This book offers an accurate and easy to follow explanation of how the Tamil Tigers, who are officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was defeated. Who were the major players in this conflict? What were the critical strategic decisions that worked? What were the strategic mistakes and their consequences? What actually happened on the battlefield? How did Sri Lanka become the only nation in modern history to completely defeat a terrorist organization? The mind-blowing events of the Sri Lankan civil war are documented in this book to show the truth of how the LTTE terrorist organization was defeated. The defeat of a terrorist organization on the battlefield was so unprecedented that it has rewritten the narrative in the fight against terrorism.
THIS NOTE is from http://www.lulu.com/au/en/shop/damian-tangram/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-tamil-tigers/paperback/product-23830132.html
This snap shows Pirapaharan on an Indian plane being transported to Jaffna Peninsula after the IPKF had invaded and secured control therein. In conjecture I suggest that he was not at ease with the manner in which Rajiv Gandhi had treated him at their meets in Delhi (at the Ashok Hotel) and not resigned to the IPKF domination of his very own ‘Tamil space.’
But another issue for any history is this: WHEN PRECISELY did Indian central government support for the various militant groups begin? pre July 1983?…or after that?
That long history is not terrain that I have covered. It will be interesting to see if Tangram has absorbed the work of Narayan Swamy, Tekwani, Gerald Peiris and others in that time-span. I would also seek toascertain if he has read my work on the “sacrificial devotion” of the Tigers –a facet contributing to their initial and long-term successes.
It took me several years to get to reasonable grips with the factors that enabled the SL forces to defeat the LTTE once I began addressing the issues in my questioning of Rohan Gunaratna from late 2011. YES….. several years …. and I am still learning. So, the question is this: is Tangram a cowboy on a quick (and shallow) raid?
….. with small wars among little nations in TODAY’S WORLD, however, one cannot say ” to the victors the spoils”
AS CROSS-CHECK deploy these references and the leads therein
Roberts, Michael 2013 “BBC-Blind: Misreading the Tamil Tiger Strategy of International Blackmail, 2008-13,” 8 December 2013, https://thuppahis.com/2013/12/08/bbc-blind-misreading-the-tamil-tiger-strategy-of-international-blackmail-2008-13/#more-11221
Roberts, Michael 2014 “Generating Calamity, 2008-2014: An Overview of Tamil Nationalist Operations and Their Marvels,” 10 April 2014, http://groundviews.org/2014/04/10/generating-calamity-2008-2014-an-overview-of-tamil-nationalist-operations-and-their-marvels/
Roberts, Michael 2013 “Congestion in the “Vanni Pocket” January-May 2009: Appendix IV for “BBC Blind,” https://thuppahis.com/2013/12/09/congestion-in-the-vanni-pocket-january-may-2009- appendix-iv-for-bbc-blind/
Roberts, Michael 2013 “Witnesses to “War Without Witnesses” … Voiceless? Buried Foreign Reporters?” 30 December 2013, https://thuppahis.com/2013/12/30/11504/
Roberts, Michael 2014 “Ball-by-Ball through Wikileaks: US Embassy Despatches from Colombo, 2009: ONE,” 27 August 2014, https://thuppahis.com/2014/08/27/ball-by-ball-through-wikileaks-us-embassy-despatches-from-colombo-2009-one/
Roberts, Michael 2014 “Saving Talaivar Pirapāharan,” 6 April 2016, ………… https://thuppahis.com/2016/04/06/saving-talaivar-pirapaharan/
Roberts, Michael 2014 Tamil Person and State. Essays, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.
Roberts, Michael 2014 Tamil Person and State. Pictorial, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.
Roberts, Michael 2014 “Reading “devastation’: Botham, CMJ and Ban Ki-Moon,” in Tamil Person and State. Essays, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, pp. 259-73.
