{{Short description|First female fighter of the Tamil Tigers to die in combat (1967-1987)}} {{Other uses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = 2nd Lieutenant <ref name="TamilNet 2004 a410">{{cite web | title=TamilNet: 10.10.04 Jaffna observes Malathi death anniversary | website=TamilNet | date=10 Oct 2004 | url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=13109 | access-date=19 Nov 2023}}</ref> | name = Malathy | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date |1967|01|04|df=yes}} | birth_place = Mannar<ref name="TamilNet 2004 a410" /> | death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|10|10|1967|1|04|df=yes}} | death_place = Kopay, Jaffna | other_names = | known_for = First women martyr | occupation = Tamil Militant }}
'''Sahayaseeli Pedhuruppillai''', alias '''Malathi''' (or '''Malathy''') (1967–1987), was a female Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers fighter, the first to die in combat, hence revered as the first female martyr. Her death anniversary is commemorated as ''Women's Awakening day''. Her death is significant as later females joined the Tamil Tigers at all levels and played significant roles (including the Black Tigers).
On 10 October 1987, Malathi was injured in combat when an LTTE women unit, which she was leading, was confronted by the IPKF near Navatkuli-Kopay Road in Kopay near Jaffna. Although clearly overwhelmingly outnumbered by the IPKF soldiers with far superior firepower, her team still successfully blocked and retaliated the IPKF and forced the IPKF to withdraw. In the battle, she was bleeding profusely and rendered immobile when her fellow fighter soldier girls rescued her. Malathi, realizing the grave situation, wanted the girls to leave her and go on with the fight, and then took her cyanide capsule to avoid being captured. Tamil Tigers called one of their brigades the Malathi Brigade in honour of her and built a memorial for her in Kilinochchi which was opened on October 10, 2004.<ref name="YpeijKönig2014">{{cite book|author1=Dr Annelou Ypeij|author2=Ms Reinhilde König|author3=Professor Georg Frerks|title=Gender and Conflict: Embodiments, Discourses and Symbolic Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi7jBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT123|accessdate=10 October 2015|date=28 October 2014|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4724-0461-9|pages=123–}}</ref><ref name="TrươngWieringa2006">{{cite book|author1=Thanh-Đạm Trương|author2=Saskia Wieringa|author3=Amrita Chhachhi|title=Engendering human security: feminist perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZWyAAAAIAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Zed Books|isbn=978-1-84277-778-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=10084 | title=LTTE commemorates first woman martyr | publisher=Tamilnet | date=10 October 2003 | accessdate=10 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="Briggs2009">{{cite book|author=Jimmie Briggs|title=Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkqIL8H53P4C&pg=PT66|accessdate=10 October 2015|date=1 April 2009|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-7867-3850-2|pages=66–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=10090 | title=Women's Awakening Day celebrated in NE | publisher=Tamilnet | date=11 October 2003 | accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://archives.dailymirror.lk/2003/10/11/News/16.html | title=LTTE hails Malathy and gender equality | publisher=Daily Mirror | date=11 October 2003 | accessdate=11 October 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://irruppu.com/?p=37634 | title=முதல் பெண் மாவீரரான 2ஆம் லெப். மாலதியின் வீர வணக்க நாள் இன்றாகும். | publisher=irruppu.com | accessdate=11 October 2015 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035956/http://irruppu.com/?p=37634 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://tamilnation.co/tamileelam/maveerar/malati.htm | title=MaaVeerar - மாவீரர் அணையாத தீபங்கள் Malathi - First Woman Martyr | publisher=Tamil Nation | accessdate=10 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=13109 | title=Jaffna observes Malathi death anniversary | publisher=Tamilnet | date=10 October 2004 | accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=16200 | title=Remembering Maalathy | publisher=Tamil Guardian | date=10 October 2015 | accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="Eager2013">{{cite book|author=Dr Paige Whaley Eager|title=From Freedom Fighters to Terrorists: Women and Political Violence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQ2UytrgOkIC&pg=PA141|accessdate=10 October 2015|date=28 March 2013|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-9857-5|pages=141–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=13106&catid=13 | title=Malathy Memorial opened in Kilinochchi | publisher=Tamilnet | date=10 October 2004 | accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=13847 | title=Denmark Tamil schools compete in Malathy Cup football tournament | publisher=Tamil Guardian | date=21 February 2015 | accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tamil Tiger rebels honor their female fighters in Sri Lanka|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-68684200.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418194813/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-68684200.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2016|publisher=AP Worldstream |via=HighBeam|accessdate=11 October 2015|date=October 12, 2002}}</ref><ref name="Anon. i660">{{cite web | title=Les combattantes du LTTE | url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=rms-001%3A2021%3A0%3A%3A398 | access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels Category:Sri Lankan rebels Category:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members Category:1987 deaths Category:1967 births