I may die, but we shall not die – Lt. Col. Guna.
Lt. Col. Guna I may die, but we shall not die – Lt. Col. Guna. 11.11.1993
Even if we die, we will not forget, we will not miss the goal! We look back – our long journey towards the peak of freedom. That long road spreads before our eyes. Rise, fall, rise again!
How many hardships, how many challenges, how many pressures, how many pitfalls. We have overcome everything. Risen, fell, rise again!
We look back – to the gates of those who gave blood, mounds of ashes, and courage to our people. To the Tamils who once again gave us tears, sobs, and the knowledge of what it means to suffer.
We look back – to those who went in search of us and beat and chased away the Tamils who stood with their hands raised, who came in search of us and came in with their hands raised to the Tamils.
We look back – to a hero who gave us the history of the fallen Tamils and stood up and gave us a new history.
We look back – the priceless value that our nation has paid for the birth of this new era. The blood that we lost for the construction of the nation. Those who gave up the attachments of ordinary coexistence. Those who gave up the ideals of individual self-existence. Those who forgot the dreams of a sweet youthful life. Those who gave all their knowledge, energy, and talents to the motherland. Those who lived in death for the liberation of the people.
Our dear friends who worked tirelessly and closed their eyes for every great victory we achieved on the battlefields and beyond. Those who carried in their souls only the desire for Tamileelam. The independence of the Tamil nation. The autonomy of the Tamil people.
They lived for it. They fought for it. They fell. The biggest blow that the freedom fighters gave to the chauvinistic thinking of the Sinhala nation, which had been growing proud for 45 years, on the motherland. ‘Operation Frog’ – fell on that field, and fell for that field, and crowned our children of fire with a historic victory in Poonagari. One of the prices we paid on that great field. Lieutenant Colonel Guna.
Guna from Thenmaradchi was a great revolutionary hero that our fathers gave to the country. A commander who shone like a star of hope in the sky of the Tamileelam war. A cold wind that opened the hearts of the loving people and blew with love. At a height of five feet ten inches, that moon face that always smiles and behaves cheerfully, that curly hair that flows and crawls, that graceful appearance that captivates those who see it, a leisurely walk that makes us forget our eyes, measured speech, calm nature, quick action, and kind approaches. That color scheme is filled in our eyes.
Ten years ago – With the Tirunelveli attack, the development of the struggle entered a new dimension. It was during this period that Vijayaraja, a twenty-year-old youth, also became a LTTE member. Kalvayal was his hometown, a small farming village. The village belonged to him at a young age. After growing up, he belonged to this nation. Another new form of struggle that the LTTE movement took was the appointment of village heads at regional levels. To popularize the struggle and to mobilize the people for the struggle. He was one of the best-performing village heads on duty at that time, and whenever the speakeri announced that the soldiers had emerged in Elephant Pass and Navatkuli, he fought quickly and effectively on those fields. His loyalty, his bravery and courage levated him to one of the leading fighters, worthy of the trust of Commander K.D. That trust placed some of the most important, secret and leadership-related responsibilities of the movement on his head. His dedication to the tasks assigned to him and his tireless hard work earned him praise and respect from the leader and the generals. The credit for separating Thalapathy K.D from us, along with Ponnamman and Vasu, and for reviving the struggle in Thenmaradchi and putting it back on the path of development, goes to Guna.
The Nelliyadi historical field was the first battle that the hero could tell. When the maveeran named Miller thunderously launched the era of the Karumpulikal, which has become the wonder of today’s world and shocked the Sinhala nation – Guna entered the field as the commander of the Southern District.
