Below is a message I received from a (non-Tamil) Sri Lankan now living abroad. I would draw your attention to his last sentence, which I have recast in bold.
"The fact though is that [the late LTTE leader] must have had around him brilliant men and women: otherwise, those daring and successful military victories could never have been achieved – and there were many such battle-victories against unbelievable odds and circumstances.
Also, consider the building of an air force, however rudimentary - and submarines. Then airstrips and ports. Given time, they would have got guided missiles up in the air! It would be interesting if some insider could write the real story." Regards. Chris
There is no one, real, story but many stories, told by different individuals, through different experiences and different perspectives. I hope "insiders" will write their account. so that future generations of Tamils will be helped to have a measure of self-respect - and the self-confidence and sense of collective "self-worth" that goes with it - despite conduct towards the end of the war, and defeat.
Those who write should, ideally, show it to someone for editorial input. It is not that an editor is better but just that another pair of eyes will spot things that the writer herself/himself did not see. Such an editor will address not merely the mechanics of language - spelling mistakes etc - but focus on far more important aspects: structure, tone, necessary background information, presentation. There should be no exaggeration, no overt attempt to excite emotion.
If you know anyone with "inside" knowledge of actual military operations conducted, however small, do urge her/him to write it down, in Tamil or English. It is a duty and, therefore, an imperative.
Whether it is published or not, whether an editor works on it or not, whether it is long or only a paragraph, the first and most important thing is that these accounts be written down - before they are forgotten, lost, and future Tamils are left only with the government version of things.
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shanmugappirabu nalliah to Charles
DEAR PROF.CS!
GREAT MEN THINK ALIKE! I WAS THINKING THE SAME WHEN I MET A SEAMAN WHO RODE MANY BOAT TRIPS BETWEEN TAMIL PORTS OF S.ASIA SUCCESSFULLY AND ESCAPED TO EU! BUT UNFORTUNATELY I FORGET TO GET HIS TELEFON NR! BUT I WILL START TO DO THIS PROJECT! YOU SHD HELP ME! WE MUST DO THIS FOR TAMIL SELF-RESPECT,CONFIDENCE AND FOR FUTURE TAMIL GENERATIONS! THANKS FOR IGNITION OF FIRE!.....SHAN NALLIAH
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