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| {{Infobox militant organization | |||
| |name = Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam | |||
| |native_name = தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் | |||
| |native_name_lang = ta | |||
| |other_name = Tamil Tigers | |||
| |logo = Ltte_emblem.jpg | |||
| |logo_size= 198px | |||
| |caption = Emblem | |||
| |dates = {{Start date|1976|05|05|df=y}} – {{End date|2009|05|18|df=yes}} | |||
| |leader = ]{{KIA|alt=yes}} | |||
| |motives = The creation of the ] of ] in the ] and ] of ]. | |||
| |ideology = ]<br>]<br>]<br>] | |||
| |crimes = | |||
| |attacks = | |||
| |status = Inactive. Militarily defeated in May 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.detnews.com/article/20090518/NATION/905180344/1020/Rebels-admit-defeat-in-Sri-Lankan-civil-war|title=Rebels admit defeat in Sri Lankan civil war | detnews.com | The Detroit News|publisher=detnews.com|accessdate=30 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2015}}</ref> | |||
| |size = | |||
| |revenue = US$200–300 million prior to the military defeat.<ref name="lakabim"/><ref name="icg1"/> | |||
| |financing= Donations from expatriate Tamils, extortion,<ref name="transcurrents.com">{{cite web|url=http://transcurrents.com/tamiliana/archives/399|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025015507/http://transcurrents.com/tamiliana/archives/399|dead-url=yes|archive-date=2007-10-25|title=LTTE Fundraising & Money Transfer Operations|author=Shanaka Jayasekara|date=October 2007|publisher=satp.org|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> shipping, sales of weapons and taxation under LTTE-controlled areas. | |||
| | url = {{URL|www.eelam.com}}{{dead link|date=September 2016}} | |||
| }} | |||
| {{Sri Lankan Tamil history}} | |||
| The '''Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam''' ({{lang-ta|தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள்|translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ}}, {{lang-si|දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි|translit=Demaḷa īḷām vimukti koṭi}}, commonly known as the '''LTTE''' or the '''Tamil Tigers''') <ref name="silic">{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Majority_in_Tamil_Nadu_favours_backing_LTTE_Poll-nid-54523.html|title=Majority in Tamil Nadu favours backing LTTE: Poll|date=March–May 2009| publisher=Silicon India News|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> was a militant | |||
| organization that was based in northeastern ]. Founded in May 1976 by ], it waged a ] nationalist insurgency<ref name="sherman"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Thiranagama |first=Sharika |year=2011|title=In My Mother's House: Civil War in Sri Lanka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1b053j2-PYC&dq=In+My+Mother%27s+House:+Civil+War+in+Sri+Lanka&source=gbs_navlinks_s|location=|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|page= 108 |oclc=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Åke Nordquist|first=Kjell|year=2013|title=Gods and Arms: On Religion and Armed Conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fUFBAAAQBAJ&dq=Gods+and+Arms:+On+Religion+and+Armed+Conflict&source=gbs_navlinks_s|location=|publisher=Casemate Publishers|page=97|oclc=}}</ref> to create an independent state of ] in the north and east of Sri Lanka for ].<ref name="pbs.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/thestory.html|title=Sri Lanka – Living With Terror|date=May 2002|publisher=PBS|work=Frontline|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> This campaign led to the ], which ran from 1983 until 2009, when the LTTE was eventually defeated, with the financial and strategic help of ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-beijing-won-sri-lankas-civil-war-1980492.html|title=How Beijing won Sri Lanka's civil war|date=2010-05-23|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-07-15|language=en-GB}}</ref> by the ] during the presidency of ].<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSCOL391456|work=Reuters|title=SCENARIOS-The end of Sri Lanka's quarter-century war|date=16 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="VOA">{{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2009-05-17-voa11-68644392.html|location=]|work=]|title=Sri Lanka Rebels Concede Defeat|date=17 May 2009}}</ref> | |||
| Due to its military victories, policies, call for national self-determination and constructive ] platform, the LTTE was supported by major sections of the Tamil community.<ref name=wilson>{{cite book|author=Wilson, A. J.|year=2000|title=Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism:Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|pages = 24,131–132| location=Sydney|isbn=1-85065-338-0|oclc=237448732}}</ref> ] claimed that "by combination of internal terror and narrow nationalist ideology the LTTE succeeded in atomizing the community. It took away not only the right to oppose but even the right to evaluate, as a community, the course they were taking. This gives a semblance of illusion that the whole society is behind the LTTE."<ref name="uthrj">{{cite web|url=http://www.uthr.org/history.htm|title=History of the Organisation|date=January 2000|work= |publisher=The University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna)|accessdate=30 June 2015}}</ref> | |||
| At the height of its power, the LTTE possessed a well-developed militia and carried out many high-profile militant attacks, including the ]. The LTTE was the only militant group to assassinate two world leaders:<ref name="fbic">{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |title=Taming the Tamil Tigers |date=1 October 2008 |work=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=] |accessdate=7 March 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213015044/http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |archivedate=13 February 2008 |df= }}</ref> former Indian Prime Minister ] in 1991 and Sri Lankan President ] in 1993.<ref name="sherman"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Pavlović |first=Zoran |year=2009 |title=Terrorism and security |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xT1j8XpS-SoC&pg=PA47 |location=New York |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |accessdate=18 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/13/stories/2007041304441600.htm|location=Chennai, India|work=The Hindu|title=Ethnic cleansing: Colombo|date=13 April 2007}}</ref> The LTTE invented ] and pioneered the use of women in ]s in warfare.<ref name="fbic"/> It also acquired and used light aircraft in some of its attacks.<ref name="BBC 2007-04-29">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6604645.stm|title=Sri Lanka rebels in new air raid|agency=]|publisher=BBC News|date=29 April 2007|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> Velupillai Prabhakaran headed the organisation from its inception until his death in 2009.<ref name="lttldr">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/tamil-tigers-ltte-prabhakaran-death-srilanka|title=Prabhakaran's death and fall of LTTE lead to street celebrations in Sri Lanka|author=Mark Tran|date=May 2009|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=24 August 2011|location=London}}</ref> The LTTE was ] by 32 countries, including the European Union, United States, and India. | |||
| Historical inter-ethnic imbalances between majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil populations are alleged to have created the background for the origin of the LTTE. Post independent Sri Lankan governments attempted to rectify the disproportionate favouring and empowerment of Tamil minority by the colonial rulers,<ref name="sherman"/><ref name="secu"/> which led to discriminatory ethnic policies including the "]" and gave rise to separatist ideologies among many Tamil leaders. By the 1970s, initial non violent political struggle for an independent mono-ethnic Tamil state was used as justification for a violent secessionist insurgency led by the LTTE.<ref name="sherman">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlCXRQo__6oC|title=The Political Economy of Armed Conflict: Beyond Greed and Grievance|publisher=]|author=Sherman, Jake|year=2003|location=New York|page=198|isbn=978-1-58826-172-4}}</ref><ref name="secu">{{cite book|title=Security And Development: Investing In Peace And Prosperity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YXHRX20ibVAC|publisher=]|author=Picciotto, Robert., Weaving, Rachel.|year=2006|location=London|page=171|isbn=978-0-415-35364-9}}</ref> Over the course of the conflict, the Tamil Tigers frequently exchanged control of territory in north-east Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan military, with the two sides engaging in intense military confrontations. It was involved in four unsuccessful rounds of peace talks with the Sri Lankan government over the course of the conflict. At its peak in 2000, the LTTE was in control of 76% of the landmass in the ] and ] provinces of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=Humanitarian|title=Humanitarian Operation Timeline, 1981–2009|publisher=]|accessdate=2 August 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827212530/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=Humanitarian|archivedate=27 August 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| At the start of the final round of peace talks in 2002, the Tamil Tigers controlled a 15,000 km<sup>2</sup> (5,800 sq mi) area. After the breakdown of the peace process in 2006, the Sri Lankan military launched a major offensive against the Tigers, defeating the LTTE militarily and bringing the entire country under its control. Human rights groups criticised the nature of the victory which included the internment of Tamil civilians in ] camps with little or no access to outside agencies.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/13/tamils-camps-sri-lanka|title=Harrassed Tamils languish in prison-like camps in Sri Lanka|last=Ramesh|first=Randeep|date=2009-09-13|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-07-15|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Victory over the Tigers was declared by Sri Lankan President ] on 16 May 2009,<ref name='st-end'>{{Cite news|title=President to announce end of war|date=17 May 2009|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090517/News/sundaytimesnews_01.html|work=Times Online|accessdate=16 May 2009}}</ref> and the LTTE admitted defeat on 17 May 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|author=From correspondents in Colombo |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25496902-401,00.html |title=''Tamil Tigers'' admit defeat in civil war after 37-year battle |publisher=News.com.au |date=17 May 2009 |accessdate=17 May 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519011848/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C27574%2C25496902-401%2C00.html |archivedate=19 May 2009 |df= }}</ref> Prabhakaran was killed by government forces on 19 May 2009. ] succeeded Prabhakaran as leader of the LTTE, but he was later arrested in Malaysia and handed over to the Sri Lankan government in August 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|publisher=]|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/09/stories/2009080952680900.htm|title='Operation KP': the dramatic capture and after|author=D.B.S. Jeyaraj|location=Chennai, India|date=9 August 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ===Background=== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{See also|Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war}} | |||
| In the early 1970s, ] government of ] introduced the ] to rectify the low numbers of Sinhalese being accepted into university in Sri Lanka. A student named Satiyaseelan formed ''Tamil Manavar Peravai'' (Tamil Students League) to counter this.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/?uid=991|title=Pirapaharan, Chapter 42|author=T. Sabaratnam|publisher=Sangam.org|accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tamilnation.co/forum/sivaram/940508eelam_history.htm|title=The Exclusive Right to Write Eelam History|author=]|date=May 1994|publisher=Tamil Nation|accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref> This group comprised Tamil youth who advocated the rights of students to have fair enrollment. Inspired by the failed ] of ], it was the first Tamil insurgent group of its kind.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebottomline.lk/2007/11/28/B34.htm |title=The JVP and Tamil militancy |author=T. Sabaratnam |publisher=BottomLine |accessdate=17 August 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929235805/http://www.thebottomline.lk/2007/11/28/B34.htm |archivedate=29 September 2008 }}</ref> It consisted of around 40 Tamil youth, including ] (later, the leader of the Sivakumaran group), K. Pathmanaba (one of the founder members of ]) and ], an 18-year-old youth from single caste-oriented ] (VVT).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dspace.vidyanidhi.org.in:8080/dspace/bitstream/2009/5624/4/JNU-2005-087-3.pdf |title=Formation of the TULF: A formal background |accessdate=27 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004015600/http://dspace.vidyanidhi.org.in:8080/dspace/bitstream/2009/5624/4/JNU-2005-087-3.pdf |archivedate=4 October 2011 }}</ref> In 1972, Prabhakaran teamed up with Chetti Thanabalasingam, Jaffna to form the ] (TNT), with Thanabalasingham as its leader.<ref name="rohang">{{cite web|url=http://212.150.54.123/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=57 |title=International and Regional Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency |author=] |date=December 1998 |accessdate=27 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930204349/http://212.150.54.123/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=57 |archivedate=30 September 2011 |df= }}</ref> After he was killed, Prabhakaran took over.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lurfqV-60AC&pg=PA73 |title=Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World|author=Stewart Bell|accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref> At the same time, ] and ] (better known by his '']'' Kuttimani) were also involved in discussions about an insurgency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vgweb.org/acslu/tamil_view.htm|title=Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: A Tamil View|publisher=vgweb.org|accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref> They would later (in 1979) create a separate organisation named ] (TELO) to campaign for the establishment of an independent ]. These groups, along with another prominent figure of the armed struggle, Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, were involved in several hit-and-run operations against pro-government Tamil politicians, ] and civil administration during the early 1970s. These attacks included throwing bombs at the residence and the car of ] ] Mayor, ], placing a bomb at a carnival held in the stadium of Jaffna city (now "Duraiyappah stadium") and ] bank robbery. The ] also sparked the anger of these militant groups. Both Sivakumaran and Prabhakaran attempted to assassinate Duraiyappah in revenge for the incident. Sivakumaran committed suicide on 5 June 1974, to evade capture by Police.<ref name="sivakum">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/6/29020_space.html|title=Pon Sivakumaran, The first Martyr decided to die than suffer the torture in the event of enemy capture|publisher=Sri Lanka Newspapers|accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref> On 27 July 1975, Prabhakaran assassinated Duraiyappah, who was branded as a "traitor" by ] and the insurgents alike. Prabhakaran shot and killed the Mayor when he was visiting the Krishnan temple at Ponnalai.<ref name="rohang"/><ref name="Hoffman139">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Inside_Terrorism.html?id=RSzyEx4do48C|last=Hoffman|first=Bruce|title=Inside Terrorism|publisher=]|location=New York|year=2006|page=139|isbn=978-0231-126-99-1}}</ref> | |||
| ===Founding and rise to power=== | |||
| {{See also|Sri Lankan Civil War|List of commanders of the LTTE}} | |||
