The Tiger Vanquished: LTTE's Story y M.R. Narayan Swamy
Reviewed by Dayan Jayatilleka
There are books that are a ‘must read‘, and others that are a ‘cracking good read’. MR Narayan Swamy’s latest book on Sri Lanka, The Tiger Vanquished: LTTE’s Story (Sage Publications, 2010), is both. It is an objective, balanced, reliable and fairly authoritative account of the last war, its prelude and its aftermath.
It should be read across the spectrum, by Sri Lankans and non-Sri Lankans interested either in Sri Lanka or the broader themes of insurgency, terrorism and ethnic conflict. The long introduction is the best single text I have read so far on the last war, from build-up and backdrop to its grand finale and present-day prospects.
Prefaced by a cinematically perfect final telephone conversation in May 2009 between a trapped Tiger leader and his family in Europe punctuated by the ever-louder, ever closer Sri Lankan gunnery, it is a fast paced narrative woven through with analytical commentary. The author is neither Sinhalese nor Tamil, and therefore far enough from the emotions roused by the topic, but a journalist from the neighbouring country India with a nose to the ground and an engagement with the Sri Lanka story for decades, and therefore close enough to the subject matter.
MR Narayan Swamy was on the story which, in the bloody wake of July ’83, was beginning to bulk large in the Indian press. He is still on it, having never taken his eye off the ball. When he wrote his first book on the Tigers, he would not have thought it would be a trilogy, but that’s what it has amounted to. This book is the third of a triptych, and brings the story to a close while deftly pinning it to what went before.
Narayan Swamy is a reporter par excellence and this book is a reporter’s story. Like any good reporter he tries to cover it from as many angles as possible, balancing the report. He emerges as a specialist on the Tigers and on Prabhakaran in particular. Just as the earlier ones were of the rise and hegemony of the Tigers – and Prabhakaran—this is the book of its and his fall. It is neither pure description nor attempt at military history; it is solid political journalism.
The book traces and fixes the beginnings of the last war, confirming that had the tsunami not hit the island in late 2004, Prabhakaran’s final offensive almost certainly would have, and that he didn’t give the newly elected Mahinda Rajapakse more than a few weeks before he initiated armed attacks unilaterally at the end of 2005. On the political side, as an informed outsider who had observed Sri Lankan leaders grapple with this problem for decades, he discovers the importance of Mahinda Rajapakse’s clarity and determination in ending it. He confirms my reading that President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga spiritedly retaliated against the LTTE by capturing Jaffna in late ’95 and yet inexplicably lost steam shortly after, leaving room for the LTTE to counterattack devastatingly – and repeating that strange shuffle after her successful defence of Jaffna in 2000. The book reminds us of the historical contributions of the three who won the war -- Mahinda and Gotabhaya Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka – and that is the order of ranking that rises from the narrative.
Narayan Swamy adds considerable value to our existing body of knowledge on the war. He pieces together from Tiger survivors that Prabhakaran expected the Sri Lankan armed forces to stop after the capture of Kilinochchi – helping us understand just how crucial it was that the offensive momentum was maintained and the old doctrine of ‘negotiations from strength’ was abandoned in favour of a war winning strategy aimed at defeating and destroying the enemy. Narayan Swamy also confirms that Prabhakaran expected the West to intervene and the Indian electorate to turf out the Congress, either of which he thought would provide him a safe exit.
The author breaks a story by revealing that under the BJP administration, Delhi had assigned several top officials of the intelligence agency RAW to join the Norwegian led ‘peace process’ and even help draft the Ceasefire Agreement. Luckily for Sri Lanka there was a change of administration and of attitude in New Delhi.
The record of contemporary history is set straight by the author who has no partisan axe to grind. The erosion in the morale of some of the Tiger cadre during and due to the CFA is captured in the account. Due strategic importance is given, as it usually isn’t in hagiographic renditions, to the Karuna schism (and its weaker precursor, the dissent of Prabhakaran’s deputy, Mahattaya). Narayan Swamy makes clear that Karuna’s was no treachery as many ultra-nationalist Tamils still have it, but a serious and predictable regional contradiction between Eastern sacrifice and Northern domination which went unheeded and unresolved due to Prabhakaran’s arrogance.
