Soosai

Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan (Tamil: தில்லையம்பலம் சிவனேசன்; 16 October 1963[2] – 18 May 2009), also known by his nom de guerre, Colonel Soosai, was the head of the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[3][4]

Colonel

Soosai
சூசை
Colonel Soosai with Pulidevan on fibreglass fast attack craft at Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, 2003
Born
T. Sivanesan

(1963-10-16)16 October 1963
Polikandy, Ceylon
Died18 May 2009(2009-05-18) (aged 45)
Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Spouse(s)Sathyadevi[1]
ChildrenSuresh
Madhi
Military service
AllegianceTamil Eeelam
Service/branchLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Years of service1981 –2009
Commands heldHead of Sea Tigers
Battles/warsSri Lankan Civil War

Personal life

Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan was married to Sathyadevi and they had two children called Suresh and Madhi. The Sri Lankan Navy claim that Soosai's wife and children are in custody after they were intercepted at the sea by the SL Navy whilst attempted to flee to India during the war.[5]

LTTE

Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan joined LTTE in 1981 along with Pottu Amman.

Sea Tigers

Colonel Soosai was known as the 'Admiral' for the Sea Tigers. He led the sea tigers and attacked many of Sri Lankan Navy boats. After a major offensive in 2007 by the Sri Lankan Army, the Sea Tigers became less effective as the Sri Lankan Navy matched their strength with better weapons, and faster boats such as Super Dvora Mk II. The Sea Tigers was still effective until LTTE lost the war on 19 May 2009.

Unceasing Waves 3

Colonel Soosai transported 1,200 cadres with Balraj behind enemy lines into Jaffna Peninsula. This was the first attack in which LTTE used sea to transport cadres for an attack which was likely to be unsuccessful. Soosai said this mission was a do or die mission because Balraj had to take control of Elephant Pass in order for the mission to be successful.

Claimed Death

On 18 May 2009 the Sri Lankan government claimed that Brigadier Soosai was killed when a rocket hit the armored-plated van he was riding in after a two-hour firefight. Troops removed and claimed to have identified his body along with the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other rebel fighters. At the time of his apparent death, he was wanted by Interpol because the Magistrate Court in Wattala, Sri Lanka, had issued an arrest warrant on terrorism charges.

See also

References
  1. Jayawardhana, Walter (16 May 2009). "Sea Tiger leader Soosai's wife, son and daughter caught escaping with other civilians". lankaweb.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. Thillayampalam, Sivanesan
  3. "Council on Foreign Relations". Archived from the original on 26 May 2010.
  4. "MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base".
  5. http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/17565


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