TIGERS AT THE GATE from ABC: Mark Corcoran reads Prabhakaran in Mid-1999

After seeing the ABC production in the FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT SERIES entitled “Tigers at the Gate” in mid-1999 I had the temerity to criticize the ABC and its producer Mark Corcoran. I should have attended to the blurb which presented this documentary on the ABC web site. This note ran: “The truth is a political solution is as impossible as a military breakthrough because for the (Tamil) Tigers its all or nothing– a homeland or glorious death.” (signed Mark Corcoran).

This was profound insight. Corcoran had hit the nail on the head. One month later Neelan Tiruchlevam was assassinated because his active cooperation with President Chandrika Kumaratunga was  a major threat to the Talaivar Pirapahran’s single-minded determination. That kill paved the way towards transforming the TULF leadership into the pliant TNA …. and precluded the Tamil political  rallies known as Pongu Thamil in 2002 which had some resemblances to the Nazi rallies of yesteryear.

Copyright laws and the capitalist philosophy grounding them prevent me from presenting this video in public. It does not seem readily accessible via the ABC either. What a pity.

ALSO SEE

BBC 1991 “Suicide Killers,” Documentary series.

Michael Roberts  2016 “Where Ratwatte and CBK Stood Strong: Coping with the Elephant Pass Debacle in April-May 2000,” 24 July 2016 https://thuppahis.com/2016/07/24/where-ratwatte-and-cbk-stood-strong-coping-with-the-elephant-pass-debacle-in-april-may-2000/

Michael Roberts: “Revisiting Jaffna and the LTTE in mid-1999 guided by Mark Corcoran and the ABC,“ 7 August 2017, https://thuppahis.com/2017/08/07/revisiting-jaffna-and-the-ltte-in-mid-1999-guided-by-mark-corcoran-and-the-abc/

 Michael Roberts 1996 “Filial Devotion and the Tiger Cult of Suicide,” Contributions to Indian Sociology 30: 245-72.

Michael Roberts 2005 “Saivite Symbolism, Sacrifice and Tamil Tiger Rites.” Social Analysis 49: 67-93.

Michael Roberts 2006 Pragmatic Action and Enchanted Worlds: A Black Tiger Rite of Commemoration. Social Analysis, 73-10

 Michael Roberts 2010 “Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu’s Metamorphosis in Death?” South Asian History and Culture, 1(1), 25-41

Michael Roberts 2010 “Hitler, Nationalism, Sacrifice: Koenigsberg and Beyond … Towards the Tamil Tigers,” in http://thuppahis.com/2010/03/19/hitler-nationalism-sacrifice-koenigsberg-and-beyond-%e2%80%a6-towards-the-tamil-tigers/.

A Tamil Friend: “Ganeshan Iyer’s Book on LTTE launched in Toronto: Pics “ 1 March 2012, https://thuppahis.com/2012/03/01/ganeshan-iyers-book-on-ltte-launched-in-toronto-pics/

Iqbal Athas: “Rise of LTTE and Fall of Elephant Pass,” 3 April 2000, http://www.sundaytimes.lk/000430/sitrep.html

Narayan Swamy, M. R.2003 Inside an Elusive Mind. Prabhakaran, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications

Narendran, Rajasingham, 2009 “Rise and Fall of the LTTE — An Overview,” Sri Lanka Guardian, 7 Feb. 2009

Ragavan 2009 “Interview with Ragavan on Tamil Militancy (Early Years),” http://kafila.org /2009/02/16/interview-with-ragavan-on-tamil-militancy-part-i/

Schalk, Peter 2003 “Beyond Hindu Festivals: The Celebration of Great Heroes’ Day by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Europe.” in Martin Baumann et al. (eds.) Tempel und Tamilien in Zweiter Heimat. Wurzburg: Ergon Verlag, pp. 391-411.