Roberts, Michael 2014 “Winning the War: Evaluating the Impact of API WENUWEN API,” 1 September 2014, https://thuppahis.com/2014/09/01/winning-the-war-evaluating-the-impact-of-api-wenuwen-ap/
Roberts, Michael 2015 “Targeting Sri Lanka by playing ball with Tamil Extremism,” 24 July 2015, https://thuppahis.com/wpadmin/post.php?post=17127&action=edit&postpost=v2
Roberts, Michael 2015 “Ambassador Blake in Never-Never-Land: Misreading LTTE Capacity in Early 2009,” 26 August 2015, https://thuppahis.com/2015/08/26/ambassador-blake-in-never-never-land-misreading-ltte-capacity-in-early-2009/
Roberts, Michael 2015 “American Action and Inaction on Sri Lanka, 2008/09: A Critical Evaluation,” 15 September 2015, https://thuppahis.com/2015/09/15/american-action-and-inaction-on-sri-lanka-200809-a-critical-evaluation/#more-17725
Roberts, Michael 2016 “David Miliband’s Imperious Intervention in Lanka left in Tatters,” 5 July 2016, https://thuppahis.com/2016/07/05/david-milibands-imperious-intervention-in-lanka-left-in-tatters/
Roberts, Michael 2016 “Gotabaya Rajapaksa Clarifies, III: American Volte Face in 2008,” 10 March 2016, https://thuppahis.com/2016/03/10/gotabaya-rajapaksa-clarifies-iii-american-volte-face-in-2008/
Roberts, Michael 2015 “A Drama in Four Acts: Dishonest Reportage by Amnesty International and Aussie Journalists remains Unmasked,” 2 September 2015, https://wordpress.com/post/thuppahi.wordpress.com/17560
Roberts, Michael 2017 “Revisiting Critical Issues in Eelam War IV: Summarizing Citizen Silva’s The NUMBERS GAME,” 10 November 2017, ……………………… https://thuppahis.com/2017/11/10/revisiting-critical-issues-in-eelam-war-iv-summarizing-citizen-silvas-the-numbers-game/
Roberts, Michael 2018 “The Gash Files III: Trapped Tamils out by Sea,” 20 April 2018,https://thuppahis.com/2018/04/09/the-gash-files-iii-trapped-tamils-out-by-sea-in-2009/
Roberts, Michael 2018 “Reflections: Interpreting the Gash Files IV,” 29 April 2018, https://thuppahis.com/2018/04/29/reflections-interpreting-the-gash-files-iv/#more-30031
Roberts, Michael 2018 “Where USA sought to arm-wrestle Sri Lanka in March-April-May 2009,” 11 May 2018, https://thuppahis.com/2018/05/11/where-usa-sought-to-arm-wrestle-sri-lanka-in-march-april-may-2009/
Times 2011 TIMES Aerial Images, NFZ Last Redoubt, 23 May 2009,” http://www.flickr.com/ photos/thuppahi/sets/72157626922360092/
I do appreciate this post.
Also re: ‘I would also seek to ascertain if he has read my work on the “sacrificial devotion” of the Tigers –a facet contributing to their initial and long-term successes.’
I would be happy to read your work. Please provide a link.
WELL! there is quite a range of articles in journals The simplest course may be to visit SOCIAL ANALYSIS Volume 58, Issue 1, Spring 2014, 88–106 © Berghahn Journals
for “Encompassing Empowerment in Ritual, War, and Assassination
Tantric Principles in Tamil Tiger Instrumentalities” …. BUT i also suggest (A) googling “Thuppahi” + “Suicide cults” and/or “sacrificial devotion” and/or “Tamil Tigers” …. AND VISITING THE OLD DORMANT WEB SITE sacrificialdevotionnetwork.wordpress.com
WHICH EMERGED FROMA CONFERENCE ON THE TOPIC IN ADELAIDE CIRCA 2007(?)
Much appreciated,
I will check them out.
Regards
Damian Tangram
Wonderful. A review written without having read the book.
IF you targeting me as EDITOR of Thuppahi, then do read this item again. Carefully. IT is not a review. It is in fact calling attention to the book and suggesting dimensions pertinent to the Tamil Tiger history. TANGRAM writing from “My apologetics” is not as blind o carping as you are.