Photo: The LTTE Sea Wing leaders including Soosai and Kalarttan at Mullative in 2006.The Sea Tiger leader, Thillaiyampalan Sivanesan alias Col. Soosai, is believed to have been replaced by his Deputy Cheliyan consequent to a long running dispute between him and LTTE Intelligence Wing leader, Pottu Amman.
The new appointment had been revealed at last Thursday’s funerals of three Sea Tigers including third-in-command ‘Lt. Colonel’ Chandrasekeran Pillai alias Thiyagan killed in a confrontation with the SLN off Pulmoddai three days earlier. Thiyagan’s deputy ‘Lt. Colonel’ Kanniyathamby too had been killed in this battle.
Although the LTTE identified the new leader who was present at the funeral as Kalaarthan, the SLN believes the man was in fact Cheliyan. The funerals had been held at Puththukudirippu and Mullaitivu.
Thiyagan had commanded what the LTTE dubbed as the Charles Brigade set up in memory of Soosai’s first deputy, Charles, killed during a confrontation with the SLN in the Jaffna lagoon in the early 90s. Cheliyan had taken the number two slot after a clandestine mission behind LTTE lines a few years ago had seen Gangai Ammaran, who succeeded Charles, killed.
The SLN said that the presence of Pottu Amman with Cheliyan and Sri Ram identified as the fourth-in-command of Sea Tigers highlighted the growing influence of Pottu Amman within the organization.
Although speculation is rife that Soosai had been wounded in a blast in the middle of July, there is no confirmation. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had paid his last respects to the fallen comarades, the sources said. But a notable absentee had been Soosai who is believed to be hospitalized due to injuries suffered in the recent attack.
Speculation is that the recent clashes between rival Tamil groups in Oslo were linked to the dispute among Vanni-based LTTE leaders, particularly Soosai and Amman.
The LTTE is believed to have initiated the recent Pulmoddai battle in a bid to trap SLN craft operating in the area. They had launched two clusters of boats from Mullaitivu and Nayaru comprising about 15 craft to lure the SLN close to the coast.
"They planned to engage them with artillery," an official revealed. They had fired several rounds of artillery believed to be 130 mm or 152 mm forcing the SLN to keep a safe distance, he said.
Meanwhile, in a pre-dawn attack, the SLN destroyed a Sea Tiger craft off Manalkadu in the early hours of Friday.
The SLN had swung to action after radar based at Nagarkovil had detected the approaching boat and directed a four boats flotilla manned by the elite Special Boat Squadron to intercept it.
The SBS had been called in as Fast Attack Craft had been unable to operate close to the land, the sources said. Although the enemy craft had escaped detection initially, the SLN subsequently trapped it.
During the subsequent exchange the SLN had killed an infiltrator and recovered the theppan-type boat fitted with an eight horse power outboard motor along with a body of an LTTE cadre with a cyanide capsule, one 40 mm grenade launcher with nine rounds of ammunitions, one GPS, two SMG magazines with ammunitions and one cellular phone. The SLA had killed his accomplice who managed to reach the land with a claymore mine.Sea Tigers had suffered considerable losses in the hands of the SLN over the past years with the sinking of four large vessels on the high seas being the worst debacle suffered by the organization.
The new appointment had been revealed at last Thursday’s funerals of three Sea Tigers including third-in-command ‘Lt. Colonel’ Chandrasekeran Pillai alias Thiyagan killed in a confrontation with the SLN off Pulmoddai three days earlier. Thiyagan’s deputy ‘Lt. Colonel’ Kanniyathamby too had been killed in this battle.
Although the LTTE identified the new leader who was present at the funeral as Kalaarthan, the SLN believes the man was in fact Cheliyan. The funerals had been held at Puththukudirippu and Mullaitivu.
Thiyagan had commanded what the LTTE dubbed as the Charles Brigade set up in memory of Soosai’s first deputy, Charles, killed during a confrontation with the SLN in the Jaffna lagoon in the early 90s. Cheliyan had taken the number two slot after a clandestine mission behind LTTE lines a few years ago had seen Gangai Ammaran, who succeeded Charles, killed.
The SLN said that the presence of Pottu Amman with Cheliyan and Sri Ram identified as the fourth-in-command of Sea Tigers highlighted the growing influence of Pottu Amman within the organization.
Although speculation is rife that Soosai had been wounded in a blast in the middle of July, there is no confirmation. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had paid his last respects to the fallen comarades, the sources said. But a notable absentee had been Soosai who is believed to be hospitalized due to injuries suffered in the recent attack.
Speculation is that the recent clashes between rival Tamil groups in Oslo were linked to the dispute among Vanni-based LTTE leaders, particularly Soosai and Amman.
The LTTE is believed to have initiated the recent Pulmoddai battle in a bid to trap SLN craft operating in the area. They had launched two clusters of boats from Mullaitivu and Nayaru comprising about 15 craft to lure the SLN close to the coast.
"They planned to engage them with artillery," an official revealed. They had fired several rounds of artillery believed to be 130 mm or 152 mm forcing the SLN to keep a safe distance, he said.
Meanwhile, in a pre-dawn attack, the SLN destroyed a Sea Tiger craft off Manalkadu in the early hours of Friday.
The SLN had swung to action after radar based at Nagarkovil had detected the approaching boat and directed a four boats flotilla manned by the elite Special Boat Squadron to intercept it.
The SBS had been called in as Fast Attack Craft had been unable to operate close to the land, the sources said. Although the enemy craft had escaped detection initially, the SLN subsequently trapped it.
During the subsequent exchange the SLN had killed an infiltrator and recovered the theppan-type boat fitted with an eight horse power outboard motor along with a body of an LTTE cadre with a cyanide capsule, one 40 mm grenade launcher with nine rounds of ammunitions, one GPS, two SMG magazines with ammunitions and one cellular phone. The SLA had killed his accomplice who managed to reach the land with a claymore mine.Sea Tigers had suffered considerable losses in the hands of the SLN over the past years with the sinking of four large vessels on the high seas being the worst debacle suffered by the organization.
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