| The LTTE was founded on 5 May 1976 as the successor to the Tamil New Tigers. ] became its leader, and Prabhakaran its military commander.<ref name="jbsj6058">{{cite web|url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/6058|title=Thirty Sixth Birth Anniversary of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|publisher=dbsjeyaraj.com|date=5 May 2012|accessdate=5 May 2012|author=]}}</ref> A five-member committee was also appointed. It has been stated that Prabhakaran sought to "refashion the old TNT/new LTTE into an elite, ruthlessly efficient, and highly professional fighting force",<ref name="Hoffman139"/> by the terrorism expert ]. Prabhakaran kept the numbers of the group small and maintained a high standard of training.<ref>], "The Rebellion in Sri Lanka: Sparrow Tactics to Guerrilla Warfare (1971–1996)," p. 13.</ref> The LTTE carried out low-key attacks against various government targets, including policemen and local politicians. | |||
| ====TULF support==== | |||
| ] leader ], who was in 1977 elected as the ] of ], clandestinely supported the LTTE. Amirthalingam believed that if he could exercise control over the Tamil insurgent groups, it would enhance his political position and pressure the government to agree to grant political autonomy to Tamils. Thus, he provided letters of reference to the LTTE and to other Tamil insurgent groups to raise funds. Both Uma Maheswaran (a former ]) and Urmila Kandiah, first female member of the LTTE, were prominent members of the TULF youth wing.<ref name="rohang"/> Maheswaran was the secretary of TULF Tamil Youth Forum, Colombo branch. Amirthalingam introduced Prabhakaran to N. S. Krishnan, who later became the first international representative of LTTE. It was Krishnan who introduced Prabhakaran to ], who later became the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of LTTE, which split for the first time in 1979. Uma Maheswaran was found to be having a love affair with Urmila Kandiah, which was against the code of conduct of LTTE. Prabhakaran ordered him to leave the organisation.<ref name="prabh">{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/articles/view/?id=110|title=Pirapaharan, Chapter 21, The Split of the LTTE|author=T. Sabaratnam|date=December 2003|accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref> Uma Maheswaran left LTTE and formed ] (PLOTE) in 1980. | |||
| In 1980, ]'s government agreed to devolve power by the means of District Development Councils upon the request of TULF. By this time, LTTE and other insurgent groups wanted ]. They had no faith in any sort of political solution. Thus the TULF and other Tamil political parties were steadily marginalised and insurgent groups emerged as the major force in the north. During this period of time several other insurgent groups came into the arena, such as ] (1975), ] (1979), ] (1980), ] (1980) and ] (1982). LTTE ordered civilians to boycott the local government elections of 1983 in which TULF contested. Voter turnout became as low as 10%. Thereafter, Tamil political parties were largely unable to represent Tamil people as insurgent groups took over their position.<ref name="rohang"/> | |||
| ====Thirunelveli attack, 1983==== | |||
| {{See also|Four Four Bravo}} | |||
| ] (from L to R, weapon carrying is included within brackets) – Lingam; Prabhakaran's bodyguard (]), ] commander Aruna (]), LTTE founder-leader ] (]), ] commander Pulendran (]), ] commander Victor (]) and Chief of Intelligence ] (]).]] | |||
| The LTTE carried out its first major attack<ref name="dm10">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/human-interest/3795-children-of-a-lesser-god.html|title=Children of a lesser God|work=]|date=17 May 2010|accessdate=5 May 2012|author=Najamuddin, Jamila|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102052753/http://www.dailymirror.lk/human-interest/3795-children-of-a-lesser-god.html|archivedate=2 November 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> on 23 July 1983, when they ambushed ] patrol ] at Thirunelveli, ]. Thirteen Sri Lankan servicemen were killed in the attack, leading to the ]. | |||
| Some consider Black July to be a planned rampage against the Tamil community of Sri Lanka, in which the JVP movement and sections of the government were implicated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/massacres-sri-lanka-during-black-july-riots-1983|title=The massacres in Sri Lanka during the Black July riots of 1983 {{!}} Sciences Po Encyclopédie des violences de masse|website=www.sciencespo.fr|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://icj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/1984/03/Sri-Lanka-mounting-tragedy-of-errors-fact-finding-mission-report-1984-eng.pdf|title=Sri Lanka: a mounting tragedy of errors|last=Sieghart|first=Paul|website=]|pages=76–77|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| Many outraged Tamil youths joined Tamil militant groups to fight the Sri Lankan government, in what is considered a major catalyst to the insurgency in Sri Lanka.<ref>, BBC News, 23 July 2008.</ref> | |||
| ====Indian support==== | |||
| In reaction to various geo-political (''see ]'') and economic factors, from August 1983 to May 1987, India, through its intelligence agency ] (RAW), provided arms, training and monetary support to six Sri Lankan Tamil insurgent groups including the LTTE. During that period, 32 camps were set up in India to train these 495 LTTE insurgents,<ref name="sndayt">{{cite web|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/970119/plus4.html|title=LTTE: the Indian connection| publisher=Sunday Times|year=1997|accessdate=25 July 2011}}</ref> including 90 women who were trained in 10 batches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19971212/34650923.html |title=Uppermost in our minds was to save the Gandhis' name |publisher=Express India |year=1997 |accessdate=25 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811204127/http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19971212/34650923.html |archivedate=11 August 2007 |df= }}</ref> The first batch of Tigers were trained in ] based in ], Uttarakhand. The second batch, including LTTE intelligence chief ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nation.lk/2009/10/04/militarym.htm|title=Pottu Amman: Patient but ruthless Tiger|publisher=The Nation|year=2009|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> trained in ]. Prabakaran visited the first and the second batch of Tamil Tigers to see them training.<ref name="Transcript- Rohan Gunaratne">{{cite web|url=http://www.llrcarchive.org/2010/10/rohan-gunaratne/|title=Transcript- Rohan Gunaratne|publisher=]|year=2010|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> Eight other batches of LTTE were trained in Tamil Nadu. ] ''alias'' Dhanu, who carried out the ] and Sivarasan—the key conspirator were among the militants trained by RAW, in ], India.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19472490903387191|title=Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death|year=2009|accessdate=25 July 2011|doi=10.1080/19472490903387191|volume=1|journal=South Asian History and Culture|pages=25–41}}</ref> | |||
| In April 1984, the LTTE formally joined a common militant front, the ] (ENLF), a union between LTTE, the ] (TELO), the ] (EROS), the ] (PLOTE) and the ] (EPRLF).<ref name='cs-tmg'>{{Cite journal|title=Tamil Militant Groups|journal=Sri Lanka: A Country Study|year=1988|author1=Russell R. Ross |author2=Andrea Matles Savada |url=http://countrystudies.us/sri-lanka/72.htm|accessdate=2 May 2007}}</ref> | |||
| ====Clashes with other insurgent groups==== | |||
| TELO usually held the Indian view of problems{{clarify|date=July 2015}} and pushed for India's view during peace talks with Sri Lanka and other groups. LTTE denounced the TELO view and claimed that India was only acting on its own interest. As a result, the LTTE broke from the ENLF in 1986. Soon fighting broke out between the TELO and the LTTE and clashes occurred over the next few months.<ref name=Hellmann-rajanayagam1994>{{Cite book|author=Hellmann-rajanayagam, D.|year=1994|title=The Tamil Tigers: Armed Struggle for Identity|publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag|page=164|isbn=978-3-515-06530-6}}</ref><ref name='cw-eb'>{{Cite book|last=O'Ballance|first=Edgar|title=The Cyanide War: Tamil Insurrection in Sri Lanka 1973–88|publisher=Brassey's|year=1989|location=London|page=61|isbn=0-08-036695-3}}</ref> As a result, almost the entire TELO leadership and at least 400 TELO militants were killed by the LTTE.<ref name='cw-eb62'>{{Cite book|last=O'Ballance|first=Edgar|title=The Cyanide War: Tamil Insurrection in Sri Lanka 1973–88|publisher=Brassey's|year=1989|location=London|page=62|isbn=0-08-036695-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilson|first=A. Jeyaratnam|title=Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|publisher=]|page=128|date=June 2000|isbn=978-0-7748-0760-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=M. R. Narayan Swamy|title=Tigers of Lanka: from Boys to Guerrillas|publisher=South Asia Books|pages=191–198|date=August 1995|isbn=978-81-220-0386-4}}</ref> The LTTE attacked training camps of the ] a few months later, forcing it to withdraw from the ].<ref name='cs-tmg'/><ref name='cw-eb62'/> Notices were issued to the effect that all remaining Tamil insurgents join the LTTE in Jaffna and in ], where the Tamil groups were headquartered. With the major groups including the TELO and EPRLF eliminated, the remaining twenty or so Tamil insurgent group were then absorbed into the LTTE, making Jaffna an LTTE-dominated city.<ref name='cw-eb62'/> | |||
| Another practice that increased support by Tamil people was LTTE's members taking an oath of loyalty which stated LTTE's goal of establishing a state for the ].<ref name=Hellmann-rajanayagam1994/><ref name=Roberts2005>{{Cite journal|author=Roberts, M.|year=2005|title=Tamil Tiger "Martyrs": Regenerating Divine Potency?|journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism|volume=28|issue=6|pages=493–514|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/uter/2005/00000028/00000006/art00003|accessdate=6 April 2008|doi=10.1080/10576100590950129}}</ref> In 1987 LTTE established the ], a unit responsible for conducting suicide attacks against political, economic, and military targets,<ref name='bbc-11/26/02'>{{Cite news|first=Frances|last=Harrison|title='Black Tigers' appear in public|date=26 November 2002|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2516263.stm|accessdate=2 September 2007}}</ref> and launched its first suicide attack against a Sri Lankan Army camp, killing 40 soldiers. LTTE members were prohibited from smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol in any form. LTTE members were required to avoid their family members and avoid communication with them. Initially LTTE members were prohibited from having love affairs or sexual relationships as it could deter their prime motive, but this policy changed after Prabhakaran married Mathivathani Erambu in October 1984.<ref name="prabh"/> | |||
| ===IPKF period=== | |||
| {{Main article|Indian Peace Keeping Force}} | |||
| In July 1987, faced with growing anger among its own Tamils and a flood of refugees,<ref name='cs-tmg'/> India intervened directly in the conflict for the first time by initially ]. After negotiations, India and Sri Lanka entered into the ]. Though the conflict was between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, India and Sri Lanka signed the peace accord instead of India influencing both parties to sign a peace accord among themselves. The peace accord assigned a certain degree of regional autonomy in the Tamil areas, with Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) controlling the regional council and called for the Tamil militant groups to surrender. India was to send a ] force, named the ] (IPKF), part of the ], to Sri Lanka to enforce the disarmament and to watch over the regional council.<ref>The Peace Accord and the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Hennayake S.K. Asian Survey, Vol. 29, No. 4. (April 1989), pp. 401–15.</ref><ref name=Stokke2000a>{{Cite journal|author=Stokke, K.|author2=Ryntveit, A.K.|year=2000|title=The Struggle for Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka|journal=A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy|volume=31|issue=2|pages=285–304|doi=10.1111/0017-4815.00129}}</ref> | |||
| ====War against IPKF==== | |||
| Although the Tamil militant organisations did not have a role in the Indo-Lanka agreement,<ref name=Hellmann-rajanayagam1994/> most groups, including EPRLF, TELO, EROS, and PLOTE, accepted it.<ref name='cw-eb91-94'>{{Cite book|last=O'Ballance|first=Edgar|title=The Cyanide War: Tamil Insurrection in Sri Lanka 1973–88|publisher=Brassey's|year=1989|location=London|pages=91–4|isbn=0-08-036695-3}}</ref><ref name="terror1">{{cite book|title=Contending with Terrorism: Roots, Strategies, and Responses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTWnisKC1SUC|publisher=]|author=Brown, Michael E., Coté, Owen R. Jr., Lynn-Jones, Sean M.|year=2010|location=New York|page=214|isbn=978-0-262-51464-4}}</ref> LTTE rejected the accord because they opposed EPRLF's ] as the chief ministerial candidate for the merged ].<ref name=Stokke2000a/> The LTTE named three alternate candidates for the position, who India rejected.<ref name='cw-eb91-94'/> The LTTE subsequently refused to hand over their weapons to the IPKF.<ref name=Hellmann-rajanayagam1994/> After three months of tensions, LTTE declared war on IPKF on 7 October 1987.<ref name="tamilsyd">{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilsydney.com/content/view/865/37/|publisher=Tamils Sydney|title=Shocking disclosures – Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) played double game in Sri Lanka|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
| Thus LTTE engaged in military conflict with the Indian Army, and launched its first attack on an Indian army rations truck on 8 October, killing five Indian para-commandos who were on board by strapping ]s around their necks.<ref name='cw-eb100'>{{Cite book|last=O'Ballance|first=Edgar|title=The Cyanide War: Tamil Insurrection in Sri Lanka 1973–88|publisher=Brassey's|year=1989|location=London|page=100|isbn=0-08-036695-3}}</ref> The government of India stated that the IPKF should disarm the LTTE by force.<ref name='cw-eb100'/> The Indian Army launched assaults on the LTTE, including a month-long campaign, '']'' to win control of the Jaffna Peninsula. The ruthlessness of this campaign, and the Indian army's subsequent anti-LTTE operations, made it extremely unpopular among many Tamils in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nesohr.org/inception-sept2007/human-rights-reports/StatisticsOnCiviliansAffectedByWar.pdf|title=Statistics on civilians affected by war from 1974–2004|format=PDF|date=January 2006|publisher=NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR)|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref name=UTHRJ>{{cite web|url=http://www.uthr.org/history.htm|publisher=]|title=History of the Organisation|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ====Premadasa government support==== | |||
| The Indian intervention was also unpopular among the Sinhalese majority. Prime Minister ] pledged to withdraw IPKF as soon as he is elected president during his presidential election campaign in 1988. After being elected, in April 1989, he started negotiations with LTTE. President Premadasa ordered the ] to clandestinely hand over arms consignments to the LTTE to fight the IPKF and its proxy, the Tamil National Army (TNA). These consignments included RPG guns, mortars, self-loading rifles, T81 automatic rifles, ], pistols, hand grenades, ammunition, and communications sets.<ref name="atimesd">{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH31Df01.html|publisher=Asia Times|title=Chapter 55: Assassination of Athulathmudali|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> Moreover, millions of dollars were also passed on to the LTTE.<ref name="lankal">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankalibrary.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=690|publisher=Lanka Library|title=Arming the enemy – Handing over arms to the LTTE|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
| ===After IPKF=== | |||
