Colonel Soosai
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சூசை
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The Sea Tigers' special commander Col. Soosai being interviewed by a Tamil journalist in 2006 in a Sea Tiger's base located in Mullaitivu. His bodyguard is seen standing behind him carrying an M16.
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| Born | Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan (1963-10-16)16 October 1963 |
| Died | 18 May 2009(2009-05-18) (aged 45) |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Spouse | Sathyadevi[1] |
| Children | Suresh Madhi |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Tamil Eelam |
| Service/ | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
| Years of service | 1981 –2009 |
| Commands held | Head of Sea Tigers |
| Battles/wars | Sri Lankan Civil War
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Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan (Tamil: தில்லையம்பலம் சிவனேசன்; 16 October 1963[3] – 18 May 2009), also known by his nom de guerre, Colonel Soosai,[4] was the head of the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[5][6][7]
Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan was married to Sathyadevi, the younger sister of Lieutenant Shankar. They had three children named Sindhu, Madhi and Shankar. Shankar, their youngest child, was killed in a boating accident on July 18th 2007.[8] Soosai did not spend much time with his family due to his duties as head of the Sea Tigers but was very fond of his children.[9] The family were big cricket fans and were supporters of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.[10] On May 14th 2009, Sathyadevi and her two children fled the warzone, boarding a boat in an attempt to escape to Tamil Nadu. Soosai refused to escape with his family, wanting to die fighting for the LTTE.[11] The family's boat was intercepted at sea by the Sri Lankan Navy as they attempted to flee.[12] Satyadevi was identified as Soosai’s wife by a Sea Tiger who surrendered to the Navy. She was detained separately with her children and interrogated. Thereafter the family was detained within the Navy camp premises in Trincomalee. They were subsequently released. They currently live in Trincomalee under certain government restrictions.[13] Sathyadevi later gave an interview for “The Nation” English Weekly, published in Colombo, where she recounted some of her experiences during the war.[13]
Soosai joined the LTTE in 1981 after the Burning of the Jaffna Public Library. He was one of the LTTE's original 30 members. When the war broke out following the Black July pogrom, Soosai was among the first batch of Tiger recruits who received training in North India.[13] He was then appointed area commander for Vadamarachchi under Jaffna District commander Colonel Kittu.[13] He served in this position during the army's Vadamarachchi Operation and played a crucial role in countering it.[13]
