sidesteps the critical bone of contention, a contextual statement of major significance in Tamil Tigress, which had aroused my doubts in the first instance and which has directed all my articles on the subject: namely, the claim by both Niromi and Allen & Unwin that the ambush which Niromi’s platoon faced in December 1987 was a skirmish involving “government troops,” that is, soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army rather than soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).

Let me provide a basic timeline for Niromi de Soyza’s pertinent biography:

1. In mid-1987 she joined the LTTE (aged 17)

2. The IPKF was in Jaffna from 29 July1987 to 1990.

3. Early October 1987 LTTE commences battle vs IPKF and India.

4. Niromi resigns from the LTTE in 1988 (aged 18)

5. She arrives in Australia in 1990.

6. She presented her first version of her memoir in newspaper outlet in May 2009.

7. She collaborates with Allen & Unwin to present a book-length autobiography in 2011 (aged 42).

All accounts of Eelam War One agree that during the phase October 1987 to late 1989 the LTTE was pitted against the enormous contingents, sometimes amounting to over 100,000 personnel, of the IPKF. This error of central background fact, no “minor error” in any credible reading, informed my two overlapping articles:

A] “Another Demidenko? Niromi de Soyza as a Tiger Fighter” in my own web sitehttp://thuppahi.wordpress.com on 21 August 2011;

B] “Forbidden Fruits: Niromi de Soyza’s Tamil Tigress,Noumi Kouri and Helen Demidenko?” which appeared initially in Groundviews on 31 August 2011.

The question marks in the titles indicate that my arguments were not full-proof in my own mind and that I was raising a probability for people to consider.

Subsequently, however, I discovered that Niromi de Soyza had presented her biographical journey in the 1980s as a short story of some nine pages in the Daily Telegraph in May 2009 as the LTTE army was on the verge of defeat. This tale was entitled: “Life as a female Tamil Tiger guerilla relived by one of first female soldiers.”[v]

This tale too is launched in melodramatic fashion by an account of de Soyza’s first battlefield skirmish: “At dawn that day, Indian soldiers had surrounded our hideout” she says in 2009(emphasis mine). Later in this same account she notes that “fighting the Indian soldiers made no sense to me.” This realisation is presented as one factor inducing the decision to extricate herself from the commitment to fight for Tamil independence under the LTTE.

So, when she spelt out her biography in 2009 Niromi knew who her adversaries were in December 1987. In contrast, in the opening account in Tamil Tigress in 2011, the enemy are just “soldiers;” while the back cover explicitly proclaims that “two days before Christmas 1987, at the age of 17, Niromi de Soyza found herself in an ambush as part of a small platoon of militant Tamil Tigers fighting government forces in a bloody civil war that was to engulf Sri Lanka for decades (emphasis mine).” Again, when she was interviewed by Nikki Barrowclugh for the Good Weekend in July 2011, Niromi indicated once again that her unit spent “most of the time … running and hiding from government soldiers.”[vi]

In brief, the Indian presence has been obliterated in the critical opening lines and cover page in her book version of 2011 and interviews around it — even though their presence is noted on occasions at other points deeper in the book (pp. 162, 164, 168, 227, 264). We face a stark contrast which no amount of obfuscation can smother.

We thus have strong circumstantial proof of deception in 2011 as distinct from 2009. This leads to my suggestion that the fabrications in 2011 were directed by (a) the propaganda war that was peaking in late 2010/early 2011 and (b) the Western world’s sustained criticism of the Sri Lankan state in 2011 within a backdrop created by the disclosures in Killing Fields and an UN panel report by so-called “experts.” Whether this deliberate shift in background emphasis was informed by the advice of the Tamil Tiger lobby in Sydney and the several Australians who are affiliated in various ways with them (Gordon Weiss[vii] Jake Lynch, Antony Lowenstein, Bruce Haigh, James Dowdin the Sydney-Canberra circuit for instance) is a further possibility that one has to keep in mind – for Allen & Unwin would have deployed reviewers and this process could have informed the adjustments that I have identified.