The wheel of time turned. The landing of the Indian army. A compulsion that had to be complied with. The struggle was led into a different form. That period between the invasion of India and the beginning of the fight, a very important, hidden task was imposed on his lap. Guna worked tiredly. Weapons – the lifeblood of the liberation struggle. The unshakable iron armor of the nation. When we were going to speak that day, they lifted it! And then when we lifted it, they come to speak! Even when fighting in the military arena, weapons are the strength of the Tamils, weapons are the ‘life’ of the Tamils. Weapons are the ‘future’ of the Tamils. We cannot give up weapons. We will never give up weapons. An important responsibility to protect the weapons, the backbone of the nation, was entrusted to Guna in the complex situation of that day. As important as it was, it was as secret. Therefore, it was a very difficult task to be carried out privately. Only sometimes did he seek help from others. Mostly he was alone.
Guna did not weaken. Hidden from the eagle eye of the Indians – without proper food, without enough sleep – we saw the hardships he endured. The suffering and misery he faced was no small one. The Indians killed Thileep. Kannan and a few others were killed by those who came with the Indians. Twelve people, including Pulenthy Amman, Kumarappa, and Thenmaradchi’s Abdullah, were killed by Indians and Sinhalese.
The wind of history slowly dispelled the illusion that had been hanging over the people – October 10, 1987. A historic day. They planned according to the information given by RAW. ‘72 Hours for 750 People’ began at the Jaffna Fort, spread to the Ampara Temple, and ended at the Manalaru Forest when the leader concluded the ‘First Chapter’. After two and a half years, the superpower armies packed up and left.
The Indo-Tiger war, which is engraved in the history of warfare. The fiery days that completely exposed that hero. Sieges, encirclements, betrayals, sudden fights, artistic performances, escapes. Guna was the one who stood during everything and acted as the pulse of the Tigers in the Southern Province. His determination, his bravery, his faith, his leadership, in short, he was the one who made the Tigers stand firm and flourish during all the hardships.
Those days when they woke up relying on ‘cyanide’. Those nights when they would sneak out without any guarantee the next morning. Those hair-raising moments when death almost touched their lives.
Dear friends who were falling day by day – Geethan closed his eyes in the hands of the enemy who had ambushed him. Nakulan was caught by a patrol in Kalveli and hurt by a bottle. Rekha was unexpectedly killed at Kodikamam. Probler was trapped in a siege at Allarai and planted a bomb on himself. Gilman was killed in a surprise attack at Mirusu. Nithi was caught in a trap on Kachai Street and fell. Vinson was accidentally trapped in Sarasal and consumed poison. Velraj was hurt by cyanide during the siege at Palai. Akbar was killed during the ambush at Usan. Arul was hurt by a bottle during the siege at Navatkuli.
One by one, our wealth fell and became an unshakable mountain. That brave man, who stood up even after the fires stopped, made us stand up too. In the darkness of the Vembira junction, when the man who had grabbed him on the bicycle saw him in the light, his face was sikh! He threw himself on the bicycle and ran away. While Guna ran over the fence, guns roared! When he went down the road to Geruda, an Indian jeep came towards him. At Perungulam the army ran to disperse and got into the next street, The army came in the jeep! The army ran through the neighboring. Guna told this to his comrade who was standing in the distance – in the middle of the encirclement – with a cyanide bottle in his hand and reporting information on the Walkie talkie.
He lived as he was told. He fought. Giving sacrifice to every freedom fighter, Guna waged war against the Indian army. Contrary to the general law of humanity that breaks down due to losses, Guna also became a symbol of Prabhakaran’s new law that grows from losses.
He reassured the confused. He enlightened the confused. He gave hope to the discouraged. He inspired courage in every freedom fighter. Guna waged war against the Indian army.
“We must strike the Indians. We must continue to strike them without ceasing. We must pierce the foreheads of those who have made our homeland bleed. Every day, somewhere and in some way, they must continue to be damaged. Those who interfered in our own affairs must continue to turn and strike back.” He inspired desire in every freedom fighter. Guna waged war against the Indian army.
