KT Sivakumar, known as Anton Master, is one of the early members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A close friend of LTTE leader Prabhakaran, he was a member of the Central Committee of the LTTE when it had such a structure before the organization transformed into a movement with sole leadership. He served as LTTE’s head of the Military Office (MO), which he formed to convert the LTTE military wing into a formidable fighting force. He represented the LTTE in the two Thimphu peace talks in Bhutan with Thilakar.
In 1988, during the tenure of the Indian Peace- Keeping Force, Anton Master left the LTTE due to a disagreement with Prabhakaran. For over 35 years, Anton Master has remained uninvolved in any activities associated with the Liberation Tigers or political matters. This narrative stems from a long conversation I had with him after considerable effort.
He does not want to talk negatively about the LTTE, an organization with which he spent his prime years, and certainly does not wish to disparage Prabhakaran, his one-time close friend. He stresses that the LTTE era is a closed chapter in his life, one he prefers not to revisit. Nevertheless, after considerable persuasion, he consented to a conversation with me. It seems his willingness is driven by a hope that future generations might learn from the LTTE leadership’s past errors.
He expressed no surprise at the LTTE’s military defeat in 2009, attributing their downfall to an earlier juncture – particularly when their leader, Prabhakaran, dismissed the possibility of an interim government solution offered by India in 1988. He remains reluctant to engage in interviews, preferring to call it a dialogue. Here is the dialogue I had with him. We present it in two parts, with the following part appearing in our next issue.
Sincerely,
கணியன் பூங்குன்றன்
Kaniyan Pungundran
Editor- Jaffna Monitor