The author’s first (and first hand) impressions of Mahinda Rajapakse both as Prime Minister and President were that here was a man who was ready and even eager for peace but unlike any of his predecessors, was clearly determined from the outset that if war was resorted to by the Tigers, it would be a fight to the finish with the express goal of defeating them utterly.
The book leaves no doubt that this, the determined new national leadership, was the single most important of several ‘game changers’ that enabled Prabhakaran to be vanquished. While there are commentaries that attribute that determination to everything ranging from Sinhala chauvinism to nepotistic need, these beg the question as to why all previous leaders were unable to do so with whatever motivations however exalted or base. As Lenin once quipped “there is no such thing as a sincerometer in politics” and it is impossible in serious political analysis to impute motivation in the absence of documentary evidence. Whatever the motivations of Mahinda Rajapakse, they got the primary job done.
MR Narayan Swamy is politically far too literate a commentator to present a mono-causal (still less exclusively Rajapakse-centric) explanation for the fall of the Tigers. Instead he identifies a cluster of three factors all of which came into being in the year 2004. It is this convergence of 2004 that killed Prabahakaran and his Tiger project, argues the writer. These factors were the Karuna breakaway, Mahinda Rajapakse becoming PM and the Congress returning to office in India.
Narayanswamy’s testimony unwittingly puts paid to the perspective that strikes an anti –Tiger posture but still bewails Mahinda Rajapakse’s accession to the Prime Ministership over Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar. The author discloses the fascinating detail that Delhi, by this time under a Congress administration, tilted in favour of Rajapakse over Kadirgamar in the Premier stakes. The PM ship was always the staging post for the Presidential candidacy, and if Mahinda were not the PM he would have had far less of a chance of being the SLFP’s Presidential candidate and still less prospect of winning. No Mahinda Rajapakse, no military victory over Prabhakaran—that much is borne out by this book.
This book, especially the substantive introduction and part-predictive postscript, should comprise essential reading for all students of and policy makers concerned with Sri Lankan and Tamil affairs. It is also relevant reading for existing and aspirant guerrillas and counter-insurgents everywhere.
23 Comments
". The author is neither Sinhalese nor Tamil, and therefore far enough from the emotions roused by the topic,"
That is a far too simplistic comment about MR Narayan Swamy. I haven't read his latest book but have read his previous writings and he is known for his anti-Sri Lankan Tamil views and a known cheerleader for the Sri Lankan state. He is NO neutrel.
"these beg the question as to why all previous leaders were unable to do so with whatever motivations however exalted or base. "
The previous leaders did not defeat the LTTE for the same reason the far militarily stronger West is struggling in Iraq and Afghanistan, the same reason the ruthless Soviets could not defeat the Afghan rebels in the 80s. And that reason is, civilian casualties. For the Rajapaksa regime, civilian casualties did not matter, rules of war did not matter even when it came to his fellow citizens, the civilians. After all it would be mostly Tamil civilians dying. And thats exactly what happened, tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were slaughtered by the SL military.
Am I correct in understanding that the comaprision made by the author Narayanasamy /Indian Government which favoured Mahinda Rajapakse to be the PM instead of Kadirgamar is endorsed by DJ because :
1. Kadirgamr would not have gone for war but would have gone for a political settlement by slowly weakening the political standing of LTTE and then using the support of Western and Asian powers.
2. He would not have connived with the Southern block to destroy LTTE at a high cost to the civilians as he had served in Geneva.
3. Kadirgamar would have clung on to Norway at the expense of India
4. Kadirgamar would not have allowed China to put foot on SL with strategic military interest at the expense of Indai, NE Tamils who are part of SL
5. Kadirgamar would have approved a programm to conquer NE and capture the lands that belonged to the Tamil Civilians in the NE and then colonise those areas with Sinhalese with state assistance.
6. Kadirgamar has served his maximum by masterminding the banning of LTTE as a terrorist organisation in 32 countries. There was no benefit for the Sinhala Nation or India, after that if Kadirgamar becomes Prime Minister
7. Do not want to set a precedence in making a born Tamil to be a prime Minister or President.
In other words what I understand is that The current situation was made possible only because of Mahinda and itellegence , strategic advice and military support he recieved from all the countries.
.
