Sea Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Sea of Tamil Eelam

The Tamil Eelam is very important and of great significance for Tamils.

In our homeland, both the land and sea are intertwined with each other. The land of Tamil Eelam is surrounded on three sides by our sea. Not only is the land a part of Tamil Eelam, but the surrounding seas are also part of our homeland.

This sea and land combined with pride, antiquity and richness is our homeland of Tamil Eelam. This is our sea. It is intertwined with the social and economic life of our ancestors for thousands of years. The Catamaran of our ancestors, merchant ships and warships crawled in the lap of this sea.

The Tamil Eelam Sea is important for economic, political and international trade relations. But more importantly, the sea is paramount to the security of Tamil Eelam If Only this sea is in our control, our people can enjoy the economic and political benefits that come from it. The secuirty of our sea is intertwined with the saftey of our nation.

Trincomalee, one of the best natural harbours in Asia, is one of the greatest natural geographic ports of Tamil Eelam. Apart from this, our sea has many important ports and economic centers. Our sea has played a vital role in determining the security, economy and politics of the country in the post-independence period, both in the past and in the present, when the armed struggle for the redemption of Tamil Eelam began with the nucleus.

Thus, if we are to liberate the seas from control of Sri Lanka, which has many characteristics of importance in multiple dimensions, we will shine stronger than the enemy in the waters of Tamil Eelam.

Our National leader Prahbhakaran understood this reality that day.

Prahbakaran had prepared plans for utilizing the seas many years prior and gradully gave it a practical shape and structure.

Prahbaharan realized the importance in the struggle to reclaim our homeland from the Sinhala chauvinisitc state by taking control of the seas. When it comes to the struggle to reclaim our homeland from the Sinhala chauvinist state, it stands for the liberation of the land and sea borders of the Tamil homeland.

Therefore, it is necessary for Tamil Eelam to build a navy of its own similar to our ground force, which would offer the homeland of Tamil Eelam tremendous growth on the ground and sea. If we look closely at the freedom uprising of our people, we can see the extent to which it is intertwined with the sea after it has evolved into a revolutionary armed struggle.

Tamil Eelam has only Sri Lanka as its border in the ground series. Our borders are at sea in other directions. In every stage of development that our armed struggle has gone through, the Tamil Eelam seas have played a huge role. It was in this context that in 1984, the national leader, Hon. Prabhakaran gave its historic birth to the LTTE’s Sea Tigers, initially naming it “Sea Tigers”.

Initially, the Tigers were trained in marine knowledge and trained in sea fight,

but the Sea Tigers avoided attacking the enemy and engaging in sea fights. They had to carry out many tasks to meet the needs of respective periods in the liberation struggle. Initially, the Sea Tigers worked to secure voyages and offer protect. However, there have also been sporadic naval attacks on Sri Lankan naval warships.

The SeaTigers, who had not been involved in large-scale piracy for 6 years since its formation in 1984. They returned to sea fight in 1990 when war broke out with the Sri Lankan Army. In this naval battle, the form of the black sea tiger attack was introduced and the naval war went into a new dimension.

This was the first major attack on the Sri Lankan Navy in this regard by the Sea Tigers on 10.07.1990 at Valvai Sea. Major Kantharoopan, Captain Collins and Captain Vinoth, who went with a boat loaded with explosives, created this heroic feat by sailing a warship against the Sri Lankan Navy.

Similarly on April 5, 1991, a Sri Lankan command ship was wrecked by Sea Tigers at Valvai. This is a noteworthy operation conducted by the Black Sea Tigers at the time. From this, Captain Chidambaram and Captain Jayanthan died during this operation and are regarded as death of a hero.(Veerachsavu) This and two Black Sea Tigers’ operations had alarmed the Sinhala navy, which was roaming freely in Tamil Eelam waters at the time. This had instilled fear in the Sinhala navy, and their maritime monopoly of the Tamil Eelam seas were shattered.

