Captain

Miller
மில்லர்
Born
Vallipuram Vasanthan

(1966-01-01)1 January 1966
Died5 July 1987(1987-07-05) (aged 21)
Nelliady, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Years active1983–1987
OrganizationLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Known forFirst Black Tiger

Vallipuram Vasanthan (Tamil: வல்லிப்புரம் வசந்தன்; 1 January 1966 – 5 July 1987) commonly known by the nom de guerre Captain Miller, was a Sri Lankan Tamil member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He was the LTTE's first Black Tiger.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Vasanthan was born on 1 January 1966.[5][6] He was from Thunnalai in northern Sri Lanka.[6] He was the son of a bank manager and had two siblings.[7] He was educated at Hartley College in Point Pedro.[5][7][8][9]

LTTE

Captain Miller shrine at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam on Black Tigers Day, 2004.

Deeply affected by the suffering of the victims of Black July anti-Tamil riots, Vasanthan joined the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1983 as driver.[7][10] He became a full time member of the LTTE a year later.[10] He was given the nom de guerre Miller (Millar).[11][12]

During the Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation) the Sri Lanka Army took over Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam and turned it into a military base.[13][14][15] The LTTE resolved to capture the base which was heavily reinforced and surrounded by barbed wire.[14] Miller volunteered to drive a bomb filled vehicle into the heart of the base.[14][16] Miller visited his family on 29 June 1987 and treated them and his friends to ice cream.[10] On 5 July 1987 the LTTE filled a truck with explosives. The explosion created a crater as big as a bus.[15] Other LTTE cadres who were following Miller's truck launched an attack on the camp and captured it.[14] Scores of soldiers were killed and wounded.[lower-alpha 1]

The incident was videotaped and Miller was posthumously promoted to captain.[14] He became a revered figure in the LTTE and his face was on the insignia of the Black Tigers, the LTTE's suicide wing.[14] 5 July became Karumpuli Naal (Black Tigers Day), a day for Tamils across the world to commemorate all Black Tiger martyrs.[5][14][17][20] A shrine, including a golden statue of Miller, was built at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam.[13][21] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Vadamarachchi region in 1996 they destroyed Miller's shrine but locals managed to save and hide his statue.[22][23] The statue and new memorial plaque were re-installed in 2002 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement.[22][23] After war resumed, Miller's statue was attacked and destroyed by armed men on 23 August 2006.[23] The remnants of the shrine – the dais on which Miller's statue stood and stone memorial plaque – were destroyed by the army on 4 July 2010.[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Estimates of the number of soldiers killed at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam vary – 17,[13] 18,[15] 20,[14] 30,[17] 40,[14][16][18] 55.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Birtley, Tony (23 July 2007). "Sri Lanka's Black Tigers". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tamil Tigers mark suicide attacks". BBC News. 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Karunakharan, P. (6 July 2004). "LTTE's senior leader killed". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Athas, Iqbal (13 October 1996). "Censorship out: then events unfurled". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Karumpuli Naal marked worldwide". Tamil Guardian. 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 Sri Kantha, Sachi. "Homage to the Black Tigers: A Review of the Sooriya Puthalvargal 2003 Memorial Souvenir". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Pleven, Liam (19 July 2005). "Secrets of their success (part 2)". Newsday. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Hartley College Milestones". Hartley College. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008.
  9. ↑ "Vasanthan Vallipuram". Hartley College. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 "Statue of Miller at Nelliady School". Sunday Leader. 10 July 2005. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Weiss, Gordon (2011). The Cage (Weiss book). The Bodley Head. p. 65.
  12. ↑ Barbagli, Marzio (2015). Farewell to the World: A History of Suicide. Polity Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-7456-6244-2.
  13. 1 2 3 Pleven, Liam (19 July 2005). "Secrets of their success (part 1)". Newsday. Archived from the original on 14 August 2005.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lewis, Jeffrey William (2012). The Business of Martyrdom: A History of Suicide Bombing. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-097-2.
  15. 1 2 3 Athas, Iqbal (11 July 1999). "Lots of promises, but precious little". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  16. 1 2 Gunaratna, Rohan (5 February 2000). "The LTTE and suicide terrorism". Frontline. 17 (3). Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  17. 1 2 Athas, Iqbal (12 July 2004). "The End Of Peace?". Outlook. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Dying with enemy after dining with chief". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 9 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Perera, Amantha (12 July 2006). "Black Tigers bare their fangs". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ↑ "LTTE leader pays homage to Black Tigers". TamilNet. 5 July 2006. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Perera, Amantha (17 July 2003). "Suicide bombers feared and revered". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. 1 2 3 "SLA destroys remnants of Black Tiger Miller monument in Vadamaraadchi". TamilNet. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 "Armed men attack Black Tiger Miller statue in Vadamaradchi". TamilNet. 24 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
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