| The last members of the IPKF, which was estimated to have had a strength of well over 100,000 at its peak, left the country in March 1990 upon the request of President Premadasa. Unstable peace initially held between the government and the LTTE, and peace talks progressed towards providing devolution for Tamils in the north and east of the country. A ceasefire held between LTTE and the government from June 1989 to June 1990, but broke down as LTTE ] in the ].<ref name="at">{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DF15Df01.html|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 44: Eelam war – again|accessdate=28 July 2011|year=2002|work=K. T. Rajasingham|publisher=Asia Times}}</ref> | |||
| Fighting continued throughout the 1990s, and was marked by two key assassinations carried out by the LTTE: those of former Indian Prime Minister ] in 1991, and Sri Lankan President ] in 1993, using suicide bombers on both occasions. The fighting briefly halted in 1994 following the election of ] as President of Sri Lanka and the onset of peace talks, but fighting resumed after LTTE sank two Sri Lanka Navy boats in April 1995.<ref name='ips-peace'>{{cite web|title=A Look at the Peace Negotiations |publisher=Inter Press Service |year=2003 |url=http://ipsnews.net/srilanka/timeline.shtml |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203234416/http://ipsnews.net/srilanka/timeline.shtml |archivedate=3 February 2009 }}</ref> In a series of military operations that followed, the Sri Lanka Army recaptured the Jaffna Peninsula.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/5/newsid_4618000/4618661.stm|title=Jaffna falls to Sri Lankan army|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|date=5 December 1995 |accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> Further offensives followed over the next three years, and the military captured large areas in the north of the country from the LTTE, including areas in the ] region, the town of ], and many smaller towns. From 1998 onward, the LTTE regained control of these areas, which culminated in the capture in April 2000 of the strategically important ] base complex, located at the entrance of the Jaffna Peninsula, after prolonged fighting against the Sri Lanka Army.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1709/17091240.htm|title=The fall of Elephant Pass|author=V. S. Sambandan|date=April 2000|publisher=Hindu Net|accessdate=9 February 2009|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20071017211759/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1709/17091240.htm|archivedate=17 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| ], a one-time deputy leader of LTTE, was accused of treason by the LTTE and killed in 1994.<ref>.</ref> He is said to have collaborated with the Indian ] to remove Prabhakaran from the LTTE leadership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/PIRABAKARAN/Part22.htm |title=The Pirabhakaran Phenomenon Part 22 |publisher=Sangam.org |date= |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> | |||
| ===2002 ceasefire=== | |||
| ] ] north of ] in 2004]] | |||
| In 2002, the LTTE dropped its demand for a separate state,<ref name="dawn1">{{cite news|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2002/09/19/int1.htm|title=LTTE drops demand for separate state|work=]|date=19 September 2002|accessdate=5 May 2012|author=Bulathsinghala, Frances|location=]}}</ref> instead demanding a form of regional autonomy.<ref>{{Cite book|title=At Any Cost: National Liberation Terrorism|author=Samuel M. Katz|year=2004|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=0-8225-0949-0|url=https://books.google.com/?id=TEY_drrYRWsC&pg=PT52&lpg=PT52&dq=%22ltte%22%22regional+autonomy%22}}</ref> Following the landslide election defeat of Kumaratunga and ] coming to power in December 2001, the LTTE declared a unilateral ceasefire.<ref name=unilateral>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/12/25/stories/2004122504691200.htm|title=LTTE for talks|accessdate=20 April 2008|last=V.S.|first=Sambandan|date=25 December 2004|publisher=The Hindu|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The Sri Lankan Government agreed to the ceasefire, and in March 2002 the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) was signed. As part of the agreement, Norway and other ] agreed to jointly monitor the ceasefire through the ].<ref>, ''Human Rights Watch'', 28 July 2004.</ref> | |||
| Six rounds of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE were held, but they were temporarily suspended after the LTTE pulled out of the talks in 2003 claiming "certain critical issues relating to the ongoing peace process".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2216.cms |title=Lankan PM calls LTTE to end talk deadlock |publisher=The Times of India |date=2 June 2003 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113165032/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2216.cms |archivedate=13 January 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/04/27/bus01.html|title=Business community urges LTTE to get back to negotiating table|date=27 April 2003|publisher=The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon|work=Sunday Observer|accessdate=9 February 2009|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211060420/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/04/27/bus01.html|archivedate=11 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2003 the LTTE proposed an ] (ISGA). This move was approved of by the international community but rejected by the Sri Lankan President.<ref name= "McConnell2008">{{Cite journal|author=McConnell, D.|year=2008|title=The Tamil people's right to self-determination|journal=Cambridge Review of International Affairs|volume=21|issue=1|pages=59–76|url=http://www.informaworld.com/index/790622093.pdf|accessdate=25 March 2008|doi=10.1080/09557570701828592|format=PDF}}</ref> The LTTE boycotted the presidential election in December 2005. While LTTE claimed that the people under its control were free to vote, it is alleged that they used threats to prevent the population from voting. The United States condemned this.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/highlights/story/2005/11/051122_ltte_boycott.shtml|title=LTTE supported Rajapakse presidency?| last=Pathirana|first=Saroj|date=23 November 2005|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/sril-n19.shtml|title=Rajapakse narrowly wins Sri Lankan presidential election|last=Ratnayake|first=K.|date=19 November 2005|publisher=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ] on ] 2002 in Germany]] | |||
| The new government of Sri Lanka came into power in 2006 and demanded to abrogate the ceasefire agreement, stating that the ethnic conflict could only have a military solution, and that the only way to achieve this was by eliminating the LTTE.<ref>] (April 2009) '''' at '']''</ref> Further peace talks were scheduled in ], Norway, on 8 and 9 June 2006, but cancelled when the LTTE refused to meet directly with the government delegation, stating its fighters were not being allowed safe passage to travel to the talks. Norwegian mediator ] told journalists that the LTTE should take direct responsibility for the collapse of the talks.<ref name="bbc10">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2006/06/060609_saroj-oslo.shtml|title=Collapse of talks|last=Pathirana|first=Saroj|publisher=BBC News|agency=BBC News|date=9 June 2006|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> Rifts grew between the government and LTTE, and resulted in a number of ceasefire agreement violations by both sides during 2006. Suicide attacks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pm+condemns+suicide+bomb+attack+sri+lanka|title=PM condemns suicide bomb attack in Sri Lanka|date=17 October 2006|publisher=New Zealand Government|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> military skirmishes, and air raids took place during the latter part of 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail5671.htm|title=Military Launches Airstrike Against LTTE After Suicide Bombing in Sri Lanka|publisher=Global Insight|year=2007|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4941744.stm|title=Bomb targets Sri Lanka army chief|work=|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|date=25 April 2006|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> Between February 2002 to May 2007, the ] documented 3,830 ceasefire violations by the LTTE, with respect to 351 by the security forces.<ref name="rep">{{cite web|title=Humanitarian Operation – Factual Analysis, July 2006 – May 2009 |url=http://www.defence.lk/news/20110801_Conf.pdf |publisher=] |date=1 August 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055103/https://www.defence.lk/news/20110801_Conf.pdf |archivedate=4 March 2016 |df=dmy }}</ref> Military confrontation continued into 2007 and 2008. In January 2008 the government officially pulled out of the Cease Fire Agreement.<ref name="afp">{{Cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/archives/news/world/20080102-sri-lanka-tamil-tiger-cease-fire-end.php |title=Government ends ceasefire with Tamil Tigers |publisher=France 24 |work=France 24 International News |agency=] |date=2 January 2008 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207001924/http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/archives/news/world/20080102-sri-lanka-tamil-tiger-cease-fire-end.php |archivedate=7 February 2009 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Dissension=== | |||
| {{See also|Colonel Karuna}} | |||
| In the most significant show of dissent from within the organisation, a senior LTTE commander named ] ('']'' of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan) broke away from the LTTE in March 2004 and formed the TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (later ]), amid allegations that the northern commanders were overlooking the needs of the eastern Tamils. The LTTE leadership accused him of mishandling funds and questioned him about his recent personal behaviour. He tried to take control of the eastern province from the LTTE, which caused clashes between the LTTE and TMVP. The LTTE has suggested that TMVP was backed by the government,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=11391|title= Karuna removed from the LTTE|date= 6 March 2004|publisher=TamilNet report}}</ref> and the Nordic SLMM monitors corroborated this.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slmm.lk/intros/FINAL%20GENEVA%20REPORT%20AFTER%20CORRECTIONS%20ON%201st%20of%20JUNE.pdf |title=Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission |format=PDF |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928114856/http://www.slmm.lk/intros/FINAL%20GENEVA%20REPORT%20AFTER%20CORRECTIONS%20ON%201st%20of%20JUNE.pdf |archivedate=28 September 2006 }}</ref> It was later revealed that UNP Member of Parliament ] had played an important role in the defection of Colonel Karuna from the LTTE to the Government.<ref>{{cite web|title = Online edition of Sunday Observer - Business|url = http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/06/27/fea09.html|website = www.sundayobserver.lk|accessdate = 2015-11-09|deadurl = yes|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120715/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/06/27/fea09.html|archivedate = 24 September 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| ===Military defeat=== | |||
| {{Main article|Eelam War IV}} | |||
| ] was ] in 2005. After a brief period of negotiations, LTTE pulled out of peace talks indefinitely.<ref name="bbc9">{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2006/04/printable/060423_eu_ban.shtml|title=EU ban on LTTE urged|publisher=BBCNews|date=23 April 2006}}</ref> Sporadic violence had continued and on 25 April 2006, LTTE tried to assassinate Sri Lankan Army Commander ] ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4941744.stm |title=Bomb targets Sri Lanka army chief|publisher=BBC News|date=25 April 2006|accessdate=4 January 2010}}</ref> Following the attack, the ] proscribed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.<ref name="hindu1">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/31/stories/2006053117200100.htm|title=European Union bans LTTE|work=Amit Baruah|publisher=The Hindu|date=31 May 2006|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> A new crisis leading to the first large-scale fighting since signing of the ceasefire occurred when the LTTE closed the ]s of the Mavil Oya (]) reservoir on 21 July 2006, and cut the ] to 15,000 villages in government controlled areas.<ref name="bbc12">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5249884.stm|title=Sri Lanka forces attack reservoir|publisher=BBC News|date=6 August 2006|accessdate=4 January 2010}}</ref> This dispute developed into a full-scale war by August 2006. | |||
| ====Defeat in the East==== | |||
| {{main article|Eastern Theater of Eelam War IV}} | |||
| ] had commenced in the East. Mavil Aru came under the control of the Sri Lanka Army by 15 August 2006. Systematically, ], ], Kanjikudichchi Aru and ] also came under military control. The military then captured Thoppigala, the Tiger stronghold in ] on 11 July 2007. IPKF had failed to capture it from LTTE during its offensive in 1988.<ref name="Baron's cap battle-2007-07-11">{{cite news |title=Sri Lanka declares fall of rebel east, Tigers defiant|publisher=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSCOL15933520070711|accessdate=11 July 2007|date=11 July 2007}}</ref> | |||
| ====Defeat in the North==== | |||
| {{main article|2008–2009 SLA Northern offensive|Northern Theater of Eelam War IV}} | |||
| Sporadic fighting had been happening in the North for months, but the intensity of the clashes increased after September 2007. Gradually, the defence lines of the LTTE began to fall. The advancing military confined the LTTE into rapidly diminishing areas in the North. Prabhakaran was seriously injured during air strikes carried out by the ] on a bunker complex in Jayanthinagar on 26 November 2007.<ref name='mod-vp-12/19/07'>{{cite news|title=Prabhakaran injured in air attack|date=19 December 2007|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071219_05|work=Ministry of Defence|accessdate=26 December 2007|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221192746/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071219_05|archivedate=21 December 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{dubious|date=March 2014}} Earlier, on 2 November 2007, ], who was the head of the rebels' political wing, was killed during another government air raid.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7074450.stm|title=Senior Tamil Tiger leader killed|publisher=BBC News|date=2 November 2007|accessdate=31 December 2007}}</ref> On 2 January 2008, the Sri Lankan government officially abandoned the ceasefire agreement. By 2 August 2008, LTTE lost the ] following the fall of Vellankulam town. Troops captured ] and ] during the final months of 2008. | |||
