Sri Lankan Conflict Combatants Military of Sri Lanka Indian Peace Keeping Force Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Commanders Junius Richard Jayawardene (1983-89) Ranasinghe Premadasa (1989-93) Dingiri Banda Wijetunge (1993-94) Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994-2005) Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005-present) Velupillai Prabhakaran (1983-present) Strength 111,000[1] 11,000[1] The Sri...

Background

Sri Lanka • History of Sri Lanka

Origins of the Civil War

Origins of the Civil War Black July • Riots and pogroms Human rights • Allegations of state terror Tamil militant groups

LTTE

LTTE • Notable attacks Terrorist attacks • Attributed assassinations • Child soldiers Expulsion of Muslims from Jaffna

Current major figures

Mahinda Rajapakse Velupillai Prabhakaran Karuna Amman Sarath Fonseka

Indian Involvement

Operation Poomalai Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Indian Peace Keeping Force Rajiv Gandhi • RAW

See also

Military of Sri Lanka TMVP • EPDP Notable assassinations This box: view • talk • edit

Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka to create an independent Tamil Eelam. Image File history File links Flag_of_Sri_Lanka. ... The recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries. ... The origins of the Sri Lankan civil war lie in sharp disagreements over language, access to universities, and riots between Sri Lankas majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil community. ... Location of Sri Lanka Black July is the commonly used name of the pogroms starting in Sri Lanka on July 23, 1983. ... Following is a List of riots and pogroms in Sri Lanka. ... The situation of human rights in Sri Lanka is generally considered to be very poor[1]. Major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly expressed concern about the states of human rights in Sri Lanka. ... Burnt shell of the post event library Several groups have alleged that there have been instances of state terrorism in Sri Lanka. ... Tamil Tigers emblem The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a military and political organization that has waged a violent secessionist campaign against the Sri Lankan Government since the 1970s in order to secure independence for the Tamil portions of Sri Lanka. ... LTTE is a rebel group active in Sri Lanka that is banned as a terrorist group by 29 countries. ... The following is a list of terrorist attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (commonly known as the Tamil Tigers or simply the LTTE). ... Assassinations, murders and wholesale massacres of civilians in Sri Lanka have become an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war since 1983. ... Military use of children in Sri Lanka has been an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (born November 18, 1945), Sri Lankan politician, became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on April 6, 2004, following the victory of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance in the April 2, 2004 Sri Lankan legislative elections. ... Velupillai Prabhakaran (Tamil: வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்; born November 26, 1954), sometimes referred to as V. Prabhakaran or Pirabaharan or as Thambi,[] was born in the northern coastal town of Velvettithurai, Sri Lanka to Thiruvenkadam Velupillai and Vallipuram Parvathy. ... Karuna Amman was the second highest commanding officer of the LTTE who broke away due to Tigers attacks on civilians in Batticaloa, corruption within LTTE and the recruitment of child soldiers. ... Category: ... Operation Poomalai or Eagle Mission 4 was the codename assigned to a mercy mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force to airdrop humanitarian relief supplies over the town of Jaffna and Jaffna Peninsula on 4 June 1987. ... The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on July 29, 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayewardene. ... Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. ... Rājiv Ratna GāndhÄ« (DevanāgarÄ«: राजीव रत्न गान्धी, IPA: ) (August 20, 1944 – May 21, 1991), the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, was the 9th Prime Minister of India (and the 3rd from the Gandhi family) from his mothers death on 31 October 1984 until his resignation on December... Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)[1] is Indias external intelligence agency. ... The Military of Sri Lanka consists of Three Branches which are the Army, Navy, Air Force which comes under the Ministry of Defence. ... Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (Tamil: தமிழீழ மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், English: Tamileela Peoples Liberation Tigers) is a political party and paramilitary group formed in 2004 by break-away LTTE Military Head of Batticaloa district V. Muralitharan (Colonel Karuna). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Assassinations, murders and massacres of civilians in Sri Lanka have become an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war since 1983. ... see Sri Lankan Tamils ... Anthem: Political status      Unrecognized de facto quasi-independent state Languages      Tamil (de facto official) English Capital Trincomalee President Velupillai Prabhakaran[1] Independence (from Sri Lanka) No official declaration   Area           19,509 km² claimed[2] 6,600–9,750 km² administered (40–50% of claimed area) Population (of claimed area) 3...

Origins

These groups arose due to the failure of the traditional non-violent political protest of the Tamil elites to secure fair settlement from the national government for the alleged grievances of the Tamil minority. Tamil militants in general were referred as potiyal (our boys) or puliyal (tigers) by the local Tamils. The Sri Lankan state has always referred to them in the Sinhala language as Thrasdavadi or extremists or terrorists. Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are an ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල, ISO 15919: , IPA: [], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ...

