IN THE MAGAZINE

GO TIGERS! - PART 1

Tamil Girls Are the Toughest Girls in the World

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY THOMAS HAUGERSVEEN, ASSISTED BY HENRIK PRYSER LIBELL

Two years ago, Norwegian photographer Thomas Haugersveen went to Sri Lanka to cover the civil war that’s been ravaging the country for the past 20 years. After making initial diplomatic contacts in Norway he managed to enter the area known as Tamil Eelam. It’s a guerrilla-controlled state-within-a-state, not officially recognized by the government. Just hours after Thomas wrapped up his time there and headed for home, the village he’d been staying in was attacked. Since then the fighting has intensified rapidly. Rumor has it that all the borders have now been closed. Aid workers are talking about how this could be the final leg of the war.

A Tamil Tiger.

The Tamil Tigers (aka Liberation of the Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE for short) is a military separatist group that is currently fighting a civil war against the state of Sri Lanka. Their main goal is an independent state, far removed from the oppressive powers of the Sinhalese government. They are incredibly serious. All Tamil soldiers carry a poison ampoule around their necks—they don’t believe in being taken prisoner. They single-handedly beat the Indian army in the 80s, and they’re sometimes credited for having “invented” modern-day suicide bombing (it is believed that they’ve carried out more suicide attacks than any other group in the world, including the killing of two heads of state). They’re not a huge army (unofficial numbers vary between 8,000 and 20,000 people, but we’d put it at 15,000) but they’ve made considerable progress, and they now control the northern parts of Sri Lanka—the area known as Tamil Eelam. So far the conflict has claimed 65,000 lives and spawned 1 million fugitives. (And yeah, yeah, yeah, MIA’s dad is famously affiliated with the movement.) But the Tamil Tigers are still not terribly well known in the West, and even lesser known are their female fighters—of which there are a hell of a lot, and of whom we are particularly enamored.



TO BE CONTINUED
GO TIGERS! | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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Comments