This new information and its implications were incorporated in my third article, entitled “Niromi de Soysa’s Path of Redemption with Deception? Or Both?” which I sent to several news outlets in Lanka and eventually inserted in my web site on 27 October 2011. Since the Lankan agencies did not print it, few readers have consulted this article; so this present essay is a re-iteration of its claims in the new context created by the articles on Tamil Tigress penned by Cooke and Jeyaraj.

I do not have problems with some of the motifs in Tamil Tigress that are praised by Cooke (2011) and Jeyaraj. It is the degree to which it is a true historical account in its central details that is at issue here. The critical issue remains the question who, in Niromi’s mind, the Tigers were fighting? The remarkable fact is that while the first skirmish of December 1987 was an encounter with Indian troops in her 2009 recollection, in both 2009 and 2011 she keeps insisting that the LTTE was fighting both Indian and government troops at ground level. “The war resumed, just as Prabhakaran had predicted, though now we were fighting not only the government troops but the peacekeepers, too” she says in the Daily Telegraph account in 2009. This is a consistent aspect of her stories at both points, an aspect reiterated during interviews for radio and magazine.

Niromi de Soyza seems to have the theatrical ability to support her claims with vales of tears during some of her public presentations. At the “Missing Peace Exhibition” on 16th October 2011 organised by the Eltham Bookshop in Melbourne, her talk was interrupted by emotional tears of grief. I was not present, but Jeremy Liyanage, previously amenable to her moderate position, was quite disconcerted because he interpreted it as an act. I may not have accepted his reading; but when I made inquiries from my Scottish wife she reminded me of a Sri Lankan friend in the old days who could turn on the tears at will to persuade recalcitrant bureaucrats at the customs office.

So, we face a major puzzle. Virtually every Tamil resident in the northern and eastern reaches of the island would have known that the LTTE faced Indian troops in the period 1987 to 1989. The LTTE successfully resisted the might of over 100,000 Indian troops for over two years in a sturdy guerrilla campaign. Indian accounts leave one in no doubt that this resistance was based on popular support and a remarkable grassroots intelligence system which enabled the LTTE to track troop movements out of their camps and even heli-gunships on sorties.[viii]Note too that the camouflage uniforms of the IPKF and the turbans worn by the Sikh regiments who were part of the IPKF were distinct from those of the SL Army outfits. In such circumstances how could a Tiger fighter be unaware that those shooting at her platoon did not include SL army soldiers?

It is this huge error that led me to question the authenticity of Niromi’s alleged battlefield experience and her opening gambit of “Ambush.” In a scathing comment in GV, Vijayaraghavan Sakthivel, writing as a Tamil nationalist, has endorsed my reasoning in his own vocabulary by marking the red-hot political context of 2011 and sensationalist commercial imperatives as the stimulus for the twist inserted into the “major political detail” surrounding the late 1980s battlefield context. We can conjecture, therefore, that this fabrication was the work of author, advisors and/or publisher acting in concert.

Niromi de Soyza’s other accounts of warfare compound one’s astonishment. In 2009 she tells us that “during battles we had been trained to fire in the general direction of the enemy, not at individual targets, and I am not sure whether any of my bullets hit anyone.”[ix]Again, in 2011 she told Barrowclough that during her skirmishes as a guerrilla she may have shot at someone running, but “didn’t ever see a face… I would have frozen if I’d seen a face.”[x]It is no wonder that after he met her, the journalist Windsor concluded that the LTTE was an amateurish outfit. A few months later, in October 2011, she led Mark Furier to quote the Allen & Unwin book-blurb identifying “government soldiers” as the adversaries responsible for the “ambush” in the course of his interview-article for Serendib News (page 23).

Nowhere do Jeyaraj and Cooke address this shortcoming. Jeyaraj deploys his longwinded virtuosity to trail several red herrings and a range of smokescreens around this issue. Reports elsewhere indicate that he has shut out Ratnawalli’s direct questioning of his essay.[xi] In a personal communication Ambalavanar now informs me that his review article, published initially in Thesamnet.co.uk, was sent to Tamilweek (one of Jeyaraj’s websites), but rejected; while all Ambalavanar’s efforts to contact Jeyaraj were spurned. That, of course, is an editor’s prerogative; but it does suggest that Jeyaraj will not face up to such challenges in an open manner. Indeed, I now wonder if Jeyaraj has actually read the whole book (no page references are provided anywhere) and has been induced to spin his article after working the phone (this has always been his forte) and viewing Niromi’s interviews etc.

