Heroic Historical Memories of Purani
Special Commander of the Naval Team of LTTE
Poorani
Death: 18.05.2009
I believe that every member who was a part of the LTTE’s Naval Team will have some memories of Poorani, who was the Special Commander of the Women’s Regiment of the Naval Team.
The LTTE’s Naval Team is a large military structure with many attack teams and many administrative teams. Here, both male and female, jointly carried out field work and administrative work in all the teams. In this way, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Poorani, beyond the positions of responsibility she held, established herself as a good sister to every fighter.
Poorani had the ability to manage both genders as the political responsibility of the Naval Team, which she managed for about four years from April 2003 to April 2007. Women have served as boat commanders and block commanders in the Naval Team´s warships. Especially in administrative activities in a political structure that includes both men and women, it is not an ordinary thing to manage. Poorani did it well.
In early 1992, the Women’s Brigade of the Naval Team was formed, and new fighters were recruited. The first basic training camp for the Women’s Brigade of the Naval Team was started. Poorani also joined the struggle and received all the training required for a fighter in that camp with distinction. Poorani left that camp as a great and distinguished fighter.
In those days, the Land Attack Battalions of the Naval Team were also active and had seen many battlefields. Poorani, who was recruited into the Sukanya Brigade, the Women’s Land Attack Battalion of the Naval Team, had played her part in the notable attacks and field operations that the battalion had participated in Yarlpanam and later in the Vanni region.
Due to her brave field operations and leadership, she eventually took charge of the Sukanya Brigade.
When the LTTE launched a series of land reclamation operations named “Oyaatha Alaigal-3”, the role of the Naval Team´s ground assault units, the Sooti Brigade and the Sukanya Brigade, was immense in the operation to recover several villages in the eastern Vadamaradchi area. They established a ground supply route for the landing teams by destroying the military base located at Thalaiyadi during the historic Kudarappu landing. The heroic role and dedicated work of Poorani, codenamed Pappa One (P1), were essential during these operations.
In late 2001, when the Major Kalanithi Basic Training Camp for newly recruited female fighters of the Naval Team was established in the Mullaithivu-Silawath area, Poorani was appointed as the in-charge of the training camp. Many female fighters who were trained under Poorani´s guidance at that training camp, were inducted as fighters and left that camp, and played a leading role in the fighting and administrative activities of the women’s wing of the Naval Team in the following periods.
One day during these times, Poorani was riding a motorcycle when she was involved in an accident with a minibus belonging to an ordinary citizen who was traveling on the same road. Her leg was also seriously injured. Later, despite intensive medical treatment and the insertion of metal plates into the affected leg and the fixation of the broken bones, Poorani´s affected leg was still a bit lame. As a result, Poorani used a plaster cast made of some bandages and glued to the leg. In later days, when talking to us during peacetime, Poorani had worried about this incident on many occasions. “I have directly participated in many fights. Even then, I did not get even a small scratch. An accident paralyzed me. But if a fight starts, I will go there and stand at the fighting spot.”
Once, while talking to her about the accident that happened to her, I asked, “Didn’t you take any action against that minibus driver?” Poorani replied, “No such action should be taken. It is a sin for the people. We are fighting for the people. That accident happened by some mistake. Can an innocent citizen be punished for that? How is that fair? The above incident is a good example of how deep affection Poorani had for the people.
During the 2002 ceasefire and peace agreement, Lt. Col. Silambarasan (Ranjan) was in charge of the political department of the LTTE Naval Team for a few months.
Ssince his work was essential to international maritime operations, Lt. Col. Silambarasan was sent to international maritime operations by Soosai in October 2002. In this situation, from October 2002 to March 2003, when eleven fighters including Lt. Col. Silambarasan were killed in international waters, no one was appointed to the political department of the LTTE Naval Team for about six months.
The heads of the respective areas and districts under the control of the Naval Team were managing them, while Lt. Col. Mangales, who was the then commander of the Naval Team, coordinated everything and supervised it.
In April 2003, Special Commander Soosai appointed Poorani as the head of the political department of the Naval Teas. At that time, I was carrying out political work in the North Marathi East region. People were resettling in all the villages of the North Marathi East region that had been liberated from the occupation by government forces. At that time, ten village officer posts from Chundikulam to Kudarappu were under our control.
