Born to Die: The Black Tigers of the LTTE
07 Oct, 2001 · 599
Suba Chandran points out why the Black Tigers – the suicide squad of the LTTE – form the backbone of the terrorist organization
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is one of the few groups in the world alongwith the Hizballah, the Hamas and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of
Turkey to have an elite suicide squad. A comparative analysis of the Black Tigers with other terrorist organizations will reveal its significance. Ever since the first suicide attack by the Hizballah in 1983 in
Beirut , in which more than 150 American and French Peace Keepers were killed, there have been more than 250 such attacks by various groups all over the world. Of these attacks the Black Tigers alone had carried out 150; more than those carried out by all other groups put together. They are the only group which succeeded in assassinating two former Prime Ministers – Rajiv Gandhi and Premadasa.
Jaffna was under the LTTE’s control, the Maveerar Thuyilum Illam (Resting Home of the Brave) was cleaned and lighted and the day celebrated in such an emotional way, that it made other cadres to aspire for becoming Black Tigers. When the Sri Lankan Army took over
Jaffna from the LTTE, the first thing it did was to bulldoze this cemetery which eulogized the Black Tigers.
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Known as Karumpuligal (Black Tigers) they form the elite section of the LTTE. What makes the Black Tigers unique? How is it that the LTTE has succeeded in continuously sustaining its suicide wing? What makes the cadres of the LTTE opt for becoming Black Tigers? Why is there such glorification of the Black Tigers in the LTTE?
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First, though the entire LTTE cadre can be argued to be suicide squad, as each and every cadre carries a cyanide capsule which is garlanded by the local commando leader in the ‘passing out parade’ after they finish their training and does not hesitate to use it when captured or faced with an adverse situation, the Black Tigers are considered far more significant. The mission of a Black Tiger is to give up his or her life, which provides them elite status inside the LTTE and makes other cadres to aspire for that status.
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Second, the glorification of the Black Tigers by the LTTE makes it prestigious. Every year July 5 is celebrated by the LTTE as the day of the Black Tigers. (It was on July 5, 1987, that the first suicide attack was perpetrated by the LTTE, when its ‘Captain’ Millar drove a truck full of explosives into a Sri Lankan Army camp, killing nearly forty soldiers). On this particular day, an eternal lamp is lighted in front of the tombstone of every Black Tiger, who had lost his or her life. The LTTE flag is hoisted and the parents of the Black Tigers, who had sacrificed their lives, are honored. The LTTE radio broadcasts the brave deeds of the Black Tigers with their operational details. When
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Third, the Black Tigers lead most of the military operations of the LTTE, especially its attack on the Sri Lankan army camps. The Black Tigers, armed with explosives, drive directly into the army camp, catching the Sri Lankan Army totally by surprise, and causing maximum damage. Before the Army recovers from its initial shock, the regular cadres of the LTTE attack, making maximum use of the sacrifice by the Black Tigers. The Black Tigers, being the “Leading Forceâ€ÂPOPULAR COMMENTARIES