| On 2 January 2009, the President of Sri Lanka, ], announced that the Sri Lankan troops had captured ], the city which the LTTE had used for over a decade as its de facto administrative capital.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/03/stories/2009010357740100.htm|title=Kilinochchi captured in devastating blow to LTTE|last=Reddy|first=B. Muralidhar|date=3 January 2009|publisher=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|accessdate=9 February 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref name=xinhuanet-10596928>{{Cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/03/content_10596928.htm|title=The fall of rebel headquarters: what does it hold for Sri Lanka?|date=3 January 2009|author=Mahendra|publisher=Xinhuanet|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604103501/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/03/content_10596928.htm|archivedate=4 June 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/02/world/AP-AS-Sri-Lanka-Civil-War.html?_r=1 |title=Sri Lanka Says Troops Have Rebel Capital |date=2 January 2009 |publisher=New York Times |agency=] |accessdate=9 February 2009 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> On the same day, President Rajapaksa called upon LTTE to surrender.<ref name="rep"/> It was stated that the loss of Kilinochchi had caused substantial damage to the LTTE's public image,<ref name=xinhuanet-10596928/> and that the LTTE was likely to collapse under military pressure on multiple fronts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.island.lk/2009/01/03/editorial.html|title=Editorial: A blow to global terror|publisher=Upali Newspapers|work=The Island Online|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> As of 8 January 2009, the LTTE abandoned its positions on the Jaffna peninsula to make a last stand in the jungles of ], their last main base.<ref name='mod-bbc-01/08/09'>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7817110.stm|title=Army 'takes more Tiger territory'|date=8 January 2009|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=8 January 2009}}</ref> The Jaffna Peninsula was captured by the Sri Lankan Army by 14 January.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aehebYR1I8gI&refer=india|title=Sri Lankan Military Seizes Last Rebel Base on Jaffna Peninsula|last=Johnson|first=Ed|date=14 January 2009|publisher=Bloomberg|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}{{dead link|date=April 2016}}</ref> On 25 January 2009, SLA troops "completely captured" Mullaitivu town, the last major LTTE stronghold.<ref name='mod-bbc-01/25/09'>{{Cite news|title=Last Tamil Tiger bastion 'taken'|date=25 January 2009|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7849684.stm|accessdate=25 January 2009}}</ref> | |||
| President ] declared military victory over the Tamil Tigers on 16 May 2009, after 26 years of conflict.<ref>, ], 16 May 2009</ref> The rebels offered to lay down their weapons in return for a guarantee of safety.<ref>, ], 17 May 2009</ref> On 17 May 2009, LTTE's head of the Department of International Relations, ] conceded defeat, saying in an email statement, "this battle has reached its bitter end". | |||
| ====Aftermath==== | |||
| With the end of the hostilities, 11,664 LTTE members, including 595 child soldiers surrendered to the Sri Lankan military.<ref name="obsys">{{cite web|url=http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/06/05/sec03.asp|title=Sri Lankan experience proves nothing is impossible|publisher=The Sunday Observer|date=5 June 2011|accessdate=5 June 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608160932/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/06/05/sec03.asp|archivedate=8 June 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Approximately 150 hardcore LTTE cadres and 1,000 mid-level cadres escaped to India.<ref name="meht">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/364741/Colombo-recalls-splendid-victory.html|title=Colombo recalls splendid victory|publisher=The Pioneer|date=31 August 2011|accessdate=31 August 2011}}</ref> The government took action to rehabilitate the surrendered cadres under a National Action Plan for the Re-integration of Ex-combatants while allegations of torture, rape, and murder were reported by international human rights bodies.<ref name="hrw1">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2010/02/02/legal-limbo-0|title=The Uncertain Fate of Detained LTTE Suspects in Sri Lanka|publisher=Human rights Watch|date=3 February 2010|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> They were divided into three categories; hardcore, non-combatants, and those who were forcibly recruited (including child soldiers). Twenty-four rehabilitation centres were set up in Jaffna, Batticaloa, and Vavuniya. Among the apprehended cadres, there had been about 700 hardcore members. Some of these cadres were integrated into State Intelligence Services to tackle the internal and external networks of LTTE.<ref name="obshgd">{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/2011/03/Surrendered_Cadres.php?uid=4299&print=true|title=Sri Lanka "Taming The Tigers"|publisher=Sangam.org|date=March 2011|accessdate=1 August 2011}}</ref> By August 2011, government had released more than 8,000 cadres, and 2,879 remained.<ref name="dm1">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/12840-rehabilitation-in-final-stages.html|title=Rehabilitation in final stages |publisher=Daily Mirror|date=8 August 2011|accessdate=9 August 2011}}</ref> | |||
| ===Continued operations=== | |||
| After the death of LTTE leader Prabhakaran and the most powerful members of the organisation, Selvarasa Pathmanathan (alias ''KP'') was its sole first generation leader left alive. He assumed duty as the new leader of LTTE on 21 July 2009. A statement was issued, allegedly from the Executive Committee of the LTTE, stating that Pathmanathan had been appointed leader of the LTTE.<ref>{{cite web|title=New political formation of LTTE claimed|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=29822|publisher=]|date=21 July 2009|accessdate=26 July 2009}}</ref> 15 days after the announcement, on 5 August 2009, a Sri Lankan military intelligence unit, with the collaboration of local authorities, captured Pathmanathan in the ], Downtown ], Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|title=LTTE New Leader Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) arrested in Malaysia and transported to Sri Lanka|url=http://www.tamilsydney.com/content/view/2352/37/|publisher=Tamil Sydney|date=6 August 2009|accessdate=28 July 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/60p5vyDQL?url=http://www.tamilsydney.com/content/view/2352/37/|archivedate=10 August 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ] alleges that ] ''alias'' Nediyavan of the Tamil Eelam People's Alliance (TEPA) in ], Suren Surendiran of ] (BTF), Father ] of ] (GTF), ] of ] (TGTE) and Sekarapillai Vinayagamoorthy ''alias'' Kathirgamathamby Arivazhagan ''alias'' Vinayagam, a former senior intelligence leader are trying to revive the organisation among the ].<ref name="lakabim">{{cite web|url=http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2028%3Altte-international-presents-an-enduring-threat&Itemid=56|title=LTTE international presents an enduring threat|date=July 2011|publisher=Lakbima News|accessdate=29 July 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919120831/http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2028%3Altte-international-presents-an-enduring-threat&Itemid=56|archivedate=19 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="satpo">{{cite web|url=http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/terroristoutfits/Ltte.htm|title=Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)|date=May 2002| publisher=satp.org|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="LA">{{cite news|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110801_LAUvdo |title=Lies Agreed Upon |publisher=] |date=1 August 2011 |accessdate=28 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124032704/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110801_LAUvdo |archivedate=24 November 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyawan|url=http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2009/08/14/nediyawan-rumoured-to-be-the-next-ltte-leader-is-questioned-by-norwegian-police-says-tamil-website-in-london/|date=14 August 2009|accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> Subsequently, in May 2011, Nediyavan, who advocates an armed struggle against the Sri Lankan state, was arrested and released on bail in Norway, pending further investigation.<ref name="lankap">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankapuvath.lk/index.php/latest-news/general1/15468-lttes-nediyavan-released-on-bail-in-norway |title=LTTE's Nediyavan released on bail in Norway |date=May 2011 |publisher=Lanka Puvath |accessdate=28 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005020332/http://www.lankapuvath.lk/index.php/latest-news/general1/15468-lttes-nediyavan-released-on-bail-in-norway |archivedate=5 October 2011 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Divisions== | |||
| {{Main article|Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The LTTE was viewed as a disciplined and militarised group with a leader of significant military and organisational skills.<ref name=wilson/> Three major divisions of the LTTE were the military, intelligence and political wings. | |||
| The military wing consisted of at least 11 separate divisions including the conventional fighting forces, ]<ref>{{cite news|title=Charles Anthony Brigade retrained|url=http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2007/02/charles-anthony-brigade-retrained-ltte.html|work=DefenceNet|date=7 February 2007|accessdate=8 October 2008}}</ref> and ];<ref>{{cite news|title=Army commandos join the battle|url=http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2007/03/army-commandos-join-battle.html|work=DefenceNet|date=16 March 2007|accessdate=17 December 2008}}</ref> the ] called the ]; naval wing ], air-wing ], LTTE leader Prabhakaran's personal security divisions, Imran Pandian regiment and Ratha regiment;<ref name="lankawatch">{{cite news|title=For This All that Blood was Shed|url=http://srilankawatch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=1|work=Sri Lanka Watch|date=13 April 2009|accessdate=31 July 2011}}</ref> auxiliary military units such as Kittu artillery brigade, Kutti Sri mortar brigade, Ponnamman mining unit and hit-and-run squads like Pistol gang. Charles Anthony brigade was the first conventional fighting formation created by LTTE. Sea Tiger division was founded in 1984, under the leadership of ] ''alias'' Soosai. LTTE acquired its first ] in the late 1990s. ] ''alias'' Shankar was instrumental in creating the Air Tigers.<ref name="Tamil 2391">. ], 28 November 1998.</ref><ref name="Tamil 2388">. ], 27 November 1998.</ref> It carried out 9 air attacks since 2007, including a ] targeting ] ] in February 2009. LTTE is the only terrorist-proscribed organisation to acquire aircraft. LTTE intelligence wing consisted of Tiger Organisation Security Intelligence Service ''aka'' TOSIS, run by Pottu Amman, and a separate military intelligence division. It was forbidden for the LTTE members to consume tobacco and alcohol. Illicit sex{{clarify|date=July 2015}} was also prohibited. Each member carried a cyanide capsule with orders to use if captured.<ref>Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups, p.252.</ref> | |||
| {| style="text-align:center; float:right; font-size:85%; margin-left:2em; margin:auto;" class="wikitable" | |||
| |+ Aircraft in LTTE possession<ref name="rep"/> | |||
| !Type of Aircraft !! Quantity | |||
| |- | |||
| !] | |||
| |2 | |||
| |- | |||
| !] | |||
| |5 | |||
| |- | |||
| !]s | |||
| |2 | |||
| |- | |||
| !]s | |||
| |2 | |||
| |} | |||
| Politically the LTTE was never serious about a political solution,<ref name="democr">{{cite news |title=Tamils caught between the devil and deep deep blue sea|url=http://www.srilankademocracy.org/?page=presspage&id=15|work=Sri Lanka Democracy Forum|date=|accessdate=1 August 2011}}</ref> it operated a systematic and powerful political wing, which functioned like a separate state in the LTTE controlled area. In 1989, it established a political party named ], under ] ''alias'' Mahattaya. It was abandoned soon after. Later, ] was appointed the head of the political wing. He was also a member of the LTTE delegation for Norwegian brokered peace talks. After the death of Thamilselvan in November 2007, ] was appointed as its leader.<ref name="chen">{{cite news|title=Nadesan to head LTTE political wing |url=http://news.chennaionline.com/newsitem.aspx?NEWSID=8b48a16c-65fa-4aae-8105-92ecc39aafa7&CATEGORYNAME=NATL |work=Chennai Online |date=November 2007 |accessdate=31 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005155608/http://news.chennaionline.com/newsitem.aspx?NEWSID=8b48a16c-65fa-4aae-8105-92ecc39aafa7&CATEGORYNAME=NATL |archivedate= 5 October 2011 |df= }}</ref> Major sections within the political wing include International peace secretariat, led by Pulidevan, LTTE Police, LTTE court, ], Sports division and the "Voice of Tigers" ] station of LTTE. | |||
| LTTE used female cadres for military engagements. Its women's' wing consisted of Malathi and Sothiya Brigades.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} | |||
| The LTTE also controlled a powerful international wing called the "KP branch", controlled by ], "Castro branch", controlled by Veerakathy Manivannam ''alias'' Castro, and "Aiyannah group" led by Ponniah Anandaraja ''alias'' Aiyannah.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} | |||
| ==Governance== | |||
| {{See also|Interim Self Governing Authority}} | |||
| ] court ín LTTE-administered ]]] | |||
| During its active years, the LTTE had established and administered a de facto state under its control, named ] with ] as its administrative capital, and had managed a government in its territory, providing ] such as courts, a police force, a human rights organization, and a humanitarian assistance board.<ref name=Stokke2006>{{cite journal|author = Stokke, K.|year = 2006|title = Building the Tamil Eelam State: emerging state institutions and forms of governance in LTTE-controlled areas in Sri Lanka|journal = Third World Quarterly|volume = 27|issue = 6|pages = 1021–1040|doi = 10.1080/01436590600850434|url = http://padippakam.com/document/ltte/General/v100636.pdf}}</ref> a health board, and an education board.<ref name="McConnell2008"/> It ran a bank (]), a radio station (Voice of Tigers) and a television station (National Television of Tamil Eelam).<ref name=Ranganathan2002>{{cite journal|author = Ranganathan, M.|year = 2002|title = Nurturing a Nation on the Net: The Case of Tamil Eelam|journal = Nationalism and Ethnic Politics|volume = 8|issue = 2|pages = 51–66|url = http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/nep/2002/00000008/00000002/art00004|accessdate = 2008-03-25|doi=10.1080/13537110208428661 | |||
| }}</ref> In the LTTE-controlled areas, women reported lower levels of domestic violence because "the Tigers had a de facto justice system to deal with domestic violence."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/rahila-gupta/sri-lanka-women-in-conflict|title=Sri Lanka: women in conflict|website=]|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| In 2003, the LTTE issued a proposal to establish an ] in the 8 districts of the North and East which it controlled. The ISGA was to be entrusted with powers such as the right to impose law, collect taxes and oversee the rehabilitation process until a favorable solution was reached after which elections would be held. The ISGA would consist of members representing the LTTE, GoSL and ]. According to the proposal, this LTTE administration intended to be a ] one with principal emphasis on prohibition of discrimination and protection of all communities.<ref name="bbcisga">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3232913.stm | title=Full text: Tamil Tiger proposals | publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation | accessdate=30 June 2015}}</ref> | |||
| ==Ideology== | |||
