Podcast

Child Soldier to Double Agent: The Untold Story of Kagusthan Ariaratnam Spy Tiger: The 05 File

In this powerful interview, former child soldier Kagusthan Ariaratnam shares his extraordinary journey from being forcibly recruited into the Tamil Tigers during the Sri Lankan Civil War to becoming an intelligence operative and global peace advocate.

Kagusthan’s memoir Spy Tiger: The 05 File reveals the hidden realities of war, espionage, survival, and the psychological toll of conflict. Kidnapped as a teenager and thrust into the brutal world of insurgency and intelligence operations, he later worked across multiple intelligence environments before dedicating his life to helping others understand the true cost of war.

Today, he leads Project O Five, a nonprofit initiative focused on global cooperation, peacebuilding, and bridging divides through a combination of soft power and strategic thinking.

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About Kagusthan Ariaratnam

Kagusthan Ariaratnam is an Ottawa-based defense analyst with over 25 years of rare, dual-perspective expertise in counterintelligence, counterinsurgency, and counterterrorism. His career began under challenging circumstances as a child soldier for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He rose to become an intelligence officer for the LTTE’s Military Intelligence Unit (1992–1995), managing operations for its naval and aerial divisions. Later, he transitioned to the other side of the Sri Lankan civil conflict, serving as a military intelligence analyst for the Sri Lankan government’s Directorate of Military Intelligence, followed by roles with various international intelligence agencies from 1990 to 2010. In recognition of his contributions to the Global War on Terrorism, he received the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies Award in 2003. Ariaratnam holds a BA Honours in Communication from the University of Ottawa, is the co-author of the 2024 memoir Spy Tiger: The 05 File, and currently leads Project O Five Ltd. He can be reached at [email protected]

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