List of commanders of the LTTE
The following is a list of commanders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, a separatist militant Tamil nationalist organisation, which operated in northern and eastern Sri Lanka from the late 1970s to May 2009, until it was defeated by the Sri Lankan Military.

List of commanders of the LTTE

Section Title:
Table Section Text: The following is a list of commanders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, a separatist militant Tamil nationalist organisation, which operated in northern and eastern Sri Lanka from the late 1970s to May 2009, until it was defeated by the Sri Lankan Military.

Nom de Guerre	Real Name	Date & Place of Birth	Date & Place of Death	Position(s)	Notes

Thambi (used only by closest associates) and Anna (elder brother)	Velupillai Prabhakaran †	26 November 1954 Valvettithurai	18 May 2009 (aged 54) Vellamullivaikkal	Leader of the LTTE	Prabhakaran was the supreme leader of LTTE, which waged a 25-year violent secessionist campaign in Sri Lanka. His death in Nanthikadal lagoon, Vellamullivaikkal, Mullaitivu, brought an immediate end to the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Pottu Amman alias Papa Oscar alias Sobhigemoorthy alias Kailan	Shanmugalingam Shivashankar †	1962 Nayanmarkaddu	18 May 2009 (aged 47) Vellamullivaikkal	Leader of Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service (TOSIS) and Black Tigers	Pottu Amman was the second-in-command of LTTE. His death was initially disputed because the dead body was not found.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan (POW) alias Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP (23+ aliases)	Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam	6 April 1955 Kankesanthurai	Leader of LTTE since the death of Prabhakaran. Prior to that, served as the chief procurer of arms and head of the "Department of International Relations" of LTTE	As the chief arms procurer since the origin of the organisation, Pathmanathan was involved in all the vital administrative issues of LTTE.

Karuna Amman	Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan	1966 Kiran, Batticaloa	LTTE leader of the Eastern Province	Karuna Amman was a major commander of the LTTE. He was involved in many successful LTTE attacks including the Second Battle of Elephant Pass.

Lt. Seelan †	Charles Lucas Anthony	Church Street, Trincomalee	15 July 1983 Meesalai	Second-in-command of LTTE as of 1983	Seelan was Prabhakaran's right-hand man in the early stages of LTTE. He was instrumental in the rising of LTTE from an armed criminal gang to a deadly military force.

Colonel Kittu †	Sathasivam Krishnakumar	2 January 1960 Velvettithurai	16 January 1993 (aged 33) Indian Ocean	Second-in-Command of LTTE, Leader of shipping	Col. Kittu was the Second-in-Command of LTTE in the 1980s.

Mahattaya	Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja	1956 Point Pedro	28 December 1994 (aged 38) Chavakacheri	Second-in-Command of LTTE (1987–1993), Leader of People's Front of Liberation Tigers, Political wing of LTTE	LTTE intelligence wing found Mahattaya was leaking information to India's Research and Analysis Wing, and plotting to assassinate Prabhakaran. He was arrested in March 1993, and executed in December 1994, on the orders of Prabhakaran.

Thamilselvan	S. P. Thamilselvan	29 August 1967 Chavakacheri	2 November 2007 (aged 40) Kilinochchi	Political leader of LTTE	One of the prominent negotiators of LTTE. Killed by a precise Sri Lanka Air Force bombing targeting him.

Colonel Shankar	Vaithilingam Sornalingam †	September 1949	26 September 2001 (aged 52) Oddusuddan	Founder and leader of the air wing and marine division of LTTE	Shankar was a relative and one of the closest lieutenants of LTTE leader Prabhakaran. He is killed by a claymore attack of the deep penetration unit of Sri Lankan army in 2001.

Colonel Soosai †	Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan	16 October 1963	18 May 2009 (aged 45) Vellamullivaikkal	Head of the Sea Tigers, naval wing of the LTTE	He is responsible for many successful attacks against Sri Lanka Navy. He was narrowly ezcaped during the Vadamarachchi Operation, but was killed during the Sri Lanka Army's final onslaught towards LTTE held area in 2009.

Brigadier Balraj	Balasegaram Kandiah	27 November 1965 Kokkuththoduvai	18 May 2008 (aged 42) Vellamullivaikkal	Commander of the Charles Antony Brigade	Balraj died due to a sudden heart attack. He is responsible for many successful attacks of LTTE including Second Battle of Elephant Pass.

Colonel Theepan † alias Tango Papa	Velayuthapillai Baheerathakumar	1965 Vavuniya	5 April 2009 (aged 44) Aanandapuram	Overall military commander of LTTE in the final phase of Sri Lankan Civil War	Theepan was promoted posthumously to Brigadier. He was a native of Thenmarachi division of Jaffna District.

Rathnam Master †	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Head of LTTE Military Intelligence wing, head of the air wing and the Radha Brigade	A personal bodyguard of Prabhakaran, and led the LTTE military wing after Colonel Theepan was killed in April 2009.

Mathavan Master †	Ragunathan Pathmanathan	1958 Alaveddy	18 May 2009 (aged 50) Vellamullivaikkal	Head of LTTE Intelligence Training Centre, Training and Technology Department, Research & Publications Department.	Mathavan Master was a senior member of the Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service (TOSIS). He joined the LTTE in 1987.

Kapil Amman †	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Deputy leader of Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service (TOSIS)	A long time deputy of the LTTE intelligence head Pottu Amman.

Nadesan	Balasingham Nadesan	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Political leader of LTTE (Since November 2007), Chief of LTTE Police	Nadesan was the Police Chief of LTTE. He also held the position of Political leader since the death of S.

Colonel Bhanu (Banu) alias Bravo †	Sivanadan Somasekaran	1960	18 May 2009 (aged 49) Vellamullivaikkal	Leader of the LTTE artillery wing	He led the LTTE artillery unit in the Second Battle of Elephant Pass and hoisted the LTTE flag at the Elephant Pass base in 2000.

Colonel Charles †	Shanmuganathan Ravishankar	1965	6 January 2008 (aged 43) Mannar District	Head of LTTE Military Intelligence wing	Charles was killed by a Sri Lankan Army LRRP unit in 2008. He was involved in the planning of Central Bank bombing and many other successful Black Tiger attacks.

Colonel Ramesh † alias Romeo Siera	T. Thurairajasingham	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Batticaloa District & Ampara District commander	He was the LTTE commander for Batticaloa and Ampara districts during the 2002 ceasefire era. It is believed he was killed on 18 May 2009.

Colonel Sornam (Swarnam) †	Soosapillai Joseph Anthonydas	1 April 1964 Trincomalee	16 May 2009 (aged 45) Vellamullivaikkal	LTTE leader of Trincomalee	He used to be a personal body guard of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and a senior commander of the LTTE. It is believed that he was killed in May 2009.

Pulidevan †	Seevaratnam Pulidevan	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat	Pulidevan was a member of the LTTE negotiating team during peace talks.

Shashikumar Master †	Mithiran Selvarathnam	18 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	Head of the LTTE mapping and surveying division	Died during the final battle on 18 May 2009.

Daya Master (POW)	Velayutham Dayanidhi	Head of the LTTE media division	Surrendered to the Sri Lankan Army during final stages of war.

George Master (POW)	Velupillai Kumaru Pancharatnam	Translator of LTTE leader Prabhakaran and S. P. Thamilsenvan	Surrendered to the Sri Lankan Army towards the end of the war.

Colonel Gadaffi †	1961	5 April 2009 (aged 48) Aanandapuram	Head of LTTE military school	He was a senior commander of the LTTE. He was from Nelliyady.

Colonel Jeyam (Jayam) †	21 April 2009 Mullaitivu District	A senior LTTE commander, originally from the east of Sri Lanka. He was a member of the LTTE delegation that attended the Geneva peace talks between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Colonel Raju alias Kuyilan	Ambalavanar Neminathan	Elalai, Jaffna	25 August 2002	Served as the special commander of the elite LTTE Leopard Commandos and had played a key role in developing the its artillery wing.