Distinguishing characteristics

The distinguishing characteristics were the sheer number of groupings formed essentially within the Jaffna peninsula which prior to 1983 had just over a million people. Many, but not all, were Marxist in orientation. Most were seen by neighboring powers such as India as a means to control the foreign policy initiatives of then pro-western Sri Lankan government. Hence the numerous groups were easy pickings for foreign intelligence agencies to infiltrate and control, most notably India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Jaffna District. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)[1] is Indias external intelligence agency. ...

Many of the groups were backed primarily by members of a particular caste. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, for instance, drew largely from the Karaiyar caste, while the PLOTE drew from the dominant Vellala caste. The fighting between the groups that later emerged can be considered a form of caste violence.^{[citation needed]} The system of Caste in Sri Lanka is a division of society into strata, differing somewhat from the classic Varnas of North India but is similar in nature to the Jati system found in South India . ... Tamil Tigers emblem The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a military and political organization that has waged a violent secessionist campaign against the Sri Lankan Government since the 1970s in order to secure independence for the Tamil portions of Sri Lanka. ... ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into vellalar. ...

Internecine conflicts

Even at an early stage, one could notice the efforts by the leadership of the largest group, the LTTE, to deploy violence and murder to control the mushrooming of groups. This culminated in bloody internal warfare in the mid-1980s. The LTTE deployed extreme violence against many of the other groups, decimating them. By the mid-1990s, the LTTE was left as the only non state actor fighting on behalf of the Sri Lankan Tamil people. It had to deal with reduced manpower, and the enmity of many Tamils who had supported the other groups, some of whom allied themselves with the government.

Some of the groups have remained active as democratic political parties. Some of these have joined the Tamil nationalist TNA. Others are allied with the Sri Lankan government either as paramilitaries or as influential political parties. Formed in November of 2001 in preparation for the December election, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is an extreme nationalistic grouping of parties consisting of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation... A paramilitary is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ...

Student organizations

• TSL – Tamil Students League [Tamil Manavar Peravai] (1970), founded by Ponnuthurai Satyaseelan. See also, TYL.
• TYL – Tamil Youth League [Tamil Ilaignar Peravai] (1973), the progenitor of Eelam Tamil militancy.
• GUES – General Union of Eelam Students, part of EROS and forerunner of EPRLF.

...

Major groups

• LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Only remaining armed Tamil nationalist group.
• EPRLF Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front - Part of TNA.
• EPDP Eelam People's Democratic Party - Pro-government group and a political party accused of being a paramilitary.[1]
• TELO Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization - Once decimated by the LTTE, part of TNA.
• PLOTE People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam - Minor standalone political party accused of being a paramilitary. PLOTE, unlike others, vehemently denies this.
• ENDLF Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front - Created with the help IPKF now active in India in refugee settlements in Orissa.
• EROS Eelam Revolutionary Organisers - Part of LTTE.
• TMVP LTTE splinter group, pro-government group accused of being a para-military.

• ICMM - Indo Ceylon Merger Movement (Inththiya Ilanggai Innaippu Iyakkam). (1971-1980)
• TNT - Tamil New Tigers (Puthiya Thamil Pulikal). (1972-1978) part of LTTE
• TLO - Tamil Liberation Organization. (1974-1978)

LTTE is an acronym or initialism for: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Known for their guerilla warfare forcibly killing every other independent groups aiming for seperate state. ... Tamil nationalism is a strong aspiration by some Tamils to establish traditional Tamil home lands in India and Sri Lanka as separate nations. ... The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front was a Tamil separatist group in Sri Lanka. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization is a political party in Sri Lanka. ... PLOTE stands for Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam. ... Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), was the Indian military unit peforming a peacekeeping operation that was formed to oversee the peace accord signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1987. ... , Orissa   (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (Tamil: தமிழீழ மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், English: Tamileela Peoples Liberation Tigers) is a political party and paramilitary group formed in 2004 by break-away LTTE Military Head of Batticaloa district V. Muralitharan (Colonel Karuna). ... ...

Militant fronts

• Upsurging People's Force Considered to be a front of LTTE.
• Ellalan Padai - Considered to be a front of LTTE.
• Ravanan Padai - Considered to be a front of LTTE.

The Upsurging Peoples Force (Tamil பொங்கி எழும் மக்கள் படை) is a Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. ... Ellaalan( c. ... A depiction of Ravana, Hindu rakshasa King of Lanka In Hinduism, Ravana (Devanagari: रावण, IAST ; sometimes transliterated Raavana and as Ravan or Revana) is the principal antagonist of Rama in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. ...

