Summary
Contents
This book tells the story of why the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) lost the war that it had always dreamt of winning in Sri Lanka. It is a collection of news stories and commentaries penned by the author from 2003 to 2009 on the ethnic conflict in the country. Each piece is provided with an introduction that places it in the context in which it was written. The unfolding of the drama is brought about through conversations with Sri Lankan leaders, Tamil activists, Indian officials, Norwegian and other diplomats, human rights activists, former LTTE guerrillas and civilians.
The Tiger Vanquished: LTTE's Story provides a detailed account of the critical years when Sri Lanka's internationally backed peace process slowly led to a vicious war that the LTTE decisively lost. A product of the author's extensive research on the issue for more than two decades, the book reveals the dangerous lives led by LTTE guerrillas and previously unpublished information about India's silent involvement in the Norwegian-sponsored peace process.
This book will interest a wide readership including journalists, South Asia study specialists, Sri Lanka study specialists, politicians and any general reader who is interested to know about Sri Lanka.
Prabhakaran: From Catapult Killer to Ruthless Insurgent
Prabhakaran: From Catapult Killer to Ruthless Insurgent
(I wrote this obituary in April, knowing that Prabhakaran was, most probably, about to be killed. It moved on the IANS wire on 18 May 2009. As I wrote the obituary, I realized I had been pursuing the story for over a quarter century!)
HIS first victims were squirrels and birds, and his first weapon a humble catapult. From such beginnings, Velupillai Prabhakaran—who died ignominiously on Monday—grew to be the world's most shadowy and ruthless insurgent who at one time lorded over vast areas in Sri Lanka's northeast.
The over 35 years Prabhakaran spent underground building the once unknown Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) into an awesome war and terror machine transformed the ...