Only three of us fighters, including the head of the North Marathi East region who was appointed to manage these, were carrying out political work there. The resettled people had to approach the Political Secretariat for most matters.
Conducting public meetings for those people and meeting representatives of non-governmental organizations who come for development work, meeting the Divisional Secretary to address the needs of the people. We, as the regional political department, had to manage many tasks such as conducting public meetings in every village in collaboration with government officials.
In those days, no women were appointed for political work in North Marathi East to handle women’s associations and women’s issues. Since I was carrying out the primary work of public meetings, I faced difficulties from time to time in handling women’s issues. Therefore, when Poorani took charge as the political department in-charge of the Naval Team, the first request I made to her was that she should appoint two women fighters to political work to carry out women’s political work in North Marathi East. Poorani, who came and observed our workload in person, promised to appoint two female fighters for political work soon. Within a few weeks she had brought two female fighters and introduced them to me and appointed them for political work. Since the area that suffered the most from the war was the Vadamaradchi East region, Poorani and Mangales had focused their attention on the Vadamaradchi East region, and subsequently it became easier for us to carry out political work to some extent.
During the period of 2004, when I was in charge of the political department of the Naval Team´s Alampil-Semmalai region, I received generous guidance and advice from Poorani. On those days, if I give advance notice to Poorani for our organization’s National Memorial Day events and discussions with the public, it is customary for Poorani to attend those events and highlight them.
In late 2005, Poorani was appointed as the Special Commander of the Women’s Unit of the Maval Team by Brigadier Soosai, the Special Commander of the Naval Team. From late 2005 to April 2007, she held two main responsibilities at the same time, taking charge of the political department and the women’s unit. Poorani had very neatly organized all the structures of the Women’s Unit of the Naval Team.
In early 2006, the National Leader of Tamileelam selected eleven junior commanders who had performed efficiently in the Naval Team and personally called them and presented them with handguns (Pistol). This included nine males and two females. And nne of the two females was Poorani.
In mid-2007, the fighters had completed their training at the Lt. Col. Puyalini Training Camp, the basic training camp for new fighters. During that period, the fourth phase of the Eelam War was in full swing across the homeland. The army frequently made attempts to advance from Manalaru and were stopped by the LTTE. Parts of the Manalaru front were divided among several brigades. All these activities were coordinated by the Manalaru Commander. The Naval Team were also given a part of the Manalaru front.
This included both males and females. A team consisting of women who had completed their training at the Puyalini Basic Training Camp had gone there with some males and set up forward positions in the area given to the Naval Team and were engaged in field operations. Since most of the team were new fighters, Special Commander Soosai and Poorani had instructed Poorani to stand there and supervise and guide them from the position of Special Commander.
As for Poorani, there is no doubt that she is the best in guiding the new fighters as a mother, sister, responsible person, commander, and everything else.
Although the Manalaru Kalamunai was gradually retreating, they had fought fierce battles with the enemy forces from time to time. In such a way, the achievements of Poorani are concentrated in all the victorious battles where they fought a massive siege with the Sinhalese forces in Alampil, Udupukkulam, Silawattha, Mullaithivu, Vattuvagal, killed hundreds of soldiers and took possession of many military equipment.
In the early morning of 17-05-2009, the battle for the final hours of the armed struggle for the liberation of Tamileelam was going on fiercely in Mullivaikkal. Shells were falling and exploding on all sides. As the shells fell and exploded, the parked vehicles and tarpaulin tents were burning in flames.
Lifeless human bodies were lying everywhere. At that moment, the voice of Amuthini, a member of the Naval Team who was standing with us, screamed at the spot where we were standing. On the opposite end of the voice, Poorani spoke a few words to Amuthini in her usual majestic and unwavering voice. That was the last time I heard Poorani´s voice. Poorani´s majestic voice still rings in my ears.
Remembrance Sharing:
Kotravan.
Our salute to the brave souls who sacrificed their lives on this day for freedom and protected the land and people.
“The thirst of the Tigers is thirst of Tamileelam”
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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