It was a sad day when Nadesu and Babu, who were sent to spy on the training camp of the traitor gang in Savakacheri, were ambushed and killed near Nunavi. That freedom fighter could not bear it! He was furious with the desire to strike back. Guna, like a beaten tiger, wandered around to strike back. Before the dead burned, he killed at least five traitors, took their weapons and the assault rifle, and wandered all over Savakacheri in search of them.
The hands that were holding the ‘M16’ were shaking. The news reached the E.P.R.L.F. personnel at the ‘Velcinema’ camp. Guna is wandering around looking for someone to hit! A group of people came out with pride. They chased and beat them to death as far as the gate of the camp, killed five people, brought their weapons, and laid them next to Natesu and Babu and paid their respects. Only after Guna gave permission to bury the freedom fighters, he calmed down.
A large force that had been patrolling from Nunavi to Kanakampuliyadi was intercepted and turned back and dispersed. Another large force that had moved from Puttur junction to Vembirai was defeated. Another long fight that was intercepted, chased, and beaten, causing heavy casualties and dispersing to the camp gate. A fight in which he captured and beat all who came and went and attacked a battalion that was patrolling from Madduvil to Nunavul, took their weapons and escaped. An attack on a convoy of vehicles going from Savakacheri to Jaffna, killing 9 people at the 9th stop.
His deeds were not few. However, it was a sin. Because there were more fights that he tried to do than the fights that he completed. It was a great burden, and it remained with him until the end. He had to fight. He had to take up weapons. He had to fight to take up weapons. It was an greedy mania. A greedy thirst. He had spied in so many places. He had organized so many times. He moved the attack teams through so many difficulties. He planned strategies towards so many targets.
When Guna left for Poonagari, he did not go carrying the desire to fulfill all his thoughts! After training for months, seeking the fruits of the hardships he had endured day and night, did he not go with joy. The land of the South was waiting for the victorious son to come with a royal gait.
Guna, our dear friend. When that news reached our ears, how could we bear it? You who said that you would return with weapons and bring glory to the South. You have left us without coming, Guna!
The pain you felt during the Indian War when the weapons in your charge were lost one by one. The heartbreak you felt when the Indians captured our weapons, the agony you felt when you couldn’t hold on to them. When your wise leader called you to the Manalaru river, calmed you with words of comfort, encouraged you without losing your courage. And when you returned happily after patting him on the shoulder and sending him on his way, and you wandered around with that same desire until yesterday. The people you loved are falling on you and crying. They can’t believe it. They could not bear it. They were crying out. When the Indians had you cornered with a target, the same people who protected you in their feathers when you were curled up in the bush. “Our people are our strength”!
Guna, standing by the side of Tamilchelvan, kept waging war against India. The Indians kept moving their army targeting Guna. He was a big headache for them. He would come in the form of a demon in the terrible dreams that would disturb the sleep of the Indian soldiers. He became a big problem for them. They could not cope. They chased and beat up a boy who had climbed up the stairs of the modern market and run away from the police station. When they were mildly suspicious of the person who had come to the police station on the road in front of the camp, they caught him and beat him up. The next minute the tigers had attacked and escaped, they surrounded the village and caught everyone and shot them dead. When they received the news that Guna was standing still, they moved a thousand troops, swept the streets, gathered the village and gathered them in the school. He gathered them and heaved a sigh of relief that he was nowhere to be found. No matter what the Indians did, they could not do anything to Guna. Those thick forests, the groves, the villages, even our guide sparrows and our beloved dogs protected him like the blink of an eye.
The enemy was surrounding them from all four sides. That house was the only one that was comfortable. The grandmother, who was usually laid in bed, was lying in the yard. They threatened the old woman, she replied, they turned and scolded her.
It had dawned at the Meesalai house where the night had gone. Four people were in the room. Two were fighting at the well. The betrayer had gathered the Indians inside the house. The enemies were within reach. Too close to fire with a gun. Hair-raising moments. Bottles were inserted into their mouths. Guna gathered everyone together in one way and arrived. The Indians grabbed the family and took them to the camp. “Our people are our strength,” he said. “Our character is our protection,” they say.
