A tribute to Colonel Muthaliff

Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe

PERSONELITY: Colonel Thuwan Nisham Muthaliff who fought the Tiger terrorists gallantly to preserve the unitary status and territorial integrity of the motherland, took leave of us as a patriotic war hero on May 31, 2005 at 7.50 a.m, exactly a year ago.

He was a Malay Muslim whose unlimited love for the country prompted him to fight against the separatism of Tiger terrorists. He performed the decisive task of finding the correct target to attack the strategic points of Tiger terrorists acting like the eye of the armed forces of Sri Lanka.

At the time of his demise he was the Commanding Officer of the Armed Intelligence Unit of the Sri Lanka Army and the Director of the Colombo Cell of the Armed Intelligence Unit. He was a real challenge to the LTTE leadership. He was a perennial alarm of death and a source of terror to the LTTE leaders.

Thuwan Nisham Muthaliff, born at Kalubowila Hospital on July 12,1966, received his education at D. S. Senanayake Vidyalaya, Colombo and was outstanding in studies and in extra curricular activities and won the love and respect of school mates.

Soon after completing his school career, he joined the Sri Lanka Army as a Regular Cadet Officer on June 02, 1986, in order to shoulder the national responsibility of saving the country from Tiger terrorism.

He underwent training in the Army Academy of Diyatalawa and subsequently followed the Cadet Officers' Training Course in Pakistan. Then he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Gemunu Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. He was promoted as a Lieutenant on June 02, 1987. Thereafter he was continuously attached to the Intelligence Unit. He became a Captain on July 02, 1992 and promoted to the rank of a Major on July 02, 1995.

For his gallantry he won many medals. Ranawickrama Medal, Swarnajayanthi Medal, Armed Services Long Term Medal, North East Battle Medal, Poornabhoomi Medal, Operation Wadamarachchi Medal, Operation Riviresa Medal and 50th Independence Commemorative Medal were among the medals he won as a reward to his gallant performance in the course of his Army career.

In the course of his Army career he successfully completed a number of courses in the Defence Intelligence Service in India, Bangladesh, Hawaii and USA.

Many Operations launched under the leadership of Major Muthaliff brought about the downfall of a number of LTTE leaders and ended the life span of some of them. His name was among the top names of LTTE hit list. Many major LTTE attacks in Colombo were foiled as a result of his intelligence service. Colonel Thuwan Nisham Muthaliff, a product of Muslim-Malay origin loved his motherland immensely.

His dedication to save its unity and integrity will remain in our minds as an everlasting memorial to an immortal war hero whose illustrious career is worthy of emulation as we remember his first death anniversary today.

(The writer is media secretary, JHU.)