I didn't get a chance to read the book yet.... but I know why DJ likes it:
-maybe the book doesn't talk much about the 40,000 killed by Rajapakse Team, before getting to Prabhakaran.
Other reason of course, Swamy is in India 'alive' to write these things, unlike our own Lasantha or Taraki.
:-)
I was expecting a book review by this so called 'scholar'. But what is provided is 'confirmation over confirmation' of Mr. Dayan's views.
That he found a suitable 'foreman' to echo his frequent profoundities on the conflict in the form of a journalist itself is a testatament to the scholarly integrity of this so called 'scholar' politician. The fact that Narayanasamy has made quite a bit of cash using the tigers with catchy titles like "the Elusive Mind' only goes to prove that our 'scholar' may have also cashed in something for his pro-regime views. Quoting poor Lenin by this chauvanist is not going to absolve the racism of this goofy so called scholar who is clutching at journalists for "confirming' his views
May be the real story is still waiting to come out form the UN spokes person. These days anyone can write a book with what few information they have and peace them to geather to make a fiction.
any way what did Mr Naryana Swamy mentioned about the 40,000 killed ?
This can be a damned fine book no doubt, but I will not buy it or read it, because I have yet to be convinced of the impartiality of the reviewer.
These responses are typical of the tamil Diaspora. The point is not the reviewer, chaps, the point is that a recognised international publisher of ACADEMIC books ( including those of Prof Immanuel wallerstein), namely SAGE, which has a stringent peer review policy for manuscripts, accepted and published this book.
Maybe you just can't stomach the title? i doubt it was mahinda rajapakse's recommendation to SAGE!
Hey Vijaya, you must be the only one who doesn't know that lakshman kadir and CBK fell out because he opposed the PTOMs with the LTTE, and she kept him completely out of the negotiating loop. My gues is that the Congress administration knew that if the choice were between a sinhalese and Tamil, Ranil would have beaten LK...and agreed to some version of the ISGA. India was very worried about the expansion of the Sea tigers. So they tilted towards mahinda!
I say it is a dumb analysis and dumb explanation.
There were several important factors, that is the support of the president, A defence secreatry who could understand the forces' needs as well as who could convey that message to the govt, then an Army Commander who had the will power and the motivation do it.
After all, LTTE won earlier bercause of their strategy. that was hit and run, let them advance and then circle and kill them all.
Later, SLA adaptred that strategy but LTTE could not do that because they have to prove they can defend their terrotory. So, they had to had a conventional army.
On the otherhand, SLA knew it was not their territory at least in others eyes. So, they went for the kill and not for the territory.
That is what went wrong. LTTE was destined to lose that way.
Kaz, Aratai....
Unscrew yours minds and untwist your tongues....
West, I mean the USA & NATO Forces are struggling in Afganistan to hide their Civillian casualties in an unfinished job.
92,000 Official documents related to these incidents leaks............ Now appearing in instalments in the New York Times, British Times and in a leading German Daily...... This is just the tip of an Ice berg to Western atrocities against Civillians........
Better read these News Prints if you do not wish to read this Mr. Narayan Swamy's book.........
Wonder what action this puppet of the West, Ban Ki Moon is going to take on these 92,000 leaked Official documents?
Appoint 92,000 Panels to advice Ban Ki Moon.
Due to the gullibility of the Diasspora fibs, the Curse or may I say the retribution is laying seige on the Western Horizon or the Hemishphere.....
ITS TIME TO BRING OUT THE BOYLES / AIs /HRWs IN DEFENCE OF THE THESE ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILLIANS BY THE USA & NATO FORCES.
Its now the turn of the Diasspora to rush to the rescue of the USA & NATO Forces atrocities commited on civillians in Afganistan.
Kaz, Aratai....
Unscrew yours minds and untwist your tongues....
West, I mean the USA & NATO Forces are struggling in Afganistan to hide their Civillian casualties in an unfinished job.
92,000 Official documents related to these incidents leaks............ Now appearing in instalments in the New York Times, British Times and in a leading German Daily...... This is just the tip of an Ice berg to Western atrocities against Civillians........
Better read these News Prints if you do not wish to read this Mr. Narayan Swamy's book.........
Wonder what action this puppet of the West, Ban Ki Moon is going to take on these 92,000 leaked Official documents?
Appoint 92,000 Panels to advice Ban Ki Moon.
