From child soldier to spy: Ariaratnam’s memoirs shed light on Sri Lankan Civil war

In a gripping narrative that unearths the harsh realities of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Kagusthan Ariaratnam, a former child soldier of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) turned intelligence operative, has released his memoir titled “Spy Tiger: The 05 File.” Co-authored with Michael Bramadat-Willcock, the book offers a rare glimpse into the life of someone who was on both sides of the conflict, serving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before switching allegiances to work with Sri Lankan and Indian intelligence.

Ariaratnam’s story begins in the classrooms of Kokkuvil Hindu College in Jaffna, where at 17, his life was abruptly redirected. “One day in 1991, while I was preparing for my advanced level mathematics exam, I was among 20 students taken to an LTTE camp,” he recounts. 

The memoir delves into the complex world of espionage, where Ariaratnam, under the codename “Spy Tiger,” navigated through the moral and ethical quagmires of war. His transition from a child soldier to an intelligence agent is not just a tale of survival but also of the profound psychological and ethical challenges he faced.

A key aspect of the book is Ariaratnam’s acknowledgment of the Indian spymaster B. Raman, whom he credits with saving his life. “Raman stepped out of the shadows to save my life from terror and horror in Sri Lanka,” Ariaratnam writes, expressing gratitude for the protection and guidance he received from Raman, whom he describes as a “silent guardian.”

“Spy Tiger: The 05 File” not only chronicles Ariaratnam’s personal journey but also sheds light on the broader implications of the Sri Lankan civil war, the role of child soldiers, and the intricacies of espionage that often go unseen by the public eye.

In his book, he claimed that between 1992-95, India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was involved in a covert operation within the LTTE to eliminate the LTTE supreme leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran following the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil Tiger female suicide bomber. 

He also detailed how he worked with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).