Today is the Memorial Day of Colonel Charles. On 05.01.2008

Today is the Memorial Day of Colonel Charles. On 05.01.2008

Today is the Memorial Day of Colonel Charles. On 05.01.2008, the news that came to Tamileelam in distress and shattered everyone’s hearts. “Colonel Charles has become maveeran!” What happened?

That was an incredible message to fill the heart with. Charles took charge of the Intelligence Division in April 2005. He built the division offensively, intelligence-wise and administratively. He made his long-term intelligence experiences clear to each fighter and developed them into better fighters. He created all the structures within an intelligence unit and personally directed and regulated all the work.

He turned all his experiences into incidents and made it easy for everyone to understand and made the duties easy. In a very short period, under the guidance of our national leader, Charles organized the Military Intelligence Unit in a very smart manner. On 01.01.2008, he united all the fighters working under his leadership and said, “I declare this year as the year of operation of our unit. During this intervening period, I have trained you properly in every way. From this year we must intensify the activities. Our leader expects a lot from us. We should all work together to do what our leader expects from us.” He clarified the tasks that everyone should do.

He distributed the work plans to all the team leaders. Charles had visited Mannar on 04.1.2008 to intensify the planned operation. After streamlining some of the secret work to be done from there. After talking to all the fighters standing with Col. Mangalesh, Charles stayed with them that night and saw and organized the work they had to do. On 05.1.2008 in the early morning of 05.1.2008 he was leaving for the camp with three other fighters for another mission. Here they were attacked by a claymore attack conducted by the Sri Lanka Army´s Brigade in Iluppagadavai Area in Mannar district. Colonel Charles, Lt. Veeramaran, Lt. Kavalan, Lt. Sukanthan became maveerar.

There are many people who do not know about Charles, who was the backbone of the intelligence department and the root of many successes. There can be no one who does not know about the accomplished hero. Charles is a wonderful general who made the Sinhalese racists laugh, amazed the world, and achieved great achievements, which has a special place in our national leader’s mind. Those who knew Charles´ achievements, valor and sacrifice would certainly not see him as an ordinary hero.

Each of his actions was amazingly brilliant. He is very strict during duty hours and at other times even with newly joined fighters. He shakes hands with the shoulder and interacts like a colleague. He understands everyone’s feelings and keeps them motivated and excited. Once as Charles was talking to his one-time teammates about his duty to train alone with the fighters during training, a female fighter was arguing against him. Then, thinking that she was arguing with Charles, she opened her heart and apologized. Charles interrupted her, “It is impossible to say to the face what is right in the mind. I appreciate your bravery. “I like the fighters who talk directly with us instead of talking about the issues among yourselves,” he said. I have been amazed how Charles, who talks very strictly during duty hours, can treat a common soldier with such kindness. This incident itself shows us his generosity.

Charles joined the struggle at a young age and worked for a long time in the intelligence department. He lived to be a great achiever who led major intelligence operations and black hole raids. He headed many unspeakable and till now unsaid attacks. Charles himself led and organized the “Kattunayakka” victory attack that stunned the Sri Lankan government and made the world look at it. And as a long-time undercover detective with multiple accomplishments, each of his activities was highly classified. The main qualification an intelligent fighter should have is, nobody should know till the end who he/she is. Colonel Charles is one of the many accomplished fighters from the intelligence department who have acquired that qualification.

Because within two hours of Charles´ funeral day, the news was published in the Sinhala media. It said about all the offensive moves of Charles but posted by a photo with someone else and not Charles. This incident alone highlights the fact that Charles is an excellent offensive investigator. He had the fortitude to perform any duty at any time and under any circumstances. Once a fighter who had planned and prepared to launch an attack on the target hesitated at the last minute, Charles drove the vehicle loaded with ammunition to carry out the attack himself. Another fighter stood by him and said: “You shouldn’t go to this target, you have to lead a lot of the attack,” and drove the vehicle loaded with ammunition to carry out the attack himself.

There were many times when Charles lived among the people in South Sri Lanka. Charles was the great hero who created intelligence and Karumpulikal fighters and overcome many troubles that came to our country. Charles, who loved the Karumpulikal Brigade dearly, named his three children after the martyred Karumpulikal and brought up his children with their memories. As much as he loved the Tamil land, people, the national leader and fighters, he was very fond of his family relations. He is very fond of his mother and father. He wanted his family to contribute to the struggle like him. He invited his brother who was living abroad to Tamileelam and joined him in the freedom struggle. And he did work with his sister who was living abroad, with stuff that could be done from there.

Colonel Charles chose a virtuous fighter as his life partner. He wanted his wife to work full-time for the cause. Like his thoughts, his wife was also a devoted fighter. He wanted everyone around him to work tirelessly against oppression. Sri Lankan Army made that tireless hero a victim of its treachery. Unable to bear the loss of an accomplished hero who had sacrificed himself for the country, the fighters were sad and panicked. Charles was the great hope of the Tamileelam national leader and was a great strength for Pottu Amman. Pottu Amman told everyone about Charles´ great achievement during the last event for Colonel Charles.

Many of the great tasks that appeared in the mind of that hero who tried to achieve were left unknown to anyone. Unable to tell the achievements he created and the achievements he intended to create, many souls are still crying mutely. The memory of that hero is not lost. Even though his memories will live for a thousand years. His history will live on. Today we are remembering Lt. Veeramaran, Lt. Kavalan, Lt. Sukanthan, who died a heroic death with Colonel Charles.