So far, Thousands of LTTE freedom fighters have sacrificed their lives for the advancement of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle and for drawing world attention to it. The courageous death of each and every one of these fighters is a heroic chapter in the story of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle. 27 November 1982 is the day in which Lt. Shankar (Sathianathan) gave his life for the liberation struggle. That was an unforgettable day. Today, LTTE freedom fighters are giving their lives almost daily. Daily events in their memory are also being held.

But Shankar's death was unique. There was a sacrifice even in his death itself. Regrettably it was a situation when the LTTE was not able to publicly announce his death, the first in the organisation's history, to the outside world. The news of his death, had it been announced by the LTTE, would have put many LTTE supporters in danger of being hunted by the oppressive Sinhala government.

So his death was not made public immediately and it was only on the first anniversary of his death, was it announced to the outside world.

LTTE freedom fighters have died in different circumstances; on the battlefield, by taking cyanide to avoid capture, killed by the enemy after a traitor's acts, killed by a traitor's hand, succumbing to battle injuries when treatment has failed.

In all these ways, Thousands of fighters have laid down their lives for the ideal of Tamil Eelam and a dawn for the Tamil people.