Political front parties

• TSK – Tamilar Suya-Aadchi Kazhakam (1969), of V. Navaratnam; a splinter group of ITAK.
• ETOM – Eela Thamilar Ottrumai Munnani (1960), of C.Suntheralingam; a one-person band, which became a minor constituent of the TULF.
• DPLF – Democratic People's Liberation Front, the political wing of PLOTE, of D.Siddarthan.
• PFLT – People's Front of Liberation Tigers (1989), now defunct political party of the LTTE.
• ENLF – Eelam National Liberation Front (1985-1986), a short-lived union of the LTTE, EROS, TELO and EPRLF. LTTE wiggled out of this union.
• TELF – Tamil Eelam Liberation Front (1982), of S.C. Chandrahasan, M.K. Eelaventhan, journalist Kovai Mahesan and Dr. S.A. Tharmalingam; a splinter group of the TULF.
• ENDLF – Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (1987), a group created by RAW from PLOTE, EPRLF and TELO.

TULF Election Symbol The Tamil United Liberation Front (in Tamil: தமிழர் ஐக்கிய விடுதலை முன்னணி, in Sinhala: Dravida Eksath Vimukthi Peramuna) is a political party in Sri Lanka, which seeks autonomy or independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka, which they call Tamil Eelam. ...

Minor groups

• ELDF – Eelam Liberation Defence Front.
• ELO – Eelam Liberation Organisation (1975).
• ELT – Eelam Liberation Tigers.
• EM – Eagle Movement, of Gnanavel.
• ERCP – Eelam Revolutionary Communist Party.
• GATE – Guerrilla Army of Tamil Eelam.
• NLFTE – National Liberation Front of Tamil Eelam, which according to Taraki, was a small but influential Maoist group based largely in Jaffna, which "drove down the road to perdition by splitting hairs over the question of whether it should first build an armed wing or a mass political movement."
• PLFT – People's Liberation Front of Tamil Eelam, a splinter group of NLFTE.
• PLA – People's Liberation Army, the military wing of EPRLF, Led by current EPDP leader Douglas Devananda. Important achievement of the PLA was the 1984 kidnapping of American couple Stanley and Mary Allen from Columbus, Ohio, in Jaffna.
• PLP – People's Liberation Party.
• RCG – Red Crescent Guerrillas.
• RELO – Revolutionary Eelam Liberation Organisation.
• RFTE – Red Front of Tamil Eelamists. (1984)
• RW – Revolutionary Warriors.
• SRSL – Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation
• TEA – Tamil Eelam Army (1983), of Panagoda Maheswaran.
• TEC – Tamil Eelam Commando.
• TEDF – Tamil Eelam Defence Front.
• TEEF – Tamil Eelam Eagles Front.
• TELA – Tamil Eelam Liberation Army (1982) of Oberoi Thevan; a splinter group of TELO. After the assassination of Thevan in 1983 by the LTTE, TELA was absorbed by PLOTE.
• TELC – Tamil Eelam Liberation Cobras (1983), a short-lived Batticaloa-based group. As per Taraki, "It was widely known as the Cobra Army (Naaha Padai)".
• TELE – Tamil Eelam Liberation Extremists, which Taraki identified as "led by one 'TELE Jegan.' He was shot dead by the LTTE.
• TELG – Tamil Eelam Liberation Guerrillas.
• TENA – Tamil Eelam National Army (1983), of Amirthalingam Baheerathan.
• TERO – Tamil Eelam Revolutionary Organisation, of Sudan Ramesh; a splinter group of TELO.
• TERPLA – Tamil Eelam Revolutionary People's Liberation Army, of Thangarasa.
• TESS – Tamil Eelam Security Service.
• TLO – Tamil Liberation Organisation (1969), the progenitor of TELO.
• TNC – Tamil National Council (1989).
• TNT – Tamil New Tigers (1972-1976); renamed the LTTE.
• TPCU – Tamil People's Command Unit.
• TPDF – Tamil People's Democratic Front.
• TPSF – Tamil People's Security Front.
• TPSO – Tamil People's Security Organisation.
• TEBM – Tamil Eelam Blood Movement.

Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211... The Tamil Eelam Army is a Tamil separatist group in Sri Lanka. ... ...

See also

• Black July pogrom that lead to the civil war
• Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war
• Sri Lankan civil war
• State terrorism in Sri Lanka

Location of Sri Lanka Black July is the commonly used name of the pogroms starting in Sri Lanka on July 23, 1983. ... The origins of the Sri Lankan civil war lie in sharp disagreements over language, access to universities, and riots between Sri Lankas majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil community. ... Combatants Military of Sri Lanka Indian Peace Keeping Force Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Commanders Junius Richard Jayawardene (1983-89) Ranasinghe Premadasa (1989-93) Dingiri Banda Wijetunge (1993-94) Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994-2005) Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005-present) Velupillai Prabhakaran (1983-present) Strength 111,000[1] 11,000[1] The Sri... This article is being considered for deletion for the third time in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

References

• Tamil Militant Groups- Country Study
• Other Tamil Eelam Groups

External links

• List of Tamil militant groups
• Association of Sri Lankan Muslims with militant groups