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Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan alias Marshall is LTTE’s ‘Military Spokesperson’, effective June 19th, 2006. LTTE has created this position for the first time in the history of the organization.

Marshall was leading the Batti, Ampara Political wing after the assassination of Kaushalayan. Later he was transferred to the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi. Ilanthiraiyan was also a member of the LTTE delegation, at the Geneva talks early this year.

The following excerpt is a profile of Rasian Ilanthiraiyan appearing in an article in February 2005, marking the appointment of Ilanthiraiyan as LTTE political wing chief for Batticaloa/Ampara: [by D.B.S Jeyaraj]

Rasian Ilanthiraiyan alias Marshall is the replacement for Kausalyan in the East. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Velupillai Pirapakaran has selected the affable native of Arumugathankudiyiruppu in the Eravoor area as his new “arasiyal poruppalar” or political commissar for the Batticaloa – Amparai districts.

Ilanthiraiyan was functioning as the LTTE’s Batticaloa – Amparai headquarters administrator prior to his new posting. An old boy of St. Michaels College, Batticaloa Ilanthiraiyan was involved in Tamil nationalist student politics with Ramalingam Paramadeva in the mid seventies. Later he was involved in the pro – TULF Tamil youth league politics. Paramadeva later went on to become the first LTTE military commander for Batticaloa but died in the attack on Kaluwanchikudy police station in 1984. Ilanthiraiyan too was a member of the LTTE team that attacked Kaluwanchikudi unsuccessfully in the maiden venture commanded by Paramadeva.

Ilanthiraiyan joined the LTTE officially in 1983. Earlier he had been on the fringes helping out wherever possible. Like the former tiger Eastern regional commander Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna, Ilanthiraiyan too was recruited by tiger veteran Sinnathurai alias “Father” who is now an LTTE “Judge” in Palugamam. After receiving arms training in Salem, Tamil Nadu Ilanthiraiyan returned to the East and participated in several operations. He also received special training in communications. Ilanthiraiyan has also functioned as am instructor in LTTE training camps.

Ilanthiraiyan too went along with Karuna and other Eastern cadres to the Wanni in the late nineties to fight against the Sri Lankan army in operations “Jayasikurui” and “Oyatha Alaigal”. It was around this time that he was “noticed” specifically by Pirapakaran. The tiger supremo was impressed by his quiet efficiency and got Karuna to “second” Ilanthiraiyan for service in the Wanni after the fighting was over. One of his plus points is his fluency in English and Sinhala and of course Tamil.

[Photo TamilNet: Ilanthirayan (Marshall), member of LTTE Geneva team speaking at a diaspora event in Geneva, in February 2006]