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| The '''Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam''' (LTTE), also known as the '''Tamil Tigers''', is a Sri Lankan ] ] organization founded in ] that has sought to establish an independent state, called ], in the north-east of ]. However, as the country entered a "post-conflict" phase in 2002 and 2003, the LTTE seemed to moderate these demands, seeking instead greater political and economic autonomy within a one-state solution and acknowledging that a military approach was not a viable way to achieve their goals. | |||
| <b>What are the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam?</b> | |||
| The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a separatist terrorist group that seeks an independent state in areas in Sri Lanka inhabited by ethnic Tamils. (Eelam means homeland in Tamil.) The LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers, have used conventional, guerrilla, and terror tactics, including some 200 suicide bombings, in a bloody, two-decade-old civil war that has claimed more than 60,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans. The U.S. State Department lists the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organization. | |||
| Some of the Tigers’ innovations—such as the “jacket” apparatus worn by individual suicide bombers—have been copied by al-Qaeda, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. In its early days, experts say, the LTTE trained with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the group may still come into contact with other terrorist organizations through the illegal arms trade. | |||
| <b>Who are the Tamils?</b> | |||
| The Tamils are an ethnic group who live in southern India (mainly in the state of Tamil Nadu) and on Sri Lanka, an island of 19 million people off the southern tip of India. Tamils comprise about 18 percent of the island’s population, and most live in northern and eastern areas. Their religion (most are Hindu) and Tamil language set them apart from the three-quarters of Sri Lankans who are Sinhalese—members of a largely Buddhist, Sinhala-speaking ethnic group. When Sri Lanka was ruled by the British, the Tamil minority was seen to have received preferential treatment. Since Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, the Sinhalese majority has dominated the country. The remainder of Sri Lanka’s population includes ethnic Muslims as well as Tamil and Sinhalese Christians. | |||
| <b>What kind of terrorist attacks have the Tigers undertaken?</b> | |||
| The LTTE is notorious for its suicide bombings. Since the late 1980s, the group has conducted some 200 suicide bombings—far more than any other terrorist group. LTTE suicide bombers have attacked civilians on mass transit, at Buddhist shrines, and in office buildings. In October 1997, a suicide truck bomb killed 18 people at the 39-story World Trade Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. | |||
| Beyond suicide bombings, the LTTE have used conventional bombs against political and civilian targets and have gunned down both Sri Lankan officials and civilians. LTTE fighters wear cyanide capsules around their necks, so they can commit suicide if they are captured. | |||
| <b>Have the Tigers tried to assassinate major politicians?</b> | |||
| Yes. LTTE suicide attacks have targeted political leaders in Sri Lanka and India, including: | |||
| * the May 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a campaign rally in India; | |||
| * the May 1993 assassination of Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa; | |||
| * the July 1999 assassination of a Sri Lankan member of parliament, Neelan Thiruchelvam, an ethnic Tamil involved in a government-sponsored peace initiative; | |||
| * a pair of December 1999 suicide bombings in Colombo that wounded Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga; and | |||
| * the June 2000 assassination of Sri Lankan Industry Minister C.V. Goonaratne. | |||
| <b>Has the LTTE committed terrorist attacks since September 11?</b> | |||
| No. The LTTE has largely kept a ceasefire that took effect in December 2001. Experts say several factors contribute to the LTTE’s new conciliatory posture, including the international crackdown on terrorist funds, a widespread post-September 11 disdain for suicide terrorism, and dwindling support for terror among many Tamils. The LTTE forces now include growing numbers of child soldiers, which experts say may indicate that the Tigers’ potential human resources are being depleted. | |||
| The Tamil Tigers' most notorious crime was the ], ] alleged assassination of ] Prime Minister ] | |||
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Revision as of 04:58, 13 November 2003
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla organization founded in 1976 that has sought to establish an independent state, called Tamil Eelam, in the north-east of Sri Lanka. However, as the country entered a "post-conflict" phase in 2002 and 2003, the LTTE seemed to moderate these demands, seeking instead greater political and economic autonomy within a one-state solution and acknowledging that a military approach was not a viable way to achieve their goals.
The Tamil Tigers' most notorious crime was the May 21, 1991 alleged assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi