On the air to Tamil Eelam?

by Vaitheeswaran

In 1984, in an interview given to Anita Pratap of India Today (popular monthly news magazine published in New Delhi), Veluppillai Pirapakaran admitted that he was a flaming fan of Clint Eastwood and watches his films to get clues for daring guerilla attacks against political opponents and Sri Lankan security forces.

Thus, Pirapakaran confessed that his role model was not that of M. G. Ramachandran (a popular film idol-turned-politician of Tamilnadu State in India), but Clint Eastwood (a hero of Hollywood). In cinema M. G. Ramachandran portrayed himself as a do-gooder whereas Clint Eastwood portrayed himself as a violent heroic villain. Therefore, true to his confession, Pirapakaran, in real life, has emulated Clint Eastwood and always resorted to violence. He wanted to become famous, not by doing any good for the people whom he self-chose to represent, but by unleashing terror against his enemies within his own community, outside his community, and even outside his country.

Hence, LTTE's 30-year armed struggle against the Sri Lankan state has been marked by some daring guerilla attacks which is in some respects unparalleled in guerilla warfare around the world. Bombing of the Air Ceylon aircraft in 1977, suicide bombing the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, suicide bombing the former Sri Lankan President in May 1993, truck bombing the Central Bank in January 1996, suicide attack on the Katunayake International Airport in July 2001, and the latest air raid on the Katunayake Air Force base in March 2007 are some of the spectacular guerilla operations staged by the LTTE much to the cheer of the global media (both inland and international), marginal or discarded political forces in Tamilnadu, and the goon squad in the Tamil Diaspora. The Batticaloa jailbreak in 1984 and assassination of the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005 are copycat versions of Hollywood films The Great Escape and Day of the Jackal respectively.

Stunt master

The foregoing daring guerrilla attacks are hallmarks of a stunt master of the variety of Clint Eastwood, but certainly not of a popular film idol-turned-politician of the variety of M. G. Ramachandran. Naturally, the forgoing daring attacks has made Pirapakaran a daredevil, but certainly not a popular politician like M. G. Ramachandran. Legends are made out of virtuosity or notoriety. Of course, Pirapakaran is a legend, but for his notoriety! Pirapakaran is a dreamer, a perpetual dreamer, who will go down in history as a person who could not realize his dream of Tamil Eelam, because not only his own community is against him but also the world is against him.

The critical issue is whether all these daring feats have been advancing or distancing the cause of freedom of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The simple truth is that all the foregoing legendary feats in guerilla warfare staged by the LTTE have distanced the cause of freedom of the Tamils.

With 30 years of enduring guerilla warfare the LTTE has not achieved anything for the Tamils. Only benefit (albeit marginal) the Tamils have reaped in the 30 years of armed conflict was the provincial council system, which was not directly due to the armed struggle of various Tamil militant groups (including the LTTE), instead due to imposition by India.

Heroic villain

Do these prohibitions concern the LTTE leader Veluppillai Pirapakaran? No, not at all, after all he wanted to emulate a violent heroic villain fame cine actor (by self confession), and his only motive is to remain famous (by hook or crook) as long as possible and amass wealth as much as possible. Like any hero in a movie Pirapakaran lives in a dreamland, a fictitious world. Therefore, we can expect many more spectacular guerilla attacks than the one on the Katunayake Air Force base on 26th March 2007. Only such attacks maintain Pirapakaran's reputation as a legend and not the winning of freedom of the Tamils.

This is precisely why the LTTE released the pictures of their attack aircrafts first to the Reuters than to any local media or to the people whom they purport to represent. Because, a stunt master requires publicity first and foremost. Pirapakaran is playing to the gallery, which is well received by the media around the world such as the Reuters and Indo Asian News Service (IANS) for example. However, Tamil people in the North and East are not at all impressed by the demonstration of air attack capability because their concerns are much more humble and simple; rice and curry, freedom from fear, and right to life.

Thus, demonstration of air power is tantamount to offering cake to the people longing for bread. The ground reality is that LTTE is fast loosing its offensive capability by land and sea in the theatres of war as well as outside. In this circumstance, it has become imperative for the LTTE to shore up the morale of its cadres and financiers in the Tamil diaspora communities abroad.

This is the primary reason for the daring air strike on the Katunayake Air Force base. LTTE possesses at least two micro aircrafts that they had to show off to the world before they are identified and destroyed by the Sri Lankan security forces in the impending assault on the Vanni region. Although the LTTE claims that it staged the air attacks to deter air attacks by the Sri Lanka Air Force against the Tamil people it has not achieved its objective, because no air force aircraft was damaged or destroyed. Besides, if the LTTE is seriously interested in protecting the Tamils from air raids by the Sri Lanka Air Force it should use the anti-aircraft guns and missiles in its possession to bring down the fighter aircrafts rather than preserving those arsenal to protect its elusive leader.

In fact, public demonstration of the air offensive capability is going to boomerang on the LTTE. Since early 2006 there has been a global politico, military, and financial coalition building up against the LTTE, which includes China, India, Pakistan, and the United States. This global coalition against the LTTE is set to further intensify in the aftermath of the air attack on the Sri Lanka Air Force base.

Already India has heightened security at its Southern airports, strategic military industrial complexes such as the Kalpakam Atomic Power Station (in Tamilnadu) and Southern Naval bases, and marine economic hubs such as the Southern ports of Chennai and Tuticorin. Further, India has also stationed radars along the coastline of Tamilnadu state that could even detect very low flying objects. Therefore, it is not going to be easy for LTTE to repeat the air raid.

All in all the LTTE is on its last throe, which is why it has termed the current phase of war the "final war", and not Eelam War IV. Hence, there are many more kamikaze attacks to be expected from the stunt master. At the very outset of the civil war in Sri Lanka the prime guerilla leader has self-confessed that his role model is Clint Eastwood, and thereby Pirapakaran has shunned popular politics from the very inception of this long drawn out conflict.

True to Pirapakaran's self-confession he will fade away with history like Clint Eastwood, and will not remain a perpetual legend like M. G. Ramachandran who remains a legend even after his death (at least in his native Tamilnadu State).

The bottom line is that the bicycle warriors of the LTTE during the 1980s attracted mass support among the Tamils that has eluded the sea warriors of the 1990s and air warriors of 2007. In other words, success of politico military struggles is not determined by technological advancement but through popular support, which has been elusive for a self-appointed leader who has remained elusive even to the people whom the represents, purportedly and solely!