The diplomatic maneuver of the Liberation Tigers to move the Indian army from here- The second war against Sri Lanka began with explosions. He is now the Special Commander of the Southern Army. In the Indian era – from Navatkuli to Iyakachi, he walked to the people in every narrow street. The people who had protected him until then, he has protected since then. The commander who directed military strategies on the battlefields, organized development projects in the villages. Employment for the poor, housing for the displaced, factories for the unemployed – farms, kindergartens, social development projects. Without prejudice, he worked in every way to uplift that society. He worked in every way for the people who supported him everywhere.
In 1991, two major wars that gained international fame captivated the world. One, ‘Desert Storm’, in which the United States, with the help of 27 countries, attacked an isolated Iraq. The other, the Battle of Elephant Pass, in which the Tigers stood alone and fought back when all three forces came together to attack.
Tamil Eelam can be proud of at any time.
Hectic preparations. Guna lost sleep. Although the fighters got some comfort – the commanders had no rest. The original plan was to besiege, tighten, and gradually attack and destroy that large base.
On the fourth day of the start, the war took on two different dimensions with the landing at Vetrilakeni.
Offensive warfare at Elephant Pass. Defensive warfare at Vetrilakeni. War on two fronts. Continuous battles without stopping. Those who were wounded in the war. The battlefield where they had to recover and return to the field.
July 27, 1991.
A midnight attack was launched on the blockade camp area. When that attempt was made under Guna’s command, our armored vehicle, which was advancing along the main road in support of the surrounding attack teams, was cut off from contact. There was no response from Sara. There was no contact from Soni nearby. and Kukathas, who had also gone with him, did not speak. What happened? Guna was confused.
The commander, who had forgotten his position, entered the field with ‘R56’ and his hand. As a warrior with the fighters, with a submachine gun on the side of the main road – the enemy fired an artillery shell to destroy his armored vehicle, and it exploded. And a small fragment of the shell pierced Guna’s nose. Even when those nearby pulled him forcibly, he refused. He fell exhausted from fighting with blood flowing from his nose and mouth. Gasping and only then did his comrades lift him up and bring him back. He refused to go to the hospital and lay at the Elephant Pass.
Despite the shock of a bomb falling nearby and bleeding profusely, Pottamman sternly ordered him to be loaded into an ‘ambulance’ and sent him away.
1992, March 5.
It was an exciting morning in the Karukkai Vettai area. The soldiers from the guard post were facing. Many soldiers. A fierce attack by warplanes. Our freedom fighters standing on the field were met with fierce resistance.
The ‘Pajero’, which had rushed to the Elephant Pass to give a Walkie Talkie message to Guna, who was going somewhere on some official business with his small group, diverted to the Elephant Pass. The enemy would never have expected this to happen. A leap to surround the advance party. A brutal action in a short time. Leaving behind up to 20 killed, fallen and weapons, his comrades dug the ground, saying that they had escaped and survived.
1992, May 28.
‘Balawegaya – 2’
The enemy invaded from the thicket to the Elephant Pass. The Elephant Pass was closed, the Poonagari was closed. And people were running for shelter in their arms. The enemy had put up a ‘barricade’ across the road.
His first move was to blockade the peninsula. Days of fighting. Continuous fighting. Guna led the front line of the field. He organized the various groups, set up new fortifications in each enemy town, pointed each gun at the gun position, and fired Darzin’s RPG. The one who stood on the field, aiming to destroy the ‘tank’, placed it next to it, and aimed until the end. The one who fell to the ground, his body was shattered by the artillery shell. The one who did not panic, calmly, called Rupan on the Walkie Talkie, asked him to come closer. Gave him the ‘M16’, opened his eyes only in the hospital.
That day was 24 November 992.
