Eelam Liberation Struggle: Sathiyaseelan Recalls: 06
In my last episode I mentioned about Alfred Thuraiyappa and explained why Sivakumaran and I decided to assassinate him. I record here how we manufactured a bomb with dynamite to assassinate Alfred Duraiappah, How we carried this attack, Why this attack was not successful, and how did Sivakumaran was arrested.
Sivakumaran suggested that we should make the bomb with dynamite; then the effect will be greater and we could carry out attack even by throwing it. Then on one day he called me up suddenly and told me that we must steal a book from the Jaffna Library and we can get to know how to make a bomb from it from dynamite liquid. Some or the other we stole the book from the Library and read through it. I can remember even now what we found out from that book.
That is an American book. In America, a strong chemical was needed to break through mountains and lay railway lines. It was described in that book, how they used dynamite for that. I can still remember reading from that book that, African slaves were used to handle dynamite and several African slaves died due to their hands and legs being afflicted with gangrene, because they handled dynamite without proper personal security arrangements.
After reading the book, we decided to make a hand bomb and test it. As I wasn’t conversant in technical matters Sivakumarran took whole responsibility of making the bomb. Sivakumaran got little dynamite from persons who dug wells and who were known to him, and we used a small tin to make a hand bomb. We tested this bomb by throwing it into a dilapidated well near Chaddi beach in Velanai. Smoke came out of it but, the bomb did not explode.
As we had used little dynamite in our bomb, we decided to get more dynamite and make the bomb exclusively in dynamite. But we did not have the money to buy it. Hence I went Valveddithurai and with Sothy Anna, Kanapathy and Kunanayagam met a shop owner and asked for monetary help. He gave us 150 rupees. I gave it to Sivakumar. Sivakumaran used that money to buy a dozen dynamite from a shop in Punnalaikadduwan.
We received an information that Thuraiyappah will come Premier Café, Jaffna to open an entertainment club there. A member of one of the youth groups, Sasi was giving us information on Thuraiyappah.
Thuraiappah who came for the function, had parked his car near Vembadi Girl’s School. We estimated that he will take 5 minutes to walk from the venue, after the conclusion of the function and attached detonator chord accordingly. Sivakumaran was to light the chord, and my task was get the signal from Sasi that Thuraiapah was walking to the car and pass it on to Sivakumarran.
Sasi signalled me that Thuraiappah is coming. I signalled that to Sivakuamrran, but luck was on Thuraiappah’s way, for he stopped on way to talk to a person and the bomb went off during that time. But his car was thrown off the ground, being damaged beyond repairs.
We had pre planned that once Sivakumaran lights the chord we should leave the place. So we went away immediately after Sivakumaran lighting the chord. We did not know that Thuraiyappa had not got caught to the bomb.
Ariyakulam Junction
We had parked our bicycles near Ariyakulam Junction. We went there, took our cycles and decided to travel in different paths to my house in Urumpirai. I went along Technical College to Kokkuvil and went Urumpirai via Konadavil. Sivakumaran came home through Rasapathai. Together we took part in a sumptuous lunch with chicken curry and as we planned earlier I went to Student Federation (Tamil Manavar Peravai) Office to spend the night and Sivakumaran went home to sleep.
But, that night Sivakumaran’s house was rounded up and he was arrested. Police had arrested Sivakumaran that day on suspicion for the earlier attack on Somasiri’s car at Urumpirai.
Thangathurai -Kuddimani
I was not aware of this. When I came home next day morning I got wind of movement of police near Sivakumaran’s home from far away, found out what had happened and fled to Valvettithurai. I stayed for three days in the hoses of Kuttimany and Thangathurai.
What happened to me after this?…What did I do? Was I able to escape from police dragnet?…I will write about these in the next episode.
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