| The LTTE was a self-styled national liberation organization with the primary goal of establishing an independent Tamil state. Tamil nationalism was the primary basis of its ideology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items07/250407-5.html |title=The American government’s assessment of Prabhakaran |website=LankaWeb |access-date=2016-06-11 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024141206/http://www.eelamweb.com/leader/ |archivedate=24 October 2007 }}</ref> The LTTE was influenced by Indian freedom fighters such as ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eelamweb.com/leader/interview/in_199404/|title=Tamil National Leader Hon. V. Pirapaharan's Interview 'How I Became a Freedom Fighter' April 1994|website=www.eelamweb.com|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> The organization denied being a separatist movement and saw itself as fighting for self-determination and restoration of sovereignty in what it recognized as its homeland.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9AKqCT5DeZcC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=When Counterinsurgency Wins: Sri Lanka's Defeat of the Tamil Tigers|last=Hashim|first=Ahmed S.|date=2013-05-28|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=0812206487|page=85|language=en}}</ref> Although most Tigers were Hindus, the LTTE was an avowedly secular organization; religion did not play any significant part in its ideology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/07/17/suicide-bombs-potent-tools-of-terrorists/e11ed483-9936-45c0-b6c6-2653d4519ff5/|title=Suicide Bombs Potent Tools of Terrorists|website=]|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran criticized what he saw as the oppressive features of traditional Hindu Tamil society, such as the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tamilnation.co/ltte/vp/women/vp9203.htm|title=Velupillai Pirabaharan – Women's International Day 1992|website=www.tamilnation.co|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> The LTTE presented itself as a revolutionary movement seeking widespread change within Tamil society, not just independence from the Sri Lankan state. Therefore, its ideology called for the removal of caste discrimination and support for women's liberation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD2KEOqVV5MC&pg=PA126#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Women and Political Violence: Female Combatants in Ethno-National Conflict|last=Alison|first=Miranda|date=2009-01-21|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134228942|page=126|language=en}}</ref> Prabhakaran described his political philosophy as "]", with the goal of creating an "]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eelamweb.com/leader/interview/in_1986/|title=Tamil National Leader Hon. V. Pirapaharan's Interview|website=www.eelamweb.com|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> When asked about the LTTE's economic policy, Velupillai Pirabaharan said an "open market economy." But he pointed out that: "We can only think about a proper economic structure when the ethnic problem is resolved. ... What form and what structure this economic system is to be instituted in can only be worked when we have a permanent settlement or independent state." <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eelamview.com/2011/11/17/hon-v-prabhakaran-press-conference-at-killinochi-2002/|title=Hon. V. Pirabaharan: Press conference at Killinochi 2002|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406214016/http://www.eelamview.com/2011/11/17/hon-v-prabhakaran-press-conference-at-killinochi-2002/|archivedate=6 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| ==Global network== | |||
| {{see also|Affiliates to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam}} | |||
| LTTE had developed a large international network since the days of N. S. Krishnan, who served as its first international representative. In the late 1970s, TULF parliamentarian and opposition leader ] provided letters of reference for fundraising, and ], who was an executive committee member of the ] (IPU), introduced many influential and wealthy Tamils living overseas to Tamil insurgent leaders.<ref name="rohang"/> Navaratnam also introduced LTTE members to the members of ], a national ] in Morocco, at a meeting held in ], Norway.<ref name="rohang"/> In 1978, during the world tour of Amirthalingam (with London-based Eelam activist S. K. Vaikundavasan), he formed the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC), which was later found to be an LTTE front organisation.<ref name="tamilnation">{{cite web|url=http://tamilnation.co/terrorism/us/ltte/070425arrest.htm|title=World Tamil Coordinating Committee representative arrested in New York says U.S. Justice Department|date=December 2007| publisher=Tamil Nation|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref> The global contacts of LTTE grew steadily since then. At the height of its power, LTTE had 42 offices worldwide. The international network of LTTE engages in propaganda, fundraising, arms procurement, and shipping.<ref name="Transcript- Rohan Gunaratne"/> | |||
| There were three types of organisations that engage in propaganda and fund raising—Front, Cover, and Sympathetic. Prior to the ethnic riots of 1983, attempts to raise funds for a sustaining military campaign were not realised. It was the mass exodus of Tamil civilians to India and western countries following the ] ethnic riots, which made this possible. As the armed conflict evolved and voluntary donations lessened, LTTE used force and threats to collect money.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/NEWSEXTRA/ExtortionClaims.htm|title=Tamil Canadians Dismiss Extortion Claims|publisher=sangam.org|date=27 August 1999|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11A/May24_1306259966CH.php|title=Dutch authorities seek permission to question KP and other former LTTE leaders in Sri Lanka|publisher=Colombo Page|date=24 May 2011|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref> LTTE was worth US$200–300 million at its peak.<ref name="lakabim"/><ref name="icg1">{{cite web|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/186%20The%20Sri%20Lankan%20Tamil%20Diaspora%20after%20the%20LTTE.pdf|title=The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora After the LTTE|date=February 2010|publisher=]|accessdate=24 August 2011}}</ref> The group's global network owned numerous business ventures in various countries. These include investment in real estate, shipping, grocery stores, gold and jewellery stores, gas stations, restaurants, production of films, mass media organisations (TV, radio, print), and industries. It was also in control of numerous charitable organisations including ], which was banned and had its funds frozen by the ] in 2007 for covertly financing terrorism.<ref name="ombw">{{cite web|url=http://www.ombwatch.org/node/3540 |title=Tamil Rehabilitation Organization and its U.S. Branch Shut Down |date=4 December 2007 |publisher=ombwatch.org |accessdate=29 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706154345/http://www.ombwatch.org/node/3540 |archivedate=6 July 2011 }}</ref> | |||
| Arms Procurement and shipping activities of LTTE were largely clandestine. Prior to 1983, it procured weapons mainly from ] via the ]. Explosives were purchased from commercial markets in India. From 1983 to 1987, LTTE acquired a substantial amount of weapons from ]{{dubious|date=November 2011}} and from Lebanon, Cyprus, Singapore, and Malaysia-based arms dealers. LTTE received its first consignment of arms from Singapore in 1984 on board the MV ''Cholan'', the first ship owned by the organisation. Funds were received and cargo cleared at ] with the assistance of ], the ].<ref name="pirapa">{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/?uid=658|title=Foundation for Tamil Eelam|author= T. Sabaratnam|year=| publisher=ombwatch.org|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref> In November 1994, the LTTE was able to purchase 60 tonnes of explosives (50 tonnes of ] and 10 tonnes of ]) from Rubezone Chemical plant in ], providing a forged Bangladeshi Ministry of Defense ].<ref name="nytr">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/07/world/tamil-guerrillas-in-sri-lanka-deadly-and-armed-to-the-teeth.html?pagewanted=5|title=Tamil Guerrillas in Sri Lanka: Deadly and Armed to the Teeth|author= T. Sabaratnam|year=| publisher=New York Times|accessdate=29 July 2011|date=7 March 1998}}</ref> Payments for the explosives were made from a ] held by Selvarasa Pathmanathan. Consignment was transported on board MV Sewne. The same explosives were used for the ] in 1996. Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia remained the most trusted outposts of LTTE, after India alienated it after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. | |||
| ] | |||
| Since late 1997, ] became the principal country to provide arms, ammunition, and explosives to the LTTE. The deal with North Korean government was carried out by Ponniah Anandaraja ''alias'' Aiyannah, a member of World Tamil Coordinating Committee of the United States and later, the accountant of LTTE.<ref name="Transcript- Rohan Gunaratne"/> He worked at the North Korean embassy in ] since late 1997. LTTE had nearly 20 second-hand ships, which were purchased in Japan, and registered in ] and other Latin American countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca201101/20110107ltte_runs_illegal_operations_overseas.htm|title=LTTE runs illegal operations overseas – Minister Gunawardena|publisher=priu.gov.lk|year=2011|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref> These ships mostly transported general cargo, including paddy, sugar, timber, glass, and fertiliser. But when an arms deal was finalised, they travelled to North Korea, loaded the cargo and brought it to the equator, where the ships were based. Then on board ], weapons were transferred to the sea of ], just outside the territorial waters in Sri Lanka's ]. After that, small teams of ] brought the cargo ashore. The ], during 2005–08 destroyed at least 11 of these cargo ships belonged to LTTE in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lankapuvath.lk/index.php/latest-news/security/11261-ltte-ships-still-being-used-for-illegal-activities- |title=LTTE ships still being used for illegal activities |publisher=Lanka Puvath |year=2011 |accessdate=29 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005020406/http://www.lankapuvath.lk/index.php/latest-news/security/11261-ltte-ships-still-being-used-for-illegal-activities- |archivedate=5 October 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=410|title=Sri Lanka Navy destroy three LTTE ships and demolish their arms shipment capabilities|publisher=]|year=2007|accessdate=29 July 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026220806/http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=410|archivedate=26 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| LTTE's last shipment of weapons came in March 2009, towards the end of the war. Merchant vessel ''Princess Iswari'' went from Indonesia to North Korea under captain Kamalraj Kandasamy ''alias'' Vinod, loaded the weapons and came back to international waters beyond Sri Lanka. But due to the heavy naval blockades set up by Sri Lankan Navy, it could not deliver the arms consignment. Thus it dumped the weapons in the sea. The same ship, after changing its name to MV Ocean Lady, arrived in ] with 76 migrants, in October 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/08/04/tamil-migrant-ship-mv-sun-sea-will-arrive-canada-aug-14th|title=Tamil Migrant Ship M/V Sun Sea will arrive Canada by Aug 14th|publisher=]|year=2010|accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref> In December 2009, Sri Lanka Navy apprehended a merchant vessel belonged to LTTE, "Princess Chrisanta" in Indonesia and brought it back to Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=2076 |title=The acquired LTTE ship, "PRINCESS CHRISANTA" brought in to Colombo Harbour by Sri Lanka Navy |publisher=] |year=2009 |accessdate=30 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102235419/http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=2076 |archivedate=2 November 2011 }}</ref> | |||
| The ] (USSFRC) and Ethiopian based ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jimmatimes.com/article/Latest_News/Latest_News/Sri_Lanka_finds_LTTE_fighter_planes_in_Eritrea_Report/32664 |title=Sri Lanka finds LTTE fighter planes in Eritrea – Report |publisher=] |year=2009 |accessdate=30 July 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003123953/http://www.jimmatimes.com/article/Latest_News/Latest_News/Sri_Lanka_finds_LTTE_fighter_planes_in_Eritrea_Report/32664 |archivedate=3 October 2011 }}</ref> claimed that the ] had provided direct military assistance, including light aircraft to LTTE, during the 2002–03 period when the LTTE was negotiating with the Sri Lankan government via the Norwegian mediators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070901_01|title=Eritrea providing direct military assistance to LTTE – USSFRC|publisher=Ministry of Defense|year=2007|accessdate=30 July 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923173238/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070901_01|archivedate=23 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/node/7243|title=Axis of Evil: Norway-LTTE-Eritrea, and call to ‘expose double standard of the West’|publisher=Asian Tribune|year=2007|accessdate=30 July 2011}}</ref> It was also alleged that ], the chief Norwegian facilitator, helped LTTE to establish this relationship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2009/09/28/norway-solheim-helped-establish-ltte-eritrea-links-for-arms-deals/|title=Norway, Solheim helped establish LTTE-Eritrea links for arms deals|publisher=Lanka Web|year=2009|accessdate=30 July 2011}}</ref> None of these claims have since been verified. These allegations and a suspicion from within the Sri Lankan armed forces, that LTTE had considerable connections and assets in Eritrea and that its leader Prabhakaran may try to flee to Eritrea in the final stages of war, prompted the Sri Lankan government to establish diplomatic relations with Eritrea in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2007/10/20603.html|title=Prabhakaran`s latest fireworks aimed at hitting headlines| publisher=Lanka Newspapers|year=2009|accessdate=30 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lrrp.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/sri-lanka-goes-after-ltte-assets-in-eritrea/ |title=Sri Lanka Goes After LTTE assets in Eritrea « The Eight Man Team |publisher=Lrrp.wordpress.com |date= |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> None of the allegations have since been verified. | |||
| ==Proscription as a terrorist group== | |||
| 32 countries currently ] the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/9242 |title=Council on Foreign Relations |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526145855/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9242/ |archivedate=26 May 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3623 |title=MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819102855/http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3623 |archivedate=19 August 2014 }}</ref> As January 2009, these include: | |||
| * {{flag|India}} (since 1992)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Indian Court upholds LTTE ban|date=11 November 2008|publisher=BBC News|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2008/11/081111_india_ltte.shtml|accessdate=11 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| * {{flag|United States}} (designated as ] by the ] since 8 October 1997. Named as a ] (SDGT) since 2 November 2001)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm |title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations |publisher=U.S. Government, Office of Counterterrorism |date=11 October 2005 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205134838/http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm |archivedate=5 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Treasury Targets U.S. Front for Sri Lankan Terrorist Organization |date=11 February 2009 |publisher=US Department of the Treasury |url=http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg22.htm |accessdate=11 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217023833/http://ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg22.htm |archivedate=17 February 2009 }}</ref> | |||
| * {{flag|United Kingdom}} (designated a Proscribed Terrorist Group under the ] by the ] since 2000)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/proscribed-groups |title=Proscribed terrorist groups |publisher=UK Government, Home Office |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224134701/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/proscribed-groups |archivedate=24 December 2008 }}</ref> | |||