Due to the gullibility of the Diasspora fibs, the Curse or may I say the retribution is laying seige on the Western Horizon or the Hemishphere.....
ITS TIME TO BRING OUT THE BOYLES / AIs /HRWs IN DEFENCE OF THE THESE ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILLIANS BY THE USA & NATO FORCES.
Its now the turn of the Diasspora to rush to the rescue of the USA & NATO Forces atrocities commited on civillians in Afganistan.
kaz says :
"The previous leaders did not defeat the LTTE for the same reason the far militarily stronger West is struggling in Iraq and Afghanistan, the same reason the ruthless Soviets could not defeat the Afghan rebels in the 80s. And that reason is, civilian casualties."
Hey Kaz, civilians still die and did die in the wars you talk about. Read about the Iraq war and check the figures as to how many civilians have lost their lives due to terror bombs of the terrorists and the attacks by the Americans.
During Iraq war 1 tomahawk missiles were sent crashing into Iraq by the senior Bush administration. No civilians died in those attacks?
Don't try to whitewash the dastardly act of the white westerner. They have killed and will always kill whenever their safety or economic gain is threatened.
What Mahinda Rajapaksa did was to save his motherland from the brutal terror of the madman (now burning in hell) Prabakaran. It was not MR who put the civilians at risk. It was coward Prabakaran who hid behind the civilians and dragged them onto harm's way.
It is horrible that civilians died in the war, but it need not have taken place if the "Tamil loving" Prabakaran had left them in alone without herding them out into danger zones and firing on them when they wanted to leave.
I for one will always laud the action of president Rajapakse for being decisive enough to finish the madman and his gang once and for all, and thereby saving another 100,000 lives being lost in the continuation of the LTTE misery in SL.
Have your head examined before making comments about the Western led wars and civilian casualties!!!!
*** any way what did Mr Naryana Swamy mentioned about the 40,000 killed ***
It is AMAZING at how good TAMILS are at playing the "REPEAT THE LIE" game.... Govt Estimates were about 7000 killed in the final stages of the conflict... then The TAMIL TERRORIST MOUTHPIECES increased that to 20,000, then about 6 months ago it was 30,000 and now they have settled on the 40,000 number.... for now. Just like the LYING and EXAGGERATION about Black July - the number is up from 1000 to 3000 to now 5000 or more... and every TAMIL EELAMIST is so wonderful at taking that number for FACT... until of course the number is INCREASED, and then they will all change their stories to REPEAT the NEW LIE... and they will do it with STONE FACES...
And as for Kaz comment:
*** And thats exactly what happened, tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were slaughtered by the SL military. ***
Hardly! Innocent my FOOT! these people were the Most LOYAL MAKKAL PADDAI - they followed the TIGERS into the Jungles leaving their homes and livelihoods - abandoning access to medicine, food, and water... Why? they were the LTTE's support base and they turned into the LTTE's HUMAN SHIELDS... Who's fault is that? LTTE always uses its population as HUMAN SHIELDS and the rest of the DIASPORA conveniently look the other way... why? because if the LTTE did not CREATE TAMIL VICTIMS there is no chance for FOREIGN INTERVENTION... and we all know the LTTE cannot achieve EELAM by fighting the Sri Lankan armed forces by ADHERING to the RULES of WARFARE....
Ha ha, pearls before swine, Dayan. Is the book available in Colombo?
Haven't read the book. But has he ever mentioned the most basic fact? That Rajapakse came to power because Prabhakaran stopped Tamils from voting in that presidential election. So it was "Harakiri" by Prabha!!
xsrilankan and Arati,
Please give us exact reference, and counts for 40,000 Tamils killed. Or do you use your imagination for your advantage.
War is ugly, and sure enough innocent civillians die. that's very unfortunate But, 40,000 is highly exagerated. On top of that, more than 40,000 innocent civilians (Tamils, Sinhalese & others) would have died if Prabha was alive. No civilian (Tamil) died since May 2009.
Even you two can visit us in Sri Lanka without any fear and reclaim your property what LTTE grabbed.
Many readers talk about the "40,000" civi1lians dead or killed but none of them tell the number of LTTE died! Is that 40,000 include those LTTE deaths too? Who will tell the number of LTTE killed during the war?
