The Tamil national liberation struggle was not merely an armed conflict; it was a historical uprising rooted in identity, self-determination, and resistance to genocidal oppression. However, after the defeat in the battlefield, a new, insidious form of war has begun to unfold—a psychological war.
This war does not rely on bombs or guns but targets minds, memory, identity, and ideology. More dangerously, some of the participants in this new battlefield are Tamils themselves. These actors include:
◉ Informants and traitors,
◉ Embedded infiltrators and covert collaborators,
◉ Former Liberation Tigers turned operatives,
◉ Self-serving individuals,
◉ Intelligence agents of India and Sri Lanka,
◉ And those working with or on behalf of these agencies.
These actors infiltrate Tamil society both directly and indirectly to manipulate public perception, weaken national consciousness, and dismantle the ideological backbone of Tamil resistance. Their methods are subtle yet strategically devastating.
What Is Psychological Warfare?
Psychological warfare is a strategically planned assault on collective memory, perception, belief systems, and identity. It is not fought on battlefields but within consciousness and communication channels.
Its primary targets include:
◉ Destroying hope and morale within Tamil communities,
◉ Eroding remembrance of sacrifices and martyrs,
◉ Undermining the ideological foundations of the Tamil national struggle,
◉ Spreading disinformation, confusion, and false narratives,
◉ Preventing future resistance movements by sowing defeatist attitudes.
How Do Infiltration Networks Operate?
These networks function in several interlinked stages:
(A). Social Media Infiltration
◉ Spreading false or manipulated information via digital platforms,
◉ Operating under fake profiles while pretending to be activists or scholars,
◉ Using phrases like “the new generation wants peace” to downplay the need for justice or political solutions.
(B). Historical Rewriting and Narrative Sabotage
◉ Transforming national remembrance events like Maaveerar Naal into apolitical or individual observances,
◉ Painting the Tamil Tigers as “criminals” rather than liberation fighters,
◉ Propagating ideas like “the war was a waste” or “liberation is no longer relevant.”
(C). Fragmentation from Within
◉ Creating internal conflicts within Tamil organizations,
◉ Fueling suspicion by labeling members as spies or traitors,
◉ Promoting accusations such as “he works with RAW” or “they are tied to military intelligence.”
(D). Establishing Psychological Dominance
◉ Engineering collective disillusionment to the point where Tamils themselves doubt their own struggle,
◉ Normalizing Sri Lanka’s military victory as a justified or inevitable outcome,
◉ Suggesting that continued resistance is either dangerous or outdated.
How Are Former LTTE Cadres Exploited?
Some former LTTE members, either due to fear, coercion, or material gain, now operate in coordination with Sri Lankan or Indian intelligence agencies.
Their roles include:
◉ Infiltrating Tamil diaspora organizations abroad,
◉ Undermining, discrediting, and fragmenting those structures from within,
◉ Gaining control of Tamil nationalist spaces and slowly redirecting them.
They often adopt rhetorical camouflage:
◉ Promoting “peace” as a replacement for justice or sovereignty,
◉ Using phrases like “Enough war, let’s move on” to erode ideological clarity,
◉ Equating the liberation struggle with terrorism in subtle ways.
Consequences for the Tamil People
The damage caused by such psychological and ideological infiltration includes:
◉ Widespread confusion and mistrust among Tamils,
◉ True patriots and freedom fighters are wrongly portrayed as extremists or outdated,
◉ The younger generation is handed a distorted or diluted version of history,
◉ Disunity and internal enmity increase, weakening the possibility of collective action.
This psychological warfare is calculated to make Tamils distrust one another, doubt their past, and disconnect from their future.
The Strategy of Manufacturing Internal Conflict
The long-term goal of these infiltrators is not just sabotage, but fragmentation:
◉ Dividing Northern and Eastern Tamils,
◉ Creating friction between diaspora Tamils and locals,
◉ Normalizing collaboration and celebrating “integration” into Sri Lankan structures as progress.
The ultimate aim is to:
> “Lead Tamils into fighting amongst themselves, doubting their heroes, forgetting their history, and becoming permanently displaced globally without any political dignity or national aspiration.”
How Do We Respond to This New War?
What must Tamils do?
❖. Preserve authentic historical records, oral histories, and documents,
❖. Publicly challenge disinformation on social media and community platforms,
❖. Educate the next generation with unfiltered truths about the struggle,
❖.Build ideological clarity and reaffirm the importance of Tamil nationalism,
❖.Remain alert to deceptive language disguised as “reconciliation” or “unity.”
The Tamil national liberation movement was built on sacrifice, identity, and justice. Today, these values are under siege by an invisible war—a war not of guns, but of minds. The real threat now is internal: those who speak Tamil but operate to dismantle Tamilness.
The time has come for all conscious Tamils to stand firm and defend not just land, but memory, ideology, and truth. Only by doing so can the nation remain alive within and beyond borders.
“Wars fought on the battlefield can be seen. But wars fought in the mind, through manipulation and betrayal, are far more dangerous and harder to detect. It is this psychological war that threatens the soul of Tamil nationalism today.”
Author
Eelaththu Nilavan
Researcher and Writer on Tamil National Consciousness and Historical Politics
A voice committed to preserving the legacy of the Tamil struggle, resisting historical revisionism, and safeguarding the ideological clarity of Eelam Tamil nationalism.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amizhthu’s editorial stance.
