LTTE: Tamil Tigers Technologically innovative rebels
February 1st, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized
During their 32-year campaign for an independent Tamil homeland, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have achieved a number of innovations that could change the face of rebel warfare.
More than 64,000 Sri Lankans, out of a population of 21 million, have died in the conflict.
In 1984, the LTTE in 1984 established its maritime “Sea Tigers” wing, which has been responsible for sinking 29 Sri Lankan naval gunboats and a freighter. The Sea Tigers include a division of frogmen that have been deployed in attacks on the Sri Lankan naval base at Kankesanturai in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
Three years after forming the Sea Tigers, the rebel group established its notorious “Black Tigers” suicide bombers’ wing, which has killed hundreds, including more than 270 rebels. In the latest such attack on 24 May, a Black Tiger suicide bomber on an explosive-laden motorized bicycle rammed a bus carrying army personnel in the capital Colombo, killing two soldiers and wounding five others.
In yet another new form of combat for the LTTE, on 25 March of this year, rebel aircraft of the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF), or “Vaanpuliga,” conducted a nighttime raid on Katunayake, the Sri Lankan Air Force’s main base, which shares a runway with Colombo’s Bandaranayake International Airport. The following month, on 29 April, the rebels’ Czech-made ZLIN Z 143 aircraft conducted another nighttime raid on two oil storage facilities some 10 kilometers north of Colombo.
See Tamil Tiger Airforce,Navy,Miltary,Black tigers,Submarine photos
The attacks mean that the LTTE is now unique among world guerrilla movements in having troops, a navy and an air force. The rebel group has taken its campaign into outer space, having hijacked the Intelsat Ltd Intelsat-12 satellite in geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean to beam its propaganda across the Indian subcontinent.
The LTTE has long been interested in using the power of the media, and since the early 1980s has operated clandestine radio and television stations to broadcast to the northern areas of Sri Lanka under its control. The rebel group’s Nitharsama terrestrial TV station began transmitting during this time but was subsequently destroyed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force later in the decade.
The LTTE’s broadcasts were brought to Intelsat’s notice for the first time by an Asian Tribune article on 10 March. Beginning in March 2005, they were hardly a secret.
“The LTTE also operate a satellite broadcast channel. National Television of Tamileelam (NTT) uses Eurostar at 11.5GHz and reaches India, parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and China for two hours between 13.30 - 15.30 GMT. Paris-based Tamil Television Network (TTN) relays the broadcast to their audiences in Europe and the Middle East at 18.00 GMT,” reported the tamiltigers.net website.
As the Sri Lankan army advances against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north, it says it is inflicting a devastating blow against their capacity to continue fighting on land, sea and air.
In addition to making significant territorial gains in recent weeks, the army says it has killed or captured hundreds of rebel soldiers.
But it also says it has seized much of the hardware which over the past two decades made the rebels one of the world’s most feared - and most ingenious - insurgent groups.
The latest example of their innovative technical skills was displayed on Thursday, when the army unveiled a 35-foot (10.6m) armour-plated submarine it said it had seized.
Three partially completed mini submarines and a 152mm artillery gun were also captured by troops, the army said.
Experts say that the underwater vessels had been assembled deep in the jungle without technical back-up in conditions that would have required considerable skill.
Don’t Miss
- Last statement of self immolated tamilnadu journalist muthukumar
- Sri Lanka Army Shelling on Tamil Civilians Exclusive Video
- Tamil Tigers Tamil Eelam Capital Falls to Sri Lanka Army
- India should help srilanka army to finishoff ltte-cho ramaswamy
- See Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers Photos
- Read Sri Lanka Tamil news
Tamil youth Join LTTE or else there won’t be any recognization for tamils on this earth…
Eventhough I don’t like LTTE’s tactics, I completely believe that Prabha is the only guy who would not be bought by the sl gov’t. he is the only one fearlessly standing up for the tamil cause.
What r u tryin to accomplish publishing this???, LTTE formed in the first place because Tamils were ripped off from their rights, they would murder tamil students who were given seats in prominent universities, they would mistreat people in their jobs. Those who r not well-informed of Tamils and LTTE, better get their facts straight and then decide what’s true and what’s not true. Tamils are clever, but more humane. Their techonological use was to save their rights. Funny how ppl think that when ppl try go through a peaceful way to solution, theya re neglected and talked less about, but when they use the extremes, they are discriminated against. Tamils are not fools to fighting for something that doesn’t not belong to them-their HUMAN RIGHTS. Peace. God Bless
PS: this comment is not directly relating to the above publishing, but generally speaking. Hear those cries out ya’ll.
yes they are very clever…the fact that tamil ppl occupied high positions in sri lanks is what lead to the discrimination against tamils