| *{{flag|European Union}} (since 2006; 27 countries)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:023:0037:01:EN:HTML|archive-url=https://archive.is/20120527000307/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:023:0037:01:EN:HTML|dead-url=yes|archive-date=27 May 2012|title=Council Common Position 2009/67/CFSP|publisher=Council of the European Union|date=26 January 2009|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| * {{flag|Canada}} (since 2006)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#ltte |title=Currently listed entities: LTTE |date=28 November 2008 |publisher=Canadian Government |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119150657/http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp |archivedate=19 November 2006 }}</ref> Canada does not grant residency to LTTE members on the grounds that they have participated in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reports.fja.gc.ca/eng/1993/1994fca0318.html/1994fca0318.html.html|title=Thalayasingam Sivakumar (Appellant) v Minister of Employment and Immigration (Respondent)|date=4 November 1993|publisher=Canadian Government|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} (from January 1998 to 4 September 2002,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Peace talks team for Thailand finalised: Government lifts LTTE proscription |date=5 September 2002 |publisher=Daily News |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2002/09/05/new001.html |accessdate=11 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118172722/https://www.dailynews.lk/2002/09/05/new001.html |archivedate=18 January 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> and again from 7 January 2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090107_15 |title=LTTE is banned by the SL Govt: with immediate effect |author=Government Information Department |date=7 January 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211081343/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090107_15 |archivedate=11 February 2009 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| The first country to ban the LTTE was its brief one-time ally, India. The Indian change of policy came gradually, starting with the IPKF-LTTE conflict, and culminating with the assassination of ]. India opposes the new state Tamil Eelam that LTTE wants to establish, saying that it would lead to ]'s separation from India, despite the leaders and common populace of Tamil Nadu considering themselves Indian. Sri Lanka itself lifted the ban on the LTTE before signing the ceasefire agreement in 2002. This was a prerequisite set by the LTTE for the signing of the agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166237.stm|title=Timeline: Sri Lanka|date=6 January 2009|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="ltteban">{{cite news|url=http://www.nation.lk/2009/01/11/newsfe5.htm|title=LTTE ban: Step towards law and order in regained areas|work=]|date=11 January 2009|accessdate=23 May 2012|author=Kasturisinghe, Channa}}</ref> The Indian Government extended the ban on LTTE considering their strong anti-India posture and threat to the security of Indian nationals.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-extends-ban-on-ltte_787439.html|title=India extends ban on LTTE|date=14 July 2012}}</ref> | |||
| The European Union banned LTTE as a terrorist organisation on 17 May 2006. In a statement, the ] said that the LTTE did not represent all Tamils and called on it to "allow for political pluralism and alternate democratic voices in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka".<ref name="hindu1"/> | |||
| In October 2014, the ] annulled the anti-terrorism sanctions and several other restrictions placed on the LTTE in 2006. The court noted that the basis of proscribing the LTTE had been based on "imputations derived from the press and the Internet" rather than on direct investigation of the group's actions, as required by law.<ref name="ovtrn">{{cite web | url=http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/sri-lanka-ltte-eu-idINL6N0SB3PZ20141016 | title=EU court overturns Tamil Tiger sanctions but maintains asset freeze | publisher=Reuters.in | accessdate=20 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="ovtrn2">{{cite web | url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141017/nation-current-affairs/article/european-court-annuls-sanctions-ltte | title=European court annuls sanctions on LTTE | publisher=Deccan Chronicle | accessdate=20 October 2014}}</ref> Later, in March 2015, the EU reimposed the sanctions and restrictions.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2015/03/29/ltte-ban-in-eu-remains/| title=LTTE Ban In EU Remains | publisher=The Sunday Leader | accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/67563/eu-reimpose-ban-on-ltte-dy-minister| title=EU reimposes ban on LTTE: SL| publisher=The Daily Mirror| accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2015.082.01.0107.01.ENG| title=Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/521 of 26 March 2015 updating and amending the list of persons, groups and entities subject to Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, and repealing Decision 2014/483/CFSP | publisher=Access to European Union law| accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref> | |||
| In July 2017, the LTTE was removed from the terrorism blacklist of ]'s top court, stating that there was no evidence to show of LTTE carrying out attacks after its military defeat in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-palestinians-hamas/top-eu-court-keeps-hamas-on-eu-terror-list-refers-case-back-idUSKBN1AB0VE|title=EU court keeps Hamas on terrorism list, removes Tamil Tigers|date=26 July 2017|work=Reuters|accessdate=2017-09-18}}</ref> However despite the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling, the European Union stated the LTTE organisation remains listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/LTTE-remains-a-terrorist-organisation-EU-133606.html|title=LTTE remains a terrorist organisation: EU|date=26 July 2017|work=]|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dailynews.lk/2017/07/27/local/123360/ltte-remain-eu%E2%80%99s-terrorism-list-despite-ecj%E2%80%99s-ruling|title=LTTE to remain on EU’s terrorism list despite ECJ’s ruling|date=27 July 2017|work=]|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref> | |||
| The LTTE leader Prabhakaran contested the terrorist designation of his organization, asserting that the international community had been influenced by the "false propaganda" of the Sri Lankan state and said that there was no coherent definition of the concept of terrorism. He also maintained that the LTTE was a national liberation organization fighting against "]" and "racist oppression".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=%252013&artid=16429|title=LTTE to intensify struggle for self-determination if reasonable political solution is not offered soon|last=|website=]|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> Following ], in an effort to distance his organization from the "real terrorists", the LTTE leader expressed sympathy to the Western powers engaged in a war against international terrorism and urged them to provide "a clear and comprehensive definition of the concept of terrorism that would distinguish between freedom struggles based on the right to self-determination and blind terrorist acts based on fanaticism." He also expressed concern over states with human rights abuses like Sri Lanka joining the alliance in the war against terrorism as "posing a threat to the legitimate political struggles of the oppressed humanity subjected to state terror."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tamilnation.co/ltte/vp/mahaveerar/vp01.htm|title=Maha Veerar Naal Address, மாவீரர் நாள் 2001|website=www.tamilnation.co|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/11/28/stories/03280003.htm|title=Prabhakaran asks West to redefine terrorism|website=]|access-date=2016-06-27}}</ref> | |||
| ], an attorney specializing in human rights and humanitarian law, argued that the LTTE was not a terrorist organization but "an armed force in a war against the government of Sri Lanka." She characterized the war waged by the LTTE as "a war of national liberation in the exercise of the right of self-determination."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tamilnation.co/terrorism/sri_lanka/karen.htm|title=LTTE not a terrorist organisation - Karen Parker|website=tamilnation.co|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| ==Assassinations== | |||
| {| style="text-align:center; float:right; font-size:85%; margin-left:2em; margin:auto;" class="wikitable" | |||
| |+ Political figures who were considered as assassinated by LTTE<ref name="rep"/> | |||
| !Position/Status !! Number | |||
| |- | |||
| !] | |||
| |1 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Ex-] | |||
| |1 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Presidential candidate | |||
| |1 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Leaders of ] | |||
| |10 | |||
| |- | |||
| !] | |||
| |7 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Members of Parliament | |||
| |37 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Members of ] | |||
| |6 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Members of Pradeshiya Sabha | |||
| |22 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Political party organisers | |||
| |17 | |||
| |- | |||
| !Mayors | |||
| |4 | |||
| |} | |||
| {{Main article|List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War}} | |||
| The LTTE has been condemned by various groups for assassinating political and military opponents. The victims include Tamil moderates who coordinated with the Sri Lanka Government and Tamil paramilitary groups assisting the Sri Lankan Army. The assassination of the Sri Lankan president ] is attributed to LTTE. The seventh Prime Minister of the Republic of ], ], was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam on 21 May 1991.<ref name=JIGR/> On 24 October 1994, LTTE detonated a bomb during a political rally in Thotalanga-Grandpass, which killed most of the prominent politicians of the ], including presidential candidate ] ], Cabinet ministers ] and ], ] ] and Gamini Wijesekara ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Q&A: Sri Lanka, killing of Former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar was killed by LTTE in 2005. elections|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4441820.stm|work=]|date=February 2009|accessdate=10 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Sri Lanka: Searching for a solution|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/412014.stm|work=]|date=11 August 1999|accessdate=10 May 2007}}</ref> | |||
| LTTE sympathisers justify some of the assassinations by arguing that the people attacked were combatants or persons closely associated with Sri Lankan ]. Specifically in relation to the ], the LTTE has said that it had to perform preemptive ] because the TELO was in effect functioning as a proxy for India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1617/16171020.htm |title=Chronicle of murders |author=T. S. Subramanian |date=August 1999 |publisher=Hindu Net |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709205128/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1617/16171020.htm |archivedate=9 July 2010 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Suicide attacks== | |||
| {{Main article| Black Tigers}} | |||
| ] memorial for fallen Tamil combatants]] | |||
| One of the main divisions of LTTE included the ], an elite fighting wing of the movement, whose mission included carrying out ]s against enemy targets.{{sfn|Stanford}} From ], the Tamil civilization saw war as an honourable sacrifice and fallen heroes were revered and worshiped in the form of a ]. Heroic ] was glorified in ancient Tamil literature. The Tamil kings and warriors followed an honour code similar to that of Japanese Samurais and committed suicide to save the honor.<ref>South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka(2003), p. 386.</ref> The Black Tigers wing of the LTTE is said to reflect some of these elements of Tamil martial traditions including the practice of the worship of fallen heroes (]) and martial martyrdom. All soldiers of LTTE carried a ] (Cyanide Kuppi{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}) around their necks to escape captivity and torture by enemy forces.<ref>Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution (2002), p. 76.</ref> | |||
| According to the ], LTTE was the first insurgent organisation to use concealed ]s and vests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://acd.iiss.org/armedconflict/Mainpages/dsp_ConflictBackground.asp?ConflictID=174 |title=Sri Lanka (LTTE) Historical Background |publisher=] |work=IISS Armed Conflict Database |year=2003 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112100340/http://acd.iiss.org/armedconflict/Mainpages/dsp_ConflictBackground.asp?ConflictID=174 |archivedate=12 January 2009 }}</ref><ref name=FBItamil_tigers>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |title=Taming the Tamil Tigers |date=1 October 2008 |work=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=fbi.gov |accessdate=7 March 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213015044/http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |archivedate=13 February 2008 |df= }}</ref> According to the information published by the LTTE, the Black Tigers carried out 378 suicide attacks between 5 July 1987, and 20 November 2008.<ref name="rep"/> Out of the deceased, 274 were male and 104 were female. | |||
| Many of these attacks have involved military objectives in the north and east of the country, although civilians have been targeted on numerous occasions, including during a high-profile attack on ] in 2001 that caused damage to several commercial airliners and military jets, killing 16 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/24ltte.htm|title=LTTE Attacks Colombo Airport, Airbase|last=Venkataramanan|first=K|publisher=Rediff.com India|agency=]|date=24 July 2001|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> The LTTE was responsible for a 1998 attack on the Buddhist shrine and ] ] in ] that killed eight worshipers. The attack was symbolic in that the shrine, which houses a tooth of the ], is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spur.asn.au/dalada.htm |title=LTTE's bomb Attack – Sri Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka |publisher=Society for Peace, Unity and human Rights in Sri Lanka |date=January 1998 |accessdate=10 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122205714/http://www.spur.asn.au/dalada.htm |archivedate=22 January 2009 }}</ref> Other Buddhist shrines have been attacked, notably the Sambuddhaloka Temple in Colombo, in which nine worshippers were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_Suicide_Bomb_20080516_Colombo.htm |title=LTTE Tamil Tiger suicide bomb attack near Sambuddhaloka temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka targeting civilians |date=16 May 2008 |publisher=Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131191455/http://spur.asn.au/LTTE_Suicide_Bomb_20080516_Colombo.htm |archivedate=31 January 2009 }}</ref> | |||
| Black Tiger wing had carried out attacks on various high-profile leaders both inside and outside Sri Lanka.<ref name=Gambetta2005>{{Cite book|author=Gambetta, D.|date=26 May 2005|title=Making sense of suicide missions|publisher=]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-927699-8|pages=60–70}}</ref> It had successfully targeted three world leaders, the only insurgent group to do so. That includes ], the former ] on 21 May 1991,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5122032.stm?ls|work=]|date=27 June 2006|accessdate=10 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=We killed Rajiv, confesses LTTE|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1686574.cms|work=]|date=28 June 2006|accessdate=10 May 2007}}</ref> the assassination of ], the ] on 1 May 1993,<ref>{{Cite news|first=Mark|last=Baker|title=Hopes high for end to Sri Lanka war|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/15/1032054710030.html|work=]|date=16 September 2002|accessdate=10 May 2007|location=Melbourne}}</ref> and the failed assassination attempt of ], the Sri Lankan President on 18 December 1999, which resulted in the loss of her right eye.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Sri Lanka: In the name of clemency |url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1701/17010320.htm |work=Front Line |date=21 January 2000 |accessdate=18 June 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060521213649/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1701/17010320.htm |archivedate=21 May 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Analysis: Questions about the Bomb Blasts|url=http://k.t.rajasingam.tripod.com/analysis.htm|work=K.T.Rajasingham |date=2 January 2000|accessdate=18 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=The Mission of Truth −3 |url=http://www.defence.lk/LTTE/20110523MOT.asp |work=Ministry of Defense, Sri Lanka |accessdate=18 June 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603202328/http://www.defence.lk/LTTE/20110523MOT.asp |archivedate= 3 June 2011 |df= }}</ref> | |||
