It has been disclosed that Issipriya who was featured in the controversial Channel 4 video is a hardcore member of the now defunct LTTE terrorist group though the she was identified as an innocent civilian.
Defence Ministry sources said today that although the Channel 4 News had revealed that Issipriya as a innocent victim, she had been a high profile member of the LTTE. However, the controversial channel had identified Issipriya as a journalist, who had been suffering from a heart problem.
Issipriya was born in 1982 in Jaffna and was subsequently recruited by the LTTE and underwent military training in the Wanni. She then served in the LTTE Military Wing and subsequently joined the "Voice of Tigers", the official radio station of the LTTE. A report submitted to UNESCO by Sri Lanka following the bombing of VOT by SLAF in 2007 made it clear that VOT was the official propaganda radio station of the LTTE. The LTTE cadres who died in the attack were identified as cadres who had also been actively engaged in military operations against the Security Forces. Issipriya was given the rank of 'Lt Col' due to her contribution to the LTTE.
She married a Sea Tiger cadre Sri Ram who also died in the final battle in May 2009. Sri Ram was the former LTTE Senior Sea Tiger leader in Trincomalee and took part in most of the operations launched by the LTTE against the Sri Lanka Navy and Merchant Vessels.