Tamil Tigress

My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka's Bloody Civil War

By: Niromi de Soyza

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Paperback | 1 July 2011 | Edition Number 1

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In 1987, 17-year old Niromi de Soyza shocked her middle-class Sri Lankan family by joining the Tamil Tigers. Equipped with a rifle and cyanide capsule she was one of the rebels' first female soldiers. Now married and living in suburban Sydney, this is her story of her time as a guerrilla.

Two days before Christmas in 1987, at the age of 17, Niromi de Soyza found herself in an ambush as part of a small platoon of militant Tamil Tigers fighting government forces in the bloody civil war that was to engulf Sri Lanka for decades. With her was her lifelong friend, Ajanthi, also aged 17. Leaving behind them their shocked middle-class families, the teenagers had become part of the Tamil Tigers' first female contingent. Equipped with little more than a rifle and a cyanide capsule, Niromi's group managed to survive on their wits in the jungle, facing not only the perils of war but starvation, illness and growing internal tensions among the militant Tigers. And then events erupted in ways that she could no longer bear.

How was it that this well-educated, mixed-race, middle-class girl from a respectable family came to be fighting with the Tamil Tigers? Today she lives in Sydney with her husband and children; but Niromi de Soyza is not your ordinary woman and this is her compelling story.

About the Author

Niromi de Soyza speaks fluent Tamil and Sinhalese and writes vivid beautiful English. For many years she worked for the Red Cross in Sydney, where she still lives with her husband and two young children.

Industry Reviews

"[The book] shows how corrupting and demoralizing war can be, regardless of which side you are on." --"BUST magazine"

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Non-Fiction Biographies & True Stories Memoirs Politics & Government Political Activism Terrorism Armed Conflicts Revolutionary Groups & Movements

The Ambush	p. 1
The House of My Grandmother	p. 6
Anger and Frustration	p. 25
Dead and Buried	p. 46
For the Greater Good	p. 60
An Act of Betrayal	p. 74
A Tiger Named Roshan	p. 94
A Military-Style Training Base	p. 112
There's Still Time to Change Your Mind	p. 133
I Knew It Wouldn't Last Forever	p. 156
Experience of the Battlefield
A Break in the Hostilities	p. 201
Trying to Ignore My Reality	p. 212
The Last Few Moments of Life	p. 227
Where It All Ends	p. 237
The Dream Beyond Reach	p. 248
The Jungle Hide-out	p. 263
Extraordinary Days	p. 274
Where Do I Go From Here?	p. 283
Afterwards	p. 298
List of Acronyms	p. 305
Tamil and Sinhala Words	p. 306
Acknowledements	p. 308
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Tamil Tigress

My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka's Bloody Civil War

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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