Balraj

Last updated

Brigadier [1] Balraj
Born(1965-11-27)27 November 1965
Kokkuththoduvai, Sri Lanka
Died20 May 2008(2008-05-20) (aged 42)
Mullaithivu, Sri Lanka
Other namesLiima(Military code name)
OccupationTamil militant
Known for Conventional warfare
Psychological warfare
Attack on Elephant Pass
SpousesLt. Col Varathaa (Died due to snake bite)
Military service
AllegianceTamil Eelam Flag.svg Tamil Eelam
Service / branch Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Years of service1981 –2009
CommandsHead of Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service
Battles / wars Sri Lankan Civil War

Brigadier Balraj [1] (born Balasegaram Kandiah) was a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Contents

Early life

Balraj was the fifth and youngest child of Kandiah and Kannagias. He received his primary education in Kokkuthoduwaai (in Mullaitheevu district) and his secondary education in Pulmoddai (in Trincomalee district). After he passed his O levels, his parents wanted to send him to university; however, due to civil unrest throughout the country they were unable to do so. [2] Balraj was fluent in Tamil, Sinhala and English. Although none of his siblings joined the Tamil Tigers, some of his nephews and nieces did.

LTTE

As a student, Balraj was recruited by the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) by Suntharam (one of its leaders). PLOTE differed from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, the primary Tamil nationalist organisation) in tactics, favouring the widespread formation of sleeper cells over the LTTE's hit-and-run tactics. As a result of this, Balraj had little opportunity to fight in open combat (which frustrated him). He decided to switch allegiance when the 1983 riots began, contacting a teacher who was an LTTE recruiter and accepted Balraj despite his PLOTE background. He was initially a part-time member, becoming a full-time member by 1984. Balraj's ability was recognized by Mahattaya, although he was suspected by Velupillai Prabhakaran due to his PLOTE background and restricted to the role of a helper rather than a fighter.

When conflict began with the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), most of the LTTE leadership fled into the jungle; at this point, Balraj's abilities in conventional and psychological warfare became known. He commanded the LTTE's first conventional fighting formation, the Charles Anthony Brigade, [3] which distinguished itself during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in which Balraj landed by sea (rather than by land) on the Jaffna peninsula . The LTTE (unlike many separatist organisations) was considered the only non-government military organisation capable of complex military manoeuvres, largely as a result of this battle.

Balraj preferred to fight on the front line amidst heavy shelling and bombing, rather than within the confines of a command centre. [4] [5] During his last years, he was often requested by Prabhakaran for assistance on the battlefield (where Balraj remained for many hours, impacting his health. After being hospitalized in Puthukkudiyiruppu, he returned to the battlefield to supervise. According to Theepan, Balraj participated in an ambush at Munthirikaikkulam in which fourteen SLA soldiers were killed and several weapons seized. [6]

Balraj was aware in 2008 that the Sri Lankan Army was breaking through the LTTE's defences and would soon capture Kilinochchi (as they did after Balraj's death, on 2 January 2009), referring to it as the final battle for Eelam (an accurate prediction, since the LTTE were defeated as a conventional army on 19 May).

Second Battle of Elephant Pass

In the Second Battle of Elephant Pass, Balraj led 1,200 cadres behind enemy lines. The Sri Lankan Army maintained a strong defence, but Balraj cut off their supplies and attacked from three directions (an action considered impossible by a US Advisor visiting the site several months earlier. [7] The attack was noted for heavy Sri Lankan Army casualties (without air support) and because Balraj, instead of taking an overland route, moved by sea with the aid of Colonel Soosai. The operation was facilitated by Brigadier Theepan and Karuna Amman, who attacked the Sri Lankan Army south of Elephant Pass and blocked reinforcements.

LTTE military academy

When Balraj's health began to deteriorate, he gave lectures and instructions to LTTE recruits. Balraj taught military strategy, planning and tactics, providing specialised training for LTTE commandos and special forces.

Relationship with Tamils

Balraj interacted with the Tamil people in Sri Lanka as he moved through it, becoming one of the most popular members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam because of his simplicity and accessibility. Often acting as an intermediary between the Tamil people and the LTTE leadership, he generally travelled on foot or bicycle without a bodyguard rather than in vehicles. This was unique among LTTE commanders, and Balraj's approach to the Tamils created some friction with other LTTE authorities.

Politics

Balraj did not participate in politics, and acknowledged Velupillai Prabhakaran as the leader of the LTTE and Tamil Eelam.

Health

He was injured before he received military training in Tamil Nadu, [8] and was wounded three times in confrontations with the Indian Army. Balraj was frequently wounded in battle against the Sri Lankan Army, and had heart problems; he was hospitalised for two weeks for heart surgery in Singapore during the 2003 ceasefire. His emotional health was severely affected by the death of his wife.

Death

Balraj died on 20 May 2008 at 2:00 p.m. of a heart attack. [9] [10] He was promoted posthumously to Brigadier because he had been responsible for many LTTE victories on the battlefield against the Sri Lankan Army. A three-day period of mourning, from 21 to 23 May, was declared by the LTTE. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</span> Tamil organisation in Sri Lanka (1976–2009)

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velupillai Prabhakaran</span> Leader of militant Tamil organisation in Sri Lanka (1954–2009)

Velupillai Prabhakaran was a Sri Lankan revolutionary. Prabhakaran was a major figure of Tamil nationalism, and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE was a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka in reaction to the oppression of the country's Tamil population by the Sri Lankan government. Under his direction, the LTTE undertook a military campaign against the Sri Lankan government for more than 25 years.

The Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), also known as the Eelam Revolutionary Organisers, is a former Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. Most of the EROS membership was absorbed into the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1990. The other half of EROS that did not join forces with the LTTE due was led by PLO trained Shankar Rajee, Senior politburo member and military commander of EROS from 1990 until his demise in 2005. The political wing of 'EROS' is known as the Eelavar Democratic Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) is a former Tamil militant group that had become a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottu Amman (Tamil militant)</span> LTTE Rebel

Shanmugalingam Sivashankar was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

Suppayya Paramu Thamilselvan, commonly known as S. P. Tamilselvan,, was the leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an organisation fighting for a separate state for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east of Sri Lanka from majority Sinhalese government. He was a prominent negotiator and one of the closest associates of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankar (Tamil militant)</span> Sri Lanakan rebel (1949–2001)

Vaithilingam Sornalingam was founder of the air wing and marine division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and a relative of Velupillai Prabhakaran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theepan</span>

Velayuthapillai Baheerathakumar was a leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He played a leading role in the LTTE's military victories in the Vanni during Eelam War III, including Mullaitivu (1996), Kilinochchi (1998), Oddusuddan (1999) and Elephant Pass (2000). He was killed at the Battle of Ananthapuram in the last days of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Anthony Brigade</span> Sri Lankan military unit

The Charles Antony Special Regiment, was a commando unit and the first conventional fighting formation created by the LTTE. It was founded on 10 April 1991, and was initially trained under the leadership of Brigadier Balraj. It was the oldest and one of the most highly trained infantry units of the Tamil Tigers with its own military academies, research units and defence colleges for its officer corps. The soldiers in the unit all hailed from villages in the Northern Province. The brigade made history during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass when it became the first non-state military regiment to defeat an entire infantry division in a conventional battle. Military analysts say that with the fall of Elephant pass, the Charles Anthony Special Regiment established the LTTE as the only non-state military force in the world capable of such complex manoeuvre war fighting. The Elephant pass base was described as "impregnable" by a US army officer who visited the garrison months before its fall in April 2000 By October 2003, the regiment had lost 14 commanding officers and 1056 soldiers. The regiment was named after the LTTE's first military commander and a close associate to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Charles Lucas Anthony(Lt.Seelan). Lt.Seelan led the first ever attack on the Sri Lankan army by any Tamil militant group on 15 October 1981 when the LTTE ambushed an army jeep driving down the KKS Road in Jaffna, killing 2 soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seelan</span>

Charles Lucas Anthony was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

The following lists notable events that took place during 2009 in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Eelam Liberation Army was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel group. TELA was originally the military wing of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, but split away from TELO in 1982.

The Eelam National Liberation Front (ENLF) was a short-lived (1984–1986) umbrella organisation for leading Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups.

The Battle of Aanandapuram was a land battle fought between the Sri Lankan Military, 58 Division, 53 Division and Task Force 8 and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the control of the last stronghold held by the LTTE. This battle is a part of the Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV during the Sri Lankan civil war. The battle was fought in the Aanandapuram area of Puthukkudiyirippu AGA Sri Lanka.

The Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war was the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka intended to perform a peacekeeping role. The deployment followed the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord between India and Sri Lanka of 1987 which was intended to end the Sri Lankan civil war between separatist Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists, principally the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the Sri Lankan Military.

Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam refers to the military, intelligence and overseas divisions the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Most of these divisions were destroyed during the Eelam War IV, and only parts of the intelligence and financing divisions remain overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uma Maheswaran</span> Sri Lankan Tamil militant (1945–1989)

Kadirgamapillai (Kathirkamar) Nallainathan was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and the founder and leader of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

Vithusha also spelt as Vidusha commonly known by the nom de guerre Brigadier Vithusha was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. She joined the LTTE after being deeply affected by the massacre of Tamils in the Kumudini boat massacre in 1985. She came from a Tamil Brahmin family, her brother Vithushan died in combat during battle with the Sri Lankan Army in Vilakkuvaithakulam in Vavuniya District in 1999. She received her training near Kilili as part of the Freedom Birds training program. She was in charge of stores during the IPKF operations. She got into combat and fought in an attack on the Jaffna Fort and she played a significant role in every military operation in which the women's brigade was involved. She was killed in combat in the Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu in 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 Kumaaran, Satheesan (25 May 2008). "Death of Balraj and its implications". The Sunday Times . 42 (52). ISSN   1391-0531 . Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  2. ↑ "Transcurrents » Brigadier Balraj: Brave LTTE Commander who led from the front". Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ↑ "Remembering a reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj". Tamil Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj TamilNet". Tamilnet. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
  5. ↑ "Sri Lanka: Brigadier Balraj passes away – LTTE". Siber News. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  6. ↑ "Reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj". Tamil Guardian: 12–13. ISSN   1369-2208.
  7. ↑ "TamilNet".
  8. ↑ "Reserved hero: Brigadier Balraj". TamilNet. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Salter, Mark (2015). To End a Civil War : Norway's Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka. London: Hurst. p. 318. ISBN   978-1-84904-574-2. OCLC   1041254492.
  10. ↑ "Death of Balraj and its implications". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Suter, Martin (2015). The Chef. Chicago: Atlantic Books. pp. May 2008. ISBN   978-0-85789-292-8. OCLC   831121234.
  12. ↑ "LTTE chief Prabhakaran's final farewell to deputy". Rediff.com . 23 May 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.