Colonel Pathuman †	Trincomalee District commander	The former LTTE commander for the Trincomalee District during the 2002 ceasefire period.

Colonel Ramanan †	Kandiah Ulaganathan	1966 Palukamam, Batticaloa	21 May 2006 (aged 40) Vavunathivu	An LTTE explosives expert.

Nediyavan	Perinpanayagam Sivaparan	LTTE leader of Norway	With the demise of LTTE in May 2009, Nediyavan appeared as the military leader of LTTE. He was apprehended by Norwegian authorities in May 2011.

Colonel Thurka †	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Commander of Sothiya Regiment	A female commander of the LTTE, she is the leader of the all-female Sothiya Regiment. Reported to have been killed on 5 April 2009 during the Battle of Aanandapuram.

Colonel Vithusha †	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Commander of Malathi Regiment	A female commander of the LTTE, and the leader of the all-female Malathi Regiment. Reported to have been killed on 5 April 2009 during the Battle of Aanandapuram.

Lt. Colonel Akbar †	Veerapathirar Pernibarasa	7 October 2006 Muhamalai FDL	Leader of the Victor anti-tank regiment	He was killed on 7 October 2006 at the Muhamalai Forward Defence Line.

Lt. Colonel Amuthab †	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Charles Anthony Brigade commander	He was a senior LTTE commander, was also the head of Charles Anthony Brigade. He was a battle hardened commander & was killed in April 2009 in the Battle of Aanandapuram.

Lt. Colonel Appaiah	I. Rasiah	24 December 1997	Known as the 'Scientist of LTTE'.

Lt. Colonel Arivu †	Trincomalee District	He was a senior commander of the LTTE, he served in Charles Anthony Brigade as a senior commander. Believed to have been in killed in Trincomalee District in the mid 2000s.

Lt. Colonel Gobith †	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Commander of Charles Anthony Brigade	He was a senior LTTE commander, was also the head of Charles Anthony Brigade. He was a battle hardened commander & was killed in April 2009 in the Battle of Aanandapuram.

Lt. Colonel Kumarappa †	B. Rathnapalan	5 October 1987 Palali	He was taken into custody by Sri Lanka Navy along with 16 others in the mid sea, and brought to Sri Lanka Army base in Palali.

Lt. Colonel Lawrence †	16 May 2009 Vellamullivaikkal	He was a senior commander of the LTTE, he served in the northern front. It is believed that he was killed in May 2009.

Lt. Colonel Nakulan † (Nagulan)	May 2007 Eastern Province	He was a senior commander of the Tamil Tigers, he served in Charles Anthony Brigade as a senior commander. Believed to have been killed in eastern Sri Lanka in May 2007.

Lt. Colonel Nizam †	Thambirasa Kuhasanthan	2001 Mullaitivu District	Head of Military Intelligence (East)	He was the LTTE military intelligence wing leader for the east of Sri Lanka. He was killed by a Sri Lanka Army LRRP unit in 2001.

Lt. Colonel Ponnamman †	Yogaratnam Kugan	1987 Navatkuly	He is an old boy of Jaffna Hindu College and a college all rounder. He was killed in 1987 in an explosion during an attempt to attack the Sri Lanka Army camp in Navatkuly, Jaffna.

Lt. Colonel Pulendran †	K. Dharmarajah	10 October 1987 Palali	Trincomalee District commander	Pulendran was one of the early members of the LTTE. He was the military commander in the Trincomalee District.

Lt Colonel Ratha †	He was a senior commander of the LTTE, he has been credited with many attack against Sri Lankan forces. He was killed in the late 1980s.

Lt. Colonel Santhosham †	K. Umainesan	21 October 1987 Kondavil	He was killed on 21 October 1987 at Kondavil in Jaffna in a battle with the IPKF. He was active in the Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka.

Lt. Colonel Thileepan	Rasaiah Parthipan	1962	26 September 1987 (aged 25) Jaffna	Died during a hunger strike against the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka.