| The killed Black Tiger cadres were highly glorified and their families were given the "Maha Viru family" status. Those cadres were given a chance to have his/her last supper with the LTTE leader Prabhakaran, which was a rare honour one would get in the LTTE controlled area. This, in turn motivated LTTE cadres to join the Black Tiger wing.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Unmasking of Prabhakaran|url=http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/idr/vol_17%282%29/sp_sinha.htm|date=|accessdate=10 August 2011}}</ref> | |||
| On 28 November 2007, an LTTE suicide bomber named Sujatha Vagawanam detonated a bomb hidden inside her ] in an attempt to kill Sri Lankan minister ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Minister Douglas Devananda: More detail emerges on the suicide attack |url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/8448|work=]|accessdate=10 August 2011|date=28 November 2007}}</ref> This was recorded in the security cameras inside Devananda's office. It is one of the few unsuspected detonations of an explosive by a suicide bomber recorded by a camera.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Caught on camera: Lanka bra bomber's blast|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/female-suicide-bomber-explodes-govt-office/53388-2.html|work=IBN Live |accessdate=10 August 2011|date=1 December 2007}}</ref><ref>()</ref> | |||
| ==Human rights violations== | |||
| The ] states that its reason for banning LTTE as a proscribed terrorist group is based on allegations that LTTE does not respect human rights and that it does not adhere to the standards of conduct expected of a ] or what might be called "freedom fighters".<ref name=DOS-2004>{{Cite book|url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41744.htm|contribution=Sri Lanka|title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2004|author=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor|publisher=]|date=28 February 2005|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref name=UNHCHR-1994>{{Cite book|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/A4C0BEC5C39CEDACC12571E0005456C3?opendocument|title=UN Expert welcomes Proposed Sri Lanka Commission|author=United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions|publisher=]|date=5 September 2006|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref name=HRW-Ganguly-2006>{{Cite journal|title=Sri Lanka: time to act|first=Meenakshi|last=Ganguly|journal=Open Democracy|date=11 September 2006|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name=Clapham2006>{{cite web|url=http://www.genevacall.org/resources/testi-reference-materials/testi-other-documents/clapham-27jan06.pdf |format=PDF |title=Human Rights Obligations of Non-State Actors |first=Andrew |last=Clapham |work=Academy of European Law, European University Institute |date=27 January 2006 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205004655/http://www.genevacall.org/resources/testi-reference-materials/testi-other-documents/clapham-27jan06.pdf |archivedate=5 February 2009 }}</ref> The ] has described the LTTE as "amongst the most dangerous and deadly extremist outfits in the world".<ref name=fbi-011008>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |title=Taming The Tamil Tigers |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) |publisher=U.S. Federal Government, U.S. Department of Justice |date=10 January 2008 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213015044/http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html |archivedate=13 February 2008 |df= }}</ref> Other countries have also proscribed LTTE under the same rationale. Numerous countries and international organisations have accused the LTTE of attacking civilians and recruiting children.<ref name=JIGR>{{cite web|url=http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/usscole/jir001020_1_n.shtml |title=Suicide terrorism: a global threat |publisher=] |date=20 October 2000 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204184847/http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/usscole/jir001020_1_n.shtml |archivedate=4 February 2009 }}</ref> Despite the allegations of human rights abuses, LTTE has been noted for its lack of use of sexualized violence or rape as a tactic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/blog/entry/no-war-doesnt-have-to-mean-rape|title=No, war doesn’t have to mean rape|website=www.womenundersiegeproject.org|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| ===Attacks on civilians=== | |||
| {{Main article|List of attacks attributed to the LTTE}} | |||
| The LTTE has launched attacks on civilian targets several times. Notable attacks include the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/05/24/news26.asp |title=Aranthalawa massacre, one of the darkest chapters in Lankan history |accessdate=4 January 2009 |author=Nadira Gunatilleke |publisher=Daily News |date=24 May 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207024052/http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/05/24/news26.asp |archivedate= 7 February 2009 |df= }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957036,00.html |title=Sri Lanka Tamil Terror |accessdate=4 January 2009 |publisher=The Time |date=27 May 1985 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114112930/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C957036%2C00.html |archivedate=14 January 2009 |df= }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=5E7F89A231872062802569A600601598|title=Human rights violations in a context of armed conflict|accessdate=4 January 2009|work=|publisher=Amnesty International USA|date=|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214094900/http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=5E7F89A231872062802569A600601598|archivedate=14 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/June/20060615115032ndyblehs0.351742.html |title=United States Condemns Terrorist Attack on Sri Lankan Bus |accessdate=4 January 2009 |author=David Shelby |publisher=US Department of State |date=15 June 2006 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202201603/http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/June/20060615115032ndyblehs0.351742.html |archivedate=2 February 2009 }}</ref> and the ].<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/51435.stm|title=Timeline of the Tamil conflict|accessdate=4 January 2009|work=|publisher=BBC News|date=4 September 2000}}</ref> Civilians have also been killed in attacks on economic targets, such as the ].<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/31/newsid_4083000/4083095.stm|title=1996: Fifty dead in Sri Lanka suicide bombing|accessdate=4 January 2009|publisher=BBC News|date=31 January 1996}}</ref> The LTTE leader Prabhakaran denied allegations of killing civilians, claiming to condemn such acts of violence; and claimed that LTTE had instead attacked armed ] who were "death-squads let loose on Tamil civilians" and Sinhalese settlers who were "brought to the Tamil areas to forcibly occupy the land."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eelamweb.com/leader/interview/in_eye_1986/|title=Tamil National Leader Hon. V. Pirapaharan's Interview "The Eye of the Tiger"|website=www.eelamweb.com|access-date=2016-06-11|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eelamweb.com/leader/messages/military/1986/|title=Tamil National Leader Hon. V. Pirapaharan's Military Campaign messages|website=www.eelamweb.com|access-date=2016-06-11|quote=}}</ref> The state-sponsored settlements of Sinhalese in the northern and eastern parts of the island which the LTTE considered to be the traditional homeland of Tamils became "the sites of some of the worst violence."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKZcgOJPjVkC&pg=PA21&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Contested Lands|last=Bose|first=Sumantra|date=2009-06-30|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674028562|page=21|language=en}}</ref> According to the ], the Sri Lankan government implemented the military-led settlements of Sinhalese community in Tamil areas in order to create "a buffer to the expansion of LTTE control" and to "undermine Tamil nationalist claims on a contiguous north-eastern Tamil homeland." The continuous inflow of Sinhalese settlers in Tamil areas since the 1950s had become a source of inter-ethnic violence and had been one of the major grievances expressed by the LTTE. As armed Sinhalese villages were established in Tamil areas, many Tamil families were forcibly displaced by the army from their traditional villages and the LTTE retaliated by attacking the settlers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/219-sri-lankas-north-i-the-denial-of-minority-rights.pdf|title=Sri Lanka’s North I: The Denial of Minority Rights|website=]|pages=22–23|access-date=2016-06-11|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520100614/http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/219-sri-lankas-north-i-the-denial-of-minority-rights.pdf|archivedate=20 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/OI_The_Long_Shadow_of_War_0.pdf|title=THE LONG SHADOW OF WAR THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE IN POSTWAR SRI LANKA|website=]|pages=20–22|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| ===Child soldiers=== | |||
| {{See also|Militant use of children in Sri Lanka}} | |||
| The LTTE has been accused of recruiting and using child soldiers to fight against Sri Lankan government forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/442.htm|title=Sri Lanka: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|date=23 February 2000|publisher=]|author=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd/rsddocview.html?tbl=RSDCOI&id=43cfaea725&count=1|title=Human Rights Watch World Report 2006 – Sri Lanka|date=18 January 2006|publisher=]|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/childsoldiers0104/16.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516141422/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/childsoldiers0104/16.htm|archivedate=16 May 2007|title=Child Soldier Use 2003: A Briefing for the 4th UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict: Sri Lanka|date=January 2003|publisher=]|accessdate=13 February 2009}}</ref> The LTTE was accused of having up to 5,794 child soldiers in its ranks since 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1129/p07s02-wosc.html|title=Outrage over child soldiers in Sri Lanka|last=Raman|first=Nachammai|date=29 November 2006|publisher=]|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4712318.stm|title=UN plea to Tigers on child troops|date=14 February 2006|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> Amid international pressure, the LTTE announced in July 2003 that it would stop conscripting child soldiers, but ]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/28/asia/AS-GEN-Sri-Lanka-Child-Soldiers.php |title=UN says Sri Lankan group continues to recruit child soldiers |date=27 April 2007 |publisher=International Herald Tribune |agency=] |accessdate=10 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028173552/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/28/asia/AS-GEN-Sri-Lanka-Child-Soldiers.php |archivedate=28 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unicef.org/media/media_21990.html|title=Children being caught up in recruitment drive in north east|date=26 June 2004|publisher=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/14/slanka10016.htm|title=Sri Lanka: Child Tsunami Victims Recruited by Tamil Tigers|date=13 January 2005|publisher=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> have accused it of reneging on its promises, and of conscripting Tamil children orphaned by ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4171251.stm|title=Tamil Tigers 'drafting children'|date=13 January 2005|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> On 18 June 2007, the LTTE released 135 children under 18 years of age. UNICEF, along with the United States, states that there has been a significant drop in LTTE recruitment of children, but claimed in 2007 that 506 child recruits remain under the LTTE.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engASA370172007?open&of=eng-LKA |title=Sri Lanka: Amnesty International urges LTTE to live up to its pledge to end child recruitment |publisher=] |date=10 July 2007 |accessdate=9 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022100510/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA370172007?open&of=ENG-LKA |archivedate=22 October 2007 }}</ref> A report released by the LTTE's Child Protection Authority (CPA) in 2008 stated that less than 40 soldiers under age 18 remained in its forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ltteps.org/?view=2095&folder=17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163102/http://www.ltteps.org/?view=2095&folder=17|dead-url=yes|archive-date=16 July 2011|title=Status of UNICEF database on underage LTTE members|date=23 January 2009|publisher=Peace Secretariat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> In 2009 a ] of the United Nations said the Tamil Tigers "continue to recruit children to fight on the frontlines", and "use force to keep many civilians, including children, in harm's way".<ref name='srsc-comment'>{{Cite news|title=Security Council open debate on children and armed conflict: Statement by SRSG Radhika Coomaraswamy|date=29 April 2009|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SNAA-7RL3KL?OpenDocument|work =Relief Web|accessdate=15 May 2009}}</ref> Although some children were forcefully recruited, many voluntarily joined the LTTE after witnessing or experiencing abuses by Sri Lankan security forces, seeking to "protect their families or to avenge real or perceived abuses."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2004/11/10/living-fear/child-soldiers-and-tamil-tigers-sri-lanka|title=Living in Fear|date=2004-11-11|website=Human Rights Watch|access-date=2016-06-11}}</ref> | |||
| The LTTE argues that instances of child recruitment occurred mostly in the east, under the purview of former LTTE regional commander ]. After leaving the LTTE and forming the ], it is alleged that Karuna continued to forcibly kidnap and induct child soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL319390.htm |title=Agreements Reached Between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |date=23 February 2006 |publisher=Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200801311401.htm |work=] |accessdate=7 March 2009 |location=Chennai, India |title=Karuna faction recruiting child soldiers in Lanka: UN |date=31 January 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107152624/http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200801311401.htm |archivedate=7 November 2012 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Ethnic cleansing=== | |||
| {{Main article|Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern province by LTTE}} | {{Main article|Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern province by LTTE}} | ||