Jeyaraj also plays word-games with Niromi, Shenuka and Sharmila as part of his box of magic tricks. Can we not conclude that his essay is as much an act of deception as the Tamil Tigressbook? We have now seen Jeyaraj the Illusionist.

Lapping it up

His magic worked. The overwhelming majority of cybernet comments within his own website, and several within GV, have bought his performance hook, line and sinker – though there were some notable exceptions (e. g. “PK,” “sambar” and “Offthecuff”). This line of reaction has now continued in juvenile manner in the new discussion around my Groundviews article. This type of outcome is itself cause for comment.

On both a priori grounds and the names/nom de plumes adopted by the bloggers we can conclude that most of the comments have been presented by Sri Lankan Tamils in various corners of the world,[xii] though there may be the odd Sinhalese among those inserting approval of the claims of Jeyaraj (and Cooke). Thus, we can move to the conclusion that the anguish these Tamils have suffered over the last forty years and the heightened emotions arising from the defeat of the LTTE in 2009 directed their reading of the Jeyaraj article. From cyber-world commentary at that time in 2009 and images of demonstrations in the West it seemed to me then that even Tamils who had reservations about the LTTE programme were agitated by the humiliating defeat of a renowned Tamil leader. The subsequent propaganda campaign on war crimes has probably stoked their nationalist sentiments yet further. In brief, then, “Tamilness” is the condition of being[xiii] that has sponsored such a favourable reading of the Jeyaraj article.

This could be a charitable reading of the widespread favour and fervour generated by Jeyaraj’s acts of obfuscation. Others might suggest that all those who lapped it up have displayed a lack of intelligence and discernment. Indeed, some of the comments seem incredibly juvenile and determined to kick that man Roberts, not the ‘football’ of data and argument. Since I am embedded in the debate it would be best if a person who is not Sri Lankan, that is, someone clinically dispassionate, dissects the commentary and tells us whether this reading of the comments is valid.

http://groundviews.org/2011/12/28/clouds-of-deception-jeyaraj-anoints-and-cloaks-niromi-tigress/

  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

<p>உங்களைப் போன்றவர்களுக்கு தான் //வாய்மையை வெல்லும்//என்ட கவிதையில் நிழலி விமர்சனம் எழுதியுள்ளார்...டிபிஎஸ் ஒரு பத்திரிகையாளார் அவருக்கு சரி எனப்படுறதை அவர் எழுதுகிறார்.எங்களுக்கு சரி எனப் படுவதை நாங்கள் எடுப்பம்...இவர் சோ.சக்தி,யோ.கர்ணண் மாதிரி எப்பவுமே புலி எதிர்ப்பு பாடவில்லை...எந்தளவிற்கு துரோகிகளாலும்,எதிரிகளாலும் புலிகள் அழிந்தார்களோ அதேயளவிற்கு உங்களைப் போல புலிப் பாட்டு பாடுபவர்களாலும் அழிந்தார்கள்...அந்தப் பெண்ணிணது பேட்டி அவுஸ் தொலைக்காட்சியிலும் வந்தது,ஓரளவுக்கு புகழ் பெற்ற பெண்ணாகவும் ஆகி விட்டார்,எந்த குரூப்பில் யாரோடு பயிற்சி எடுத்தார் என்டு டிபிஎஸ்சும் எழுதி விட்டார்...இனி மேல் அந்த பெண் அரசிற்கு ஆதரவாக எழுத முடியுமா?

சந்தர்ப்பம் இருக்கிறது என்பதையே குறிப்பிட்டேன்..! :rolleyes:

இந்தப் பெண் புலிகள் அமைப்பில் இருந்திருக்கலாம்..! நான் மறுக்கவில்லை..! ஆனால் புலிகளில் அரச உளவாளிகள் இருந்தார்கள் என்பதையும் எவரும் மறுக்கப் போவதில்லை..! :unsure:

இவர் நல்ல புலியாகவும் இருந்திருக்கலாம், யார் கண்டார்?? ஆனால் நான் இப்போதைக்கு நம்பமாட்டேன்..! :rolleyes:

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