Lt. Colonel Veeramani †	Subramaniam Vadivel	24 May 2006	He was a senior commander of the LTTE, he was killed in an accidentail explosion on 24 May 2006. He served as a senior commander in the Charles Anthony Brigade and Tamil Tiger northern forces.

Lt. Colonel Victor †	Marcelin Fuselus	1984	Mannar District commander	He was a Mannar District commander of the Tamil Tigers, until he was killed in 1984 by the Sri Lanka Army.

Major Mano †	2001	Head of Communications (East)	The LTTE's head of eastern communications, he was killed by a Sri Lanka Army LRRP unit in 2001.

Captain Miller †	Vallipuram Vasanthan	1 January 1966	5 July 1987 (aged 21)	First Black Tiger for the LTTE. He drove a small truck laden with explosives into a Sri Lanka Army camp in Nelliady MMV, Karaveddy in Jaffna peninsula, killing himself and 128 Sri Lankan soldiers.

Captain Pandithar †	S. Ravindran	9 January 1985	He was a childhood friend of Velupillai Prabhakaran and was the LTTE's accredited vice captain. He was killed by the Sri Lanka Army on 9 January 1985.

Lieutenant Sellakili †	Sathasivam Selvanayakam	23 July 1983 Thirunelveli	He was the only LTTE cadre to be killed in an ambush in Thirunelveli in Jaffna that killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers on 23 July 1983, the incident that sparked the Black July riots across the country.

Cheliyan †	October 2008? May 2009?	Deputy Leader, Sea Tigers	He was a Sea Tiger deputy leader. It is claimed that a Sri Lankan Army LRRP killed him in October 2008.

Gangai Amaran †	2001	Deputy Leader, Sea Tigers	He was a deputy Sea Tiger commander. He was killed along with his family by a Sri Lanka Army LRRP unit in 2001.

Gopal †	Nadarasa Dushiyanthan	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Commander of Kutti Sri Mortar Unit	He was a senior commander of the LTTE and was also the leader of Kutti Sri Mortar Unit. He participated in many battles against the Sri Lankan Army, was killed in early April 2009 in Puthukkudiyiruppu (Mullaitivu).

Keerthi †	Manikkapodi Easwaran	5 April 2009 Aanandapuram	Head of Intelligence, Batticaloa District	He was a senior commander of the Tamil Tigers, he was killed in early April 2009 in Puthukkudiyiruppu (Mullaitivu). He was from Batticaloa District and served as the Tamil Tiger intelligence chief there.

Marshall †	Irasaiah Ilanthirayan	LTTE spokesperson	He was the LTTE's military spokesperson and was often in contact with international media during the immediate post-ceasefire era.

Nagesh †	Selvarathnam Sundaram	15 January 1970 Batticaloa District	5 April 2009 (aged 39) Aanandapuram	He was a senior commander of the LTTE, participated in may battles against the Sri Lankan Army in the east and north of Sri Lanka.

Ramalingam Paramadeva †	1984	Senior leader, Batticaloa	One of the architects of the 1983 Batticaloa Jailbreak.

Sothiya (Sothia) †	Maria Vasanthi Michael	20 September 1963	11 January 1990 (aged 26)	She died of illness in 1990 and had one of the female fighting formations of the LTTE, the Sothiya Regiment, named after her.

Captain Morris (MO) †	Paratharajan Thiyagarajah	12 September 1969	1 May 1989 (aged 19) Point Pedro	Point Pedro District Leader	He was in charge of Point Pedro area & was killed in May 1989 in the battle of military offensives of Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).

Lt.Conol Jonny (MO) †	Viyakumar	12 September 1962	1 May 1988 (aged 18) Point Pedro	Point Pedro District Leader	He was in charge of Point Pedro area & was killed in May 1989 in the battle of military offensives of Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).

Sentence(s)

Cheliyan, the deputy leader of the Sea Tigers was killed by a LRRP.

final_sentence: Cheliyan, the deputy leader of the Sea Tigers was killed by a LRRP.