Pro-LTTE ideals never help the remaining Tamils in Sri Lanka. Anti-Indian sentiments of the Sri Lankans(Tamil or Sinhalese) never solve any problems of Sri Lankans if they believe India is our ancestoral home!
Four of our earlier Presidents tried to rid the terrorists but failed because of their wrong attitude, wrong approach and wrong policies. JRJ would have finished LTTE and Piripaharan a long way back, had he not upset India. Premadase would have finished it, had he allowed IPKF to remain for a few more months. ChandrikaK would have done it had she not mixed the war with ‘Peace thawalams’. Wijetunge of cause didn’t have the political savvy and of cause the time.
Whatever Dayan and Narayan Swamy says; I say, most credit for eradicating the LTTE menace must go to those of us that worked hard at ground level to elect Mahinda Rajapakse as President of this country against all odds. I wonder whether Dayan is a one among them. Anyway, after that, the credit must go to none other than Mahinda, and his brother Gota. They should get 95% of the credit. I say that because; it is the said duo that formulated the strategy to wage the war and carried it to the end. It’s a myth to say people like SF were indispensible. How come, the East was won without SF? What is it not to say that some other army commander would have finished the job quicker? And he may not have done debacles like the one in Alimankada.
It is the Rajapakses that faced the national and international impediments and workout the tactics to prevail over them. Don’t take my word, just read comments by LTTE rumps here and see who they blame for the demise of their pet project – LTTE=Eelam. Election after election results proved that people by far expect Rajapakses to lead this country and keep it safe. And the development; it just would follow effortlessly.
dagobert et al,
I did not write that there weren’t any civilian casualties in the Iraq and Afghanistan war. The point is about how much consideration one gives to civilian casualties in one’s war strategy. Don’t you think if the west wants to defeat the Taliban, they have the firepower to flatten the Taliban controlled areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan? But thousands upon thousands of civilians will be killed in that strategy. That is precisely why the strongest military in history is still struggling against the Taliban rather than use their enormous firepower to win. Whilst the Rajapkasa regime did the exact opposite. They went for the kill, irrespective of civilian casualties and unlike in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Sri Lanka, they slaughtered thousands of their OWN civilians. The first country to do so in the 21st century, joining the likes of Milosovich, Hitler, Mobuto, Pol Pot and Soeharto who did the same in the 20th century. Proud of that fact?
I am glad you raised the issue about the 92,000 documents revealed by Wikileaks. Where is the Wikileaks equivalent in Sri Lanka? When will we have the truth revealed about civilian deaths in Sri Lanka or are you an hypocrite only interested in civilian deaths committed by the west and the LTTE??
A good comparison to Sri Lanka’s war against LTTE is how the British handled the IRA and how the Spanish state handled ETA. Did the British slaughter thousands of Northern Irish Catholics, their fellow UK citizens in response to IRA terror? Did the British carpet bomb Belfast? Did Spain massacre thousands of Spanish civilians in response to ETA terror?
Er... Leela, you seem pretty ignorant of recent events. What makes you think the East was won without SF? And Elephant Pass fell before SF was made Army Commander. The war could not have been won without the combo of MR, Gota, and SF. To imagine that the defence strategy was planned by just a colonel and a lawyer is pretty absurd.
Devinda Fernando,SIVANANTHAN you both agreed there are thousands of thousands people killed in Srilanka last 30 years.JVP, LTTE, and government forces.that's why people need inquiry commission. The UN INQUARRY COMMISION..Good luck to Mr Naryana Swamy i haven't read the book yet,but DR.DJ its a good try..."He hasn't mention about 40,000 killed in last May2009" .
New theory this: Never mind the author, never mind the reviewer, never mind the review; if the publisher is good, buy the dashed thing!
Just tell that to the birds Mate !
To many who suspect the usual culprits were behind the killing of Lakshman K, some of the comments here - of bloggers who appear to have access to those in the know - suggest sources within the system did him in.
The fear he would have more or less moved against the LTTE, of his being considered for higher office all appear to converge to suggest a deeper conspiracy. Add to that the creature whom ST Coleridge sang ..."they are all but ministers of love and feed his sacred flame" and the fact within the household was a senior man in uniform. Jeez! the plot certainly thickens.
ISS
40,000 killings were the latest in a long list which created the LTTE:-