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MaaVeerar -
மாவீரர்
அணையாத தீபங்கள்
Col. Ramanan
[TamilNet,
May 24, 2006 ]
Col. Ramanan, Deputy Head of the LTTE
Military wing of Batticaloa district was shot dead on 21 May
2006, whilst inspecting the LTTE Forward Defence Line at
Vavunathivu in Batticaloa.
The battle-hardened Commander Ramanan, has
served as the Military Intelligence Chief of the LTTE in
Batticaloa Amparai districts, and later as the Head of the
Military Wing of Maavadymunmari division. Ramanan is the
most high ranking LTTE officials to be assassinated during
the Ceasefire.
Kandiah Ulaganathan, alias Ramanan, born in 1966, is from
Palukamam, 21 km south of Batticaloa. He was enrolled for
training in LTTE in 1986 after completing GCE (A/L) at
Palukamam Kandumani Maha Vidyalayam. One of his three
brothers has already died in battle. Two of the remaining
brothers and a sister, are all serving the liberation
struggle at various levels.
Ramanan emerged as a talented military leader during the
LTTE's war with the Indian Army. He served in Jeyanthan
Brigade, one of the most feared infantry formations of the
Liberation Tigers. His contribution was high in the
Unceasing Waves operations against the Sri Lanka Army
launched Jeyasikurui operation that was routed by the Tigers
in Vanni.
Commander Ramanan's decision to leave the renegade LTTE
commander Karuna was a major setback for the renegade's
plans to hold his ground in the east.
At a ceremony in Mullaitivu on 24 May 2006,
after paying their respects, senior LTTE commander Colonel
Jeyam and officials delivered speeches paying tribute to
Ramanan, saluting his exemplary personal qualities and
hailing his accomplishments during his twenty years
dedicated service to the Tamil freedom struggle.
"Col. Ramanan was a great inspiration for the fighters in
the east of the island. He skilfully liberated our
territories from Karuna when he defected to the enemy.
Ramanan then went on to build up a strong force there under
Commander Bhanu,” Colonel Jeyam said.
“We remember how in 1987 we lost two of our District
Commanders, Pulendran and Kumarappa, when the Indians,
mediating between the Sri Lankans and us, failed to save the
lives of our commanders who were abducted [by the Sri Lanka
Navy] in the seas during that peace engagement.”
“That tactic didn't help the enemy quell our movement. In
fact, few believed that we could resist the world’s fourth
largest military might. But we did. We did so under the
strategic guidance of our leadership and with the support
base of our people. Even when we were forced to withdraw
from Jaffna, the urban base, and lead the Tamil struggle
from the remote jungles of Manal Aru, we achieved the
unthinkable this way.”
“We have shaken hands with the enemy on four different
occasions in a bid to resolve the conflict peacefully.
During this latest internationally assisted four-year peace
engagement, our representatives have gone around and shook
hands with many diplomats in Europe.”
“The whole world has had the opportunity to come here during
the peace process, if they truly wanted to understand our
situation. Can we expect those who failed to understand our
political plight during the last four years of peaceful
engagement to ever be able to understand it? What do you
think?" asked Colonel Jeyam.
“I can see the people of Tamil Eelam getting ready for the
war. We know where we should stand –on the power of our
people’s support, the guidance of our leader, on the
sacrifices we have made for freedom in our own territory, be
it Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mannar, Manal Aru, Batticaloa or
Amparai.”
“Nobody can defeat us now when the Tamil people have
resolved to decide our own destiny,” Colonel Jeyam further
said.
"Two different but complimentary tactics have been adopted
by the successive Sinhala regimes to quell the Tamil freedom
struggle led by the LTTE. The peace process is the soft side
of this strategy while the hard one is the
systematic killings of our able commanders and talented
Tamil activists.”
“But our enemies are wrong in assuming that they can weaken
us. Experience shows that both the struggle and the LTTE
grow in strength and power after each assassination and each
peace process.”
“Ramanan's loss is of course irreparable. But he has
dedicated his very life as a stepping stone in the direction
of victory which we will taste soon," said Col. Jeyam.
The event in Vanni paying homage to Colonel Ramanan was held
at Puthukudiruppu Sri Subramaniam Maha Vidyalayam Wednesday
around 10.30 a.m. headed by the President of Mullaitivu
District People Consortium, Mr. Vethavanam.
Thamilarasan, Col. Ramanan's brother and Odduchuddan
Regional Head of the LTTE, lit the lamp before the late
officer’s portrait while another brother, Parathan, an LTTE
cadre, garlanded it.
Colonel Ramesh lit the flame of sacrifice at the event and
garlanded Col. Ramanan's portrait. He was joined by Colonel
Jeyam, senior LTTE member Mr. K. V. Balakumaran, Peace
Secretariat Director, Mr. S. Pulidevan, Mr. Illanthirayan
(Marshall) of the Peace Secretariat, Mr. Seeralan, Deputy
Head of the political wing in Batticaloa District and Mr. S.
Selvanayagam, the principal of the Maha Vidyalam.
Mr. Illanthirayan, former head of the LTTE Political Wing in
Batticaloa, following Col. Jeyam, hailed the personal
qualities of Col. Ramanan.
"Martyr Ramanan, knew every one in the southern Tamil Eelam
and everyone there knew him. He was a master in translating
our movement’s leader's political and military strategies
into skilful techniques in practice,” Mr. Illanthirayan
said.
“It was Colonel Ramanan who surmounted the efforts by the
traitor Karuna to split the LTTE through the wedge of
regionalism. Though he is no more with us, the techniques
and tactics Colonel Ramanan developed will be with us in our
struggle to achieve our desired goal," said Mr.
Ilanthirayan.
Colonel Ramesh said: “Ramanan's feats in the fields of war
and intelligence cannot be covered in a short speech. He
comes from a family which has been in the forefront of
resistance to Sri Lanka armed forces. He has nine siblings,
out of which two brothers and a sister are members of LTTE.”
“All his feats in the struggle are not known because the
victories he reaped and the way in which he achieved them
cannot be openly revealed now.”
“He was a great source of strength and a talented fighter in
southern Tamil Eelam and he was killed precisely for these
incredible qualities," said Col. Ramesh.
Mr. K. V. Balakumaran said, "We already owe a great deal to
the people of southern Tamil Eelam. I had admired Col.
Ramanan for his wonderful personality which had two distinct
sides. One was filled with spontaneous love and the other
replete with military skill and intelligence. People
possessing this unique blend of qualities rarely live long.
Usually they die young. We have an exemplary model in
Ramanan to be emulated in pursuing our liberation struggle."
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