Anonymous, on Sep 5, 2008 wrote: the ARMY is advertising on vice!!! WOW!
	halfmonk, on Sep 5, 2008 wrote: to anonymous who used foul language, now that’s funny. you turned it around 180 and dropped some science on this page. like lebron doing a slam dunk. i’ll consider being more subdued when i comment in the future but damn! "FUCKING CONSTIPATED BABOON MOTHER FUCKERS." that’s funny as hell. yeaaaah!
	halfmonk, on Sep 5, 2008 wrote: you used banality perfectly? you’re an idiot who has completely misread history. and threatening to cut my throat on the internet is hardly worth talking about. you are a bitch if you think you can intimidate me by threatening me with an vice page comment.
Anonymous, on Sep 4, 2008 wrote: what about giving some credit to the guy that risked his life doing this story? Nice shots, but the stuff he got on lightstalkers are even better.
	A Taipan, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: And if you think that peace will snuff out the elite, then you need to brush up on human history. War contributes to the breakdown of empires and regimes. Ghandi capitalized on a British Empire broken by World Wars. And Europe still has mental shackles on all of their former colonies.
	A Taipan, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: And I used banality perfectly, you are trite. Mundane even. Hardly special.
	A Taipan, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: Ah, but you had to directly provoke such a response. I don’t know who you are, I don’t care. Just do something else. And never, ever call me a bitch, or I will slit open your trachea and watch you bleed out. Thank you, that’s all. Have a super day :)
Anonymous, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: much love to half monk to getting to the point. this is from the person who was against the bad language. i will not hold it against you as you seem to be the most sane here and have a point we should all agree on. for those of you who only care for clothes, your medal is in the post you FUCKING CONSTIPATED BABOON MOTHER FUCKERS (i know i argued against the bad language but what the hell, if you cant beat them, join them)xx
	halfmonk, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: all these comments are off point. it’s about this: retards with guns, no matter what the cause, never made anything any better in the world. just in case you forgot what we’re actually supposed to be talking about here.
	halfmonk, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: you say you refuse to succumb to the banality on the internet and then you add "eat a dick?" hello, look up banality in the dictionary, einstein. just in case you don’t know what a dictionary is, here’s the definition: "devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite."
Anonymous, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: A Taipan, and you just proved you’re not only an arrogant turd with no balls but just as angry and ignorant as anyone else here. HA! by the way, i’m halfmonk. i just didn’t feel like logging in but now you know, bitch.
	A Taipan, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: Oh, and you might want to masturbate some of that blind aggression away, puberty is hard, but simmer down.
	A Taipan, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: You’re misinterpretation of my nature, coupled with your anonymity, is indicative of your impotence in your everyday life. Sorry if I refuse to succumb to banality on the Internet, kid. Eat a dick.
Anonymous, on Sep 3, 2008 wrote: to A Taipan, perhaps the ultimate idiocy is acting as if you’re above it all and the rest of us are beneath you. you sound like an arrogant turd with no balls.
Anonymous, on Sep 1, 2008 wrote: hmmmm....it won’t let me put a name in, but I’ll just go by what my old friends used to call me "Nudy Judy, Eileen Extreme and Boozy Susie". Interesting and inspiring comments...I shall take them under consideration and maybe go photograph something worth while for the world to see. Since I know a bit about clothes, I’ll just comment on that.... bought a really cool sweatshirt today, 80’s inspired...zip up blue, red and white striped, yellow with poka dots and purple hood...I love it! Insight is the brand...I’ll bet it takes off...I can always spot the diamond in the rough...check it out! Later people....xoxo peace & luv...God knows we need it! P.S. Art is ALL about the individual’s interpretation.
	A Taipan, on Sep 1, 2008 wrote: My my, quite the conflict. Arguing on the Internet is an infinite struggle of idiocy. No point of arguing.
Anonymous, on Sep 1, 2008 wrote: and you’re not ignorant, i suppose. you’re the one genius here.
Anonymous, on Aug 31, 2008 wrote: god everyone gets so heated about all this. its like fucking debating club for ignorant people
	halfmonk, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: there is no clear link between bad language and violence. that’s bullshit. it’s just language. people with religious and social agendas have added their prudish judgements about language. have you listened to any hip hop mcs? i mean good ones like shadow huntaz, aceyalone, lifesavas, lyrics born. this is most intelligent use of english in decades and it uses every aspect of the language. have you noticed that the language is changing and fluid. if you don’t get it, fine. no problem but don’t suppose that everyone who uses so called foul language is violent or ignorant. some of the smartest literature in the world is seasoned with so called vulgar and foul language throughout it. you think i sound like an idiot but in my world you sound a 3rd grade school teacher who should grow the fuck up and let everyone use language anyway they see fit. we are adults here not school children. free speech. haven’t you ever heard of lenny bruce or george carlin. look up "the seven words" by george carlin on youtube. get a lesson in using language.