The famous attack that broke the eastern defense strategy of the Palali Perunthalam. The battlefield that the Sinhala military spokesman Colonel Sarath Munasinghe described as “a fierce battle that took place in a short time.”
Guna was not included in the front fighting groups. In an area reserved for the women’s brigade in the long attack zone, he was given rear field work. Shortly after the attack began, the female fighters who had broken through the enemy’s fortifications and entered were advancing.
The enemy surrounded them from the rear. The enemy was surrounding them. We were in the middle. They were being trapped. Guna saw that the situation had worsened. He realized that the situation had become chaotic. He explained that it was the moment for him to decide. Guna immediately prepared his group and entered the fight. With a furious rush. Extraordinary speed. The freedom fighter broke through the enemy who was standing in the corner. He was the one who dragged the captured weapons, the field guns, the wounded and fallen, the field victims.
September 29, 1993.
Guna and his Southern battalion were training to enter Poonagari when the enemy advanced to capture Kalali. The objective was great, and the training was urgent. His battalion was not included in the battalions selected for the famous attack that routed ‘Yarldevi’ at Puloppalai. “The enemy is invading my territory. We cannot go.” Guna could not bear it. He was struggling without any restraint. He was restless. He forgot to eat. We saw him wandering around without sleep. He was truly distressed that he could not fight in that battle. He kept always taking out his Walkie Talkie and asking for the situation. His pulse was beating fast for those two days! Outsiders cannot understand that.
Karthigai 10, 1993.
‘Operation Thavalai’
A great feat of war that should be inscribed in the record of human achievements. A great feat of war that should be inscribed in golden letters. Another military marvel created by the LTTE movement in the history of international military affairs. A devastating warning from the LTTE to those who try to negotiate in politics based on the strength of military science.
The method of warfare is divided into two types. One is the ‘traditional method of warfare’. The other is the ‘guerrilla (hand-to-hand) method of warfare’. In the internationally famous guerrilla warfare method, Prabhakaran introduced to the world a new type of tactical movement of troops and a strategy of victory.
While the enemy was watching and guarding the perimeter fence, the miracle of the LTTE setting fire to the central building was forgotten. Training! Continuous training! Continuous training! Long and hard training! The freedom fighters of the LTTE tortured themselves to achieve a great victory. They melted them.
That day came.
“Each of you is my child! I am not ready to lose even one of my children unnecessarily! Therefore – advance at a breakneck speed – defeat the enemy before you are defeated. And reap the fruits of victory!” – Standing as the commander of the fighting forces, the national leader sent the way.
A silver chain glittered in Guna’s hand. It was unsuitable for night movement. It could be identified by the enemy. When Commander Sornam came closer, “Take off your wristband and go, Guna”. Suddenly he became strange. His face turned pale. The commander, whose eyes were really swollen, woke up without understanding. Guna said, “I took this off my hand for a day – the leader gave it to me.” After saying this, he bent down and looked at the wristband. He took it off and put it in the holster.
The Tigers started moving towards the field where death would play. Waking up the sleeping nation with joy tomorrow. The battlefield is rare. Thinking about it will not happen. Walking will be unthinkable.
The spy later corrected the missed path and showed the place. Guna ordered! The leading assault teams broke through the fortifications and rushed! A furious attack! Guna advanced with the main assault team through the fallen fortifications. Unexpectedly – the enemy, who had retreated from the attacked fortifications, came to the side of the main team and attacked from the rear. G.P.M.G. bullets rained down. Guna, who had gone ahead, was stunned after being hit behind, and ran back and tried to attack.
Our hero fell as the first victim of the Poonagri victory. The commander who shone softly like the star of hope in the sky of the Tamileelam war. The cool breeze that penetrated everyone’s soul and blew pleasantly. You were at the forefront of the siege. You saw the first death. You are gone!
Memory sharing: T. Iniyavan
LTTE Magazine, 1995.
(Correction by Tamilpriya)
விடுதலைப்புலிகள் இதழ் தை, 1995.
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