Author:
Eelaththu Nilavan
✧ Introduction – Another Side of War
War is often perceived by many as a masculine display of strength. However, the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle opened windows to show that women, too, were an integral part of the battle. Women who sacrificed their lives for the rights of their nation transformed their innate compassion, dedication, and sacrifice into an armed revolutionary spirit.
The Women’s Wing of Tamil Eelam was not just a protective battalion—it was a rooted uprising of a nation.
✦ The Role of Women: A Revolution
In the Tamil Eelam Liberation Tigers organization, women were not merely auxiliary commanders to be appreciated in passing. They were:
︎ Skilled commanders
︎ Armed combatants
︎ Suicide Squad fighters
︎ Medical unit members
︎ Intelligence experts
︎ Professionals in IT, media, and diplomatic offices
They sacrificed their families, love, dreams, and future, living solely for the survival of their people.
✦ Key Participants
Malathi – The first female martyr of the Tamil Eelam Women’s Wing
Malathi, who attained martyrdom in the 1987 war, stood as the first heroine of the Women’s Wing. Her name later became the title of the “Malathi Brigade,” the women’s military division.
Thopikai Sundari – A female fighter who participated in suicide attacks and efficiently handled wartime intelligence operations.
Senthoorapoo, Chithra, Anjali, Vidusha, and others excelled in armed training, military strategizing, and constructing defensive fortifications.
✦ Divisions of the Women’s Wing
✰. Malathi Brigade
• Fully armed female fighters.
• Directly engaged in frontline combat, armored warfare, situational analysis, and suicide squads.
• Some held the title “Tigress Commanders,” performing military duties more exceptionally than male commanders.
✰. Medical Unit
• A team providing treatment to wounded fighters on the battlefield.
• Women medics who self-taught battlefield medicine, minor surgeries, and wound management.
✰. Intelligence Division (TIS – Tiger Intelligence Service)
• Women who monitored enemy movements.
• Infiltrated Sinhalese military camps.
• Excelled in cryptography and camouflage training.
✰. Public Service and Media
• Women played key roles in Tamil Eelam’s national media, radio services, film units, and news compilation.
✦ Expression of Societal Change
This wing symbolized a societal transformation. Instead of conforming to traditional lives centered on marriage, home, and children, these women:
• Established principles of gender equality.
• Merged feminist ideals with patriotism, creating a new dimension.
• Asserted the powerful idea: “We are participants in war, not objects to be protected.”
✦ Unforgettable Sacrifices
Some sacrifices of the Women’s Wing:
• A mother bidding farewell to her daughter on the beach said, “My daughter is a warrior; she has answered every tear of our nation”—she did not weep but stood proud.
• Before the final Mullivaikkal genocide, many women left their children in the forests (knowing they couldn’t save them) and joined the battlefield.
✦ Special Achievements of the Women’s Wing
︎ Exceptional marksmanship: Women trained rigorously in shooting ranges.
︎ Green warriors: They preserved forests in harmony with the environment.
︎ Administrative skills: They independently managed their divisions.
︎ Trainers of new recruits: It was common for one female fighter to train 20 newcomers.
✦ Conclusion – A Civilizational Revolution
The Tamil Eelam Women’s Wing was not just an armed unit—it was a civilizational revolution. It was a battle where women of a society seized their own rights. A heroic institution where women sacrificed not just for themselves but for their nation.
In today’s world, the Women’s Wing shattered the image of women as “those who need protection” and firmly declared that women are their protectors.
Next: Part 3 – Mullivaikkal: The Peak of Genocide
Eelaththu Nilavan | 06/07/2025
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amizhthu’s editorial stance.
Part 1 – The Liberation Struggle of the Tamils: A Historical Documentation