We as Tamil people need to understand a reality. As the struggle for the liberation of Tamil Eelam progresses to the point of liberating the lands, we see the Government of Sri Lanka using its manpower by sea to try to stop our progress. That is, the enemy is using the sea to win against the war on land.

The Sri Lankan government launched Operation Liberation in 1987 to capture the North peninsula. During this time, the Tigers tried to conquer the Mullaitivu camp in 1990. They also tried to capture the Chillawathuari camp in 1991 when the 1991 Elephant War was still in its infancy.

The Government of Sri Lanka exercised continued power by the sea and stood in the way of our efforts. The main reason for this is need to hold a monopoly on the sea by the enemy, as our National Leader Hon’ble Way Prabhakaran would often say:

“Geographically, the security of Tamil Eelam is united with the sea. Therefore, only when we become fortified in the sea and break the enemy’s maritime dominance of ours seas, will we be able to perpetuate the liberated territory and repel the existing enemy footsteps in the mainland of Tamil Eelam.

If we want to build a strong navy, we must be prepared to face a lot of material costs. Weapons used for ground combat are far more valuable than paratroopers. So building a navy also requires economic strength.

As far as Tamil Eelam is concerned, the sea is the main route for external contacts, supplies for the struggle, and related activities.

We cannot use our territorial border (with Sri Lanka) to accomplish this. Thus, transportation, supplies, and global communications are all controlled by the sea.

With these reasons alone, this is why it is so essential to destroy the enemy’s maritime dominance and prevent their movement in Tamil Eelam waters. Only then can our homeland war be won.

Our maritime team, known as the Sea Tigers since 1984, was greatly expanded in 1991 with the new name, “Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers”.

During this period Soosai was appointed as its Special Commander and Gangai Amaran as its Commander.

During the ensuing attacks, some of the heavy-duty artillery struck and destroyed various points along the Tamil Eelam coast.

The 41-foot-long high-speed fighting boat that was owned by the Sri Lankan Army was sunk by Sea Tigers in Elephant Pass. In addition, the Tigers have been involved in successful boat skirmishes with the Sinhala Navy in the Mediterranean. Significant amounts of Sinhala sailors were killed and their weapons seized in these raids.

The development of the LTTE’s Marine Tigers team, which had been able to carry out direct attacks and naval battles against the modernized Sinhala navy since it carried out piracy attacks, stifled Sri Lanka’s military leadership. Because of this, the Sinhala’s long-term war plan to suppress the struggle by relying on the strength of the navy has also been called into question.

In recent times, the dominance of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Tamil Eelam seas has been steadily declining. Therefore, the Sinhala ruling class would have begun to realize that its war of aggression on Tamil Eelam was facing a major setback due to this declining advantage. She has an immense epic within her, that is shaped by the sacrifice and tragedy of the Tamil Eelam Sea.

How many happy comrades,

How talented sailors,

Fish-like swimmers,

Sea urchins are a high form of sacrifice!

Knowing that death was coming, the Black Sea Tigers continued on their journey. Each time they traveled away, Tamils stood on the shore and waved them goodbye. As we watched, many of those that left had dissolved into that vast ocean.

Night and day lay in the lap of the Tamil Eelam seafarer, many of the sons of the mother of the seafaring Tamil Eelam, who did not care about work, cold and life, are associated with that salt water.

This is our sea; It is an integral part of the Tamil Eelam homeland. It must be redeemed from the domination of strangers, the Sinhala. That is why the Black Sea Tigers are relying on the journey, understanding the classic sacrifices and creating heroic epics at sea.

One day, our naval vessels will float once more in our seas; Then our younger generation will roam our seas free without fear.

“Growth of the Sea Tigers was a turning points in war.”

“Let’s create an epic at sea.”

LTTE Panguni – Chithirai ‘1992 Magazine.

Typewriting First First Edition

“The Thirst of the Tigers is the homeland of Tamil Eelam”