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: Bad language goes hand in hand with aggression and clearly this has a strong links with violence. I dont think we are going to stop any wars with what we do here but at least it is an outlet to learn from others their opinions to help one another strengthen or adjust their own ideas. Regardless as to how we analyse language and whether or not the black pixcels on my screen actually mean something to one person and something to some one else is besides the point. Generally speaking most people will not approach the next man in public, whom he has had no dealing with in the past and just swear profusely just for the sake of it. I understand you may express yourself in that way but it is in my opinion that it is detrimental to your case as I am sure many others will agree. im not choosing to pick on you, but as I am sure you will have experineced, you go onto any uncencored blog these days and you will find everyone swearing and it is just not big or clever, just very boring. I get it, you care, but seriously man why make yourself look like an idiot when you have such a serious and worthy point to make. Dont pretend you dont care, otherwise you wouldnt bother blogging and responding.
	halfmonk, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: with respect, it’s one thing to not like my language or to think i’m vulgar. but say there is violence in it? consider this, language is actually neutral. it’s the conceptual brain and cultural consensus that turns it into something offensive. the word "fuck" is no more foul than the word "bunny" in reality. society designates it as foul. besides, we’re commenting on the vice website, for christ’s sake. do you read this stuff? also, i don’t really give a shit if anyone takes me seriously. i’m not a politician, diplomat or teacher. i’m an aspiring nobody. but i have been a practicing zen buddhist for more than 30 years. what i’ve learned from that practice is to be real and authentic. be who you are. this is who i am. to be honest , it’s fucking annoying when people tell me to clean up my language and act a certain way. that’s fucking political correctness. all of this, by the way, is off point. violence is truly vulgar.
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: Well not to "MIA is a CUNT"...
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: That i will concede to. I agree wholeheartedly about who are the winners and loosers of this game. however within your own speech is a conflict of ideas which was what i was merely reflecting on. That being of course the non violence stance (which I unequivocally agree with) and the foul language that infiltrates your argument. No one will take you seriously if you continue with that attitude. dont take this personally mind you, this is just something that I have noticed time in and time out on discussions of this nature. Just to elaborate, I do not believe my view to be nessarily correct but I feel that my experience working for the world health organisation and the ministry of health and rehabilitation of Sri Lanka have given me a rare insight into the behind the scenes area. It is there that you start to see who really benefits, cue the capitalists/defence industries etc etc etc.....
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: i’m just saying MIA is a cunt and i wish she would die.
	halfmonk, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: you’re implying that because you "volunteered" somehow that means your view is more correct than anyone else’s here. i am well aware of what created the circumstances of the tamil in sri lanka. i am not uninformed of their plight. you can wash my mouth out with salt water but you can’t wash away the reality of history. violence never solved shit in the world. no motherfucker with a gun ever made anything better. i don’t give fuck who has the gun. buddhist, muslim, hindu, christian, jew, atheist, communist, capitalist. makes no difference. piling up bodies never changed shit. it only changes the weapons manufacturer’s bank accounts and ups the body count which equals more revenge and more violence. but go ahead support that dumb ass bullshit. that’s your privilege. but check it out, no one has ever created a different result repeating the same experiment using the same methods. but by all means, let’s continue repeating the same bullshit over and over and over again. brilliant. sounds like some fucking george bush bullshit to me.
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: waaaooow!!!
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: you should tell the buddist monks that in central government.....and believe it or not, i dont just sit in front of my computer and write this stuff and hve no action. I have myself volunteered in sri lanka for tamils, singhla, muslim, buddist, hindu and christian alike. Mr non violent over here obviously need his mouth washing out with a of salt water.
	halfmonk, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: same old bullshit. i don’t give a shit who it is or the reason. pick up a gun and try to correct injustice and what you do is create more injustice. never solved shit in the world. just makes more piles of fucking bodies and blown off limbs. how long does it take for peeps to figure this shit out? you SHOULD joke about it. that way you don’t have fucking cry all the time because that’s what we should be doing. but since we’re all sitting here on our computers creating bullshit, who cares, it’s meaningless. you want to see courage? it’s the mother fuckers who stand up to that shit without picking up a fucking gun. that has been done and actually fucking worked. rather than more violence which just creates more bullshit on top of the old bullshit.
Anonymous, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: MIA is an artist. Her work is obviously political, she has a right to free speech. whether she is right or wrong is not for you to decide. you may debate, argue and attempt to sell your points but just because you dont agree with someone doesnt mean that you should threaten them. Its a real shame that there are idiots out there that think it is acceptable to joke at a war that has cost well over 70,000 lives.
	A Taipan, on Aug 29, 2008 wrote: I respect anyone that fights for their convictions. You may not respect the means, but courage is courage. The Tamils were forcefully emigrated from India as a work force, and have been despised ever since. They have the right to carve out their own niche.
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