Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Who is this Daya Master?

Once reportedly escaping death, thanks to EPRLF’s Sugi, Daya Master, alias Velayutham Thayanithi survived the struggle for an illusive Eelam, only to surrender to the Sri Lankan Military today, when his organization the LTTE is staring defeat in the face.

Velayutham Thayanithi also known as Daya Master, the then media spokesman of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was in Colombo in July 2006 to undergo medical treatment in a private hospital. After treatment he safely passed through the Omanthai entry-exit point to Killinochchi.

This was after the then government acceded to a request made by the LTTE. Some say that this was in return for the release of police Sub Inspector Bandujeewa Bopitigoda, who was being held in LTTE custody since September 2005. However, in the end it became clear that the LTTE went back on its word and refused to release the SI.

Daya Master’s arrival in Colombo and departure to Vanni created a stir in the country.

Daya Master alias Velayutham Thayanithi, is one of the senior members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He is from Thambasiddy, Puloly West, Point Pedro in Vadamaradchy. He started life as a private tutor in English language and was running a tuition centre in Puloly. Daya Master started life as a private tutor in English language and was running a private tuition centre in Puloly.

As he developed a good command in English language and was a popular language tutor in Vadamaradchy, he was called Thaya (Daya) Master.

While he was in Point Pedro, he had established contacts with the Tiger movement. Tigers began to recognize him as one of their strong supporters. They gradually began to take him into their fold.

When Chandrika Kumaratunga was elected President for the first time in 1994, there began a trickle of the VIPs from the south to meet the LTTE leaderships.

Media personnel, Buddhist monks, left political leaders began their journey to Jaffna. During those days, Daya Master met the dignitaries from the South near the Kilaly lagoon and took them to the Jaffna city. He was one in the forefront then in receiving the VIPS from the South.

Then it was Thillayampalan Sivanesan alias Soosai from Polikandy, the present special commander of the Sea Tigers, and then the head of the LTTE’s Vadamardchy division, who brought Daya Master to the attention of the outfit’s leader Prabhakaran. From that then onwards, Daya Master’s position as the Tiger’s media spokesman was confirmed.

However according to the website Theerpu.com, during the days when the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was present in the North and East, Daya Master survived certain death threats by the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Left Front (EPRLF).

Once Daya Master was said to have been arrested by the EPRLF, on the orders of Suresh Premachandran, and he was tortured and ordered to be killed.

But by a quirk of fate his case was transferred to Sugi for further interrogation. Sugi was at that time a middle level leader of the EPRLF. Reports revealed that Daya Master pleaded with Sugi not to harm him and narrated the pitiable plight of his family and begged him to release him.

Sugi was moved by Daya Master’s story and released him, and he survived to surrender to the Sri Lankan Military today, when his organization the LTTE is staring defeat in the face.

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