| The LTTE is responsible for forcibly removing, or ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/526407.stm|date=2 May 2000|agency=BBC News|title=Tamil Tigers: A fearsome force|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/0org/pubs/monoio">{{cite book |last=Lehr |first= Peter|year=2006|title=Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=71OTAgAAQBAJ&dq=sea+piracy+ltte&source=gbs_navlinks_s |location=New York|publisher=Routledge|pages= 26–27|oclc= 847387581}}</ref> including ''Ocean Trader'' (in October 1994), ''Irish Mona'' (in August 1995), ''Princess Wave'' (in August 1996), ''Athena'' (in May 1997), ''Misen'' (in July 1997), ''Morong Bong'' (in July 1997), MV ''Cordiality'' (in September 1997), ''Princess Kash'' (in August 1998), ''Newko'' (in July 1999), ''Uhana'' (in June 2000), Fuyuan Ya 225 (Chinese ], in March 2003), '']'' (in December 2006) and ''City of Liverpool'' (in January 2007).<ref name="vio"/><ref name="swati">{{cite book |last=Parashar |first= Swati|year=2008|title=Maritime Counter-terrorism: A Pan-Asian Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-r1R0ko5wsC&dq=Fuyuan+Ya+225&source=gbs_navlinks_s |location= India|publisher=Pearson Education India|pages= 45,187–189.|oclc= 842893248}}</ref><ref name="def"> Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 7. Retrieved on 19 January 2014</ref><ref name="def2"> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055103/http://www.defence.lk/news/20110801_Conf.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 19. Retrieved on 19 January 2014</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node%2F3826|title=Jordan confirms Tamil Tigers pirated ship: Reports crew members are safe|publisher=Asian tribune|date=24 December 2006|accessdate=19 January 2014|location=Colombo}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2VUAAAAMAAJ&q=%E2%80%B3ocean+trader%E2%80%B3+Cromer+Overseas+lnc+sri+lanka&dq=%E2%80%B3ocean+trader%E2%80%B3+Cromer+Overseas+lnc+sri+lanka&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ckECU42RN8nqiAf0iICQAQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA|title=Marine News|publisher=}}</ref> The MV ''Sik Yang'', a 2,818-ton ]n-flag ] which sailed from ], India on 25 May 1999, went missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. It was suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE to be used as a phantom vessel. Later, in 1999 it was confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by the LTTE.<ref name="vio"/><ref name="def"/> | |||
| The LTTE is responsible for forcibly removing, or ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/526407.stm|date=2 May 2000|agency=BBC News|title=Tamil Tigers: A fearsome force|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/13/stories/2007041304441600.htm|title=Ethnic cleansing: Colombo|last=Reddy|first=B. Muralidhar|date=13 April 2007|publisher=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|accessdate=9 February 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> of ] and ] inhabitants from areas under its control. The eviction of Muslim residents happened in the north in 1990, and the east in 1992. The expulsion of Muslims had more to do with disagreements over ethnic identity and politics than with religion as the Sri Lankan Muslims did not support the LTTE or the creation of an independent Tamil state and they do not identify with the ethnic Tamils despite being a Tamil-speaking people.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iudi2JJLaUAC&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Sri Lanka: Current Issues and Historical Background|last=Nubin|first=Walter|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=9781590335734|page=11|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qkA3DAAAQBAJ|title=Demographic Engineering: Population Strategies in Ethnic Conflict|last=Morland|first=Paul|date=2016-05-23|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317152927|page=67|language=en}}</ref> The LTTE also saw Muslims as a threat to 'national security' as they alleged their Muslim cadres had defected from their movement to join the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary forces who were allegedly responsible for attacks on Tamil civilians.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j88BCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT64 |title=Critical Methods in Terrorism Studies|last=Dixit|first=Priya|last2=Stump|first2=Jacob L.|date=2015-06-26|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317692942|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| Initially young Muslims joined the Tamil militant groups in the early years of Tamil militancy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MgHIiEtdVFAC&pg=PA11|title=Crucible of Conflict: Tamil and Muslim Society on the East Coast of Sri Lanka|last=McGilvray|first=Dennis B.|date=2008-04-16|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=0822389185|page=11|language=en}}</ref> Muslim ironmongers in ] fashioned weapons for the LTTE. In its 1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution, LTTE condemned the Sri Lankan government for "unleashing successive bouts of communal violence on both the ] and Muslims".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pararajasingham|first=Ana|title=The Conflict in Sri Lanka: Ground Realities|publisher=International Federation of Tamils (IFT)|page=25|date=December 2005|url=http://www.tamilnation.org/tamileelam/ift/0512groundrealities.pdf|format=PDF|isbn=0-9775092-0-6|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> LTTE later undertook its anti-Muslim campaigns as it began to view Muslims as outsiders, rather than a part of the Tamil nation. Local Tamil leaders were disturbed by the LTTE's call for the eviction of Muslims in 1970.<ref name="uthr.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report6/chapter3.htm#_Toc515969885|title=The Expulsion And Expropriation of Muslims in the North|publisher=University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Sri Lanka|year=2001|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> In 2005, the International Federation of Tamils claimed that the Sri Lankan military purposefully stoked tensions between Tamils and Muslims, in an attempt to undermine Tamil security.<ref name=tamilnation16>{{Cite book|last=Pararajasingham|first=Ana|title=The Conflict in Sri Lanka: Ground Realities|publisher=International Federation of Tamils (IFT)|page=16|date=December 2005|url=http://www.tamilnation.org/tamileelam/ift/0512groundrealities.pdf|format=PDF|isbn=0-9775092-0-6|accessdate=9 February 2009}}</ref> As Tamils turned to the LTTE for support, the Muslims were left with the Sri Lankan state as their sole defender, and so to the LTTE, the Muslims had legitimised the role of the state, and were thus viewed as Sri Lankans.<ref name=tamilnation16/> | |||
| ===Execution of prisoners of war=== | |||
| {{See also|1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers}} | |||
| LTTE had executed ] on a number of occasions, in spite of the declaration in 1988, that it would abide by the ]. One such incident was the mass murder of ] in 1990, in ], after they surrendered to the LTTE on the request of President ].<ref name="lank1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2011/6/67843.html|title=Recalling the saddest day in Lankan Police history|accessdate=12 June 2011|year=2011|work=Lanka Newspapers|publisher=Lanka Newspapers|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615103423/http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2011/6/67843.html|archivedate=15 June 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Police officers were promised safe conduct and subsequent release; they were instead taken to the jungle, blindfolded, and had their hands tied behind their backs, before being made to lie down on the ground to be subsequently shot.<ref name="rivira">{{cite web|url=http://www.rivira.lk/2011/06/12/ranabima.htm|title=Killing of 774 policemen|accessdate=12 June 2011|year=2011|work=Rivira|publisher=Rivira}}</ref> In 1993, LTTE killed 200 ] soldiers, captured in the naval base at Pooneryn, during the ].<ref name="armyt">{{cite web|url=http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=18242|title=Strategic Pooneryn's fall a humiliating blow to Tiger Supremo; Battle of Pooneryn efficiently accomplished|accessdate=12 June 2011|work=]|publisher=]}}{{Dead link|date=June 2015}}</ref> | |||
| ===War crimes=== | |||
| {{See also|Alleged war crimes during the Sri Lankan Civil War}} | |||
| There are ] were committed by the ] and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the ], particularly during the final months of the conflict in 2009. The alleged war crimes include attacks on civilians and civilian buildings by both sides; executions of combatants and prisoners by both sides; enforced disappearances by the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary groups backed by them; acute shortages of food, medicine, and clean water for civilians trapped in the war zone; and recruitment of child soldiers by the Tamil Tigers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/22/sri-lanka-us-war-crimes-report-details-extensive-abuses|title=Sri Lanka: US War Crimes Report Details Extensive Abuses|date=22 October 2009|publisher=]|accessdate=17 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2010/12/08/govt-ltte-executed-soldiers/|title=Govt.: LTTE Executed Soldiers|date=8 December 2010|publisher=]|accessdate=17 January 2010}}</ref> | |||
| A ] appointed by ] (UNSG) ] to advise him on the issue of accountability with regard to any alleged violations of ] and ] during the final stages of the civil war found "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicated that ] and ] were committed by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers.<ref name=Island160411>{{cite news|title=Report of the UNSG's panel of experts on accountability in SL|url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=23146|newspaper=The Island, Sri Lanka|date=16 April 2011}}</ref><ref name=TN160411>{{cite news|title=UN panel admits international failure in Vanni war, calls for investigations|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=33808|newspaper=]|date=16 April 2011}}</ref><ref name=DM160411>{{cite news|title=Summary of UN Panel report|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/top-story/10913-summary-of-un-panel-report.html|newspaper=]|date=16 April 2011}}</ref> The panel has called on the UNSG to conduct an independent international inquiry into the alleged violations of ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Sri Lankan military committed war crimes: U.N. panel|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1701700.ece|newspaper=]|date=16 April 2011|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref name=france24>{{cite news|title=Leaked UN report urges Sri Lanka war crimes probe |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110416-leaked-un-report-urges-sri-lanka-war-crimes-probe |newspaper=] |date=16 April 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503173006/http://www.france24.com/en/20110416-leaked-un-report-urges-sri-lanka-war-crimes-probe |archivedate=3 May 2011 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Other criminal activities== | |||
| One factor that has greatly benefited the LTTE has been its sophisticated international support network. While some of the funding obtained by the LTTE is from legitimate fundraising, a significant portion is obtained through criminal activities, extortion among Tamil diaspora,<ref name="gt1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=85944&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56 |title=Lankan expats ‘forced to fund LTTE’ |last=Wadhwaney |first=Rohit William |publisher=Gulf Publishing & Printing |work=Gulf Times |date=11 May 2006 |accessdate=13 February 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204060217/http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=85944&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56 |archivedate=4 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Becker|first=Jo|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/ltte0306webwcover.pdf|title=Funding the "Final War" LTTE Intimidation and Extortion in the Tamil Diaspora|format=PDF|pages=1–5|date=14 March 2006|publisher=]|accessdate=13 February 2009}}</ref> involving ], ], drug trafficking and ].<ref name="rand">{{Cite book|last=Rabasa|first=Angel|author2=Chalk, Peter; Cragin, Kim; Daly, Sara A.; Gregg, Heather S.; Karasik, Theodore W.; O’Brien, Kevin A.; Rosenau, William|title=Beyond al-Qaeda: The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe|year=2006|pages=101–108|publisher=RAND Corporation|format=PDF|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG430.pdf|isbn=978-0-8330-3932-3|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2752455.stm|title=US criticises Tamil Tiger smuggling|date=12 February 2003|publisher=BBC News|agency=]|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Sri Lankan pleads guilty in Tamil Tigers arms plot|date=11 May 2007|publisher=MediaCorp|work=Channel NewsAsia|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/275514/1/.html|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref name='nydn-tgb-10/16/07'>{{Cite news|first=Barbara|last=Ross|title=Sri Lankan terror gang busted in ATM heist plot|date=16 October 2007|publisher=Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/16/2007-10-16_sri_lankan_terror_gang_busted_in_atm_hei-2.html|work=The New York Daily News|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ===Sea piracy=== | |||
| <!-- {{Main|Sea Tigers Human_Rights_Abuses}} --> | |||
| The LTTE has been accused of ] several vessels and ships in waters outside Sri Lanka,<ref name="vio">{{cite book |last=Lehr |first= Peter|year=2006|title=Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=71OTAgAAQBAJ&dq=sea+piracy+ltte&source=gbs_navlinks_s |location=New York|publisher=Routledge|pages= 26–27|oclc= 847387581}}</ref> including ''Ocean Trader'' (in October 1994), ''Irish Mona'' (in August 1995), ''Princess Wave'' (in August 1996), ''Athena'' (in May 1997), ''Misen'' (in July 1997), ''Morong Bong'' (in July 1997), MV ''Cordiality'' (in September 1997), ''Princess Kash'' (in August 1998), ''Newko'' (in July 1999), ''Uhana'' (in June 2000), Fuyuan Ya 225 (Chinese ], in March 2003), '']'' (in December 2006) and ''City of Liverpool'' (in January 2007).<ref name="vio"/><ref name="swati">{{cite book |last=Parashar |first= Swati|year=2008|title=Maritime Counter-terrorism: A Pan-Asian Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-r1R0ko5wsC&dq=Fuyuan+Ya+225&source=gbs_navlinks_s |location= India|publisher=Pearson Education India|pages= 45,187–189.|oclc= 842893248}}</ref><ref name="def"> Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 7. Retrieved on 19 January 2014</ref><ref name="def2"> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055103/http://www.defence.lk/news/20110801_Conf.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 19. Retrieved on 19 January 2014</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node%2F3826|title=Jordan confirms Tamil Tigers pirated ship: Reports crew members are safe|publisher=Asian tribune|date=24 December 2006|accessdate=19 January 2014|location=Colombo}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2VUAAAAMAAJ&q=%E2%80%B3ocean+trader%E2%80%B3+Cromer+Overseas+lnc+sri+lanka&dq=%E2%80%B3ocean+trader%E2%80%B3+Cromer+Overseas+lnc+sri+lanka&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ckECU42RN8nqiAf0iICQAQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA|title=Marine News|publisher=}}</ref> The MV ''Sik Yang'', a 2,818-ton ]n-flag ] which sailed from ], India on 25 May 1999, went missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. It was suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE to be used as a phantom vessel. Later, in 1999 it was confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by the LTTE.<ref name="vio"/><ref name="def"/> | |||
| Likewise, the crew of a ]ian ship, '']'', that ran aground near LTTE-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of risking their lives and forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice.<ref name="hnd1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612261552.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103190254/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612261552.htm|archivedate=3 January 2007|title=Jordanian crew slam Tigers for piracy|publisher=The Hindu|date=26 December 2006|accessdate=13 February 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> | Likewise, the crew of a ]ian ship, '']'', that ran aground near LTTE-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of risking their lives and forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice.<ref name="hnd1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612261552.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103190254/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612261552.htm|archivedate=3 January 2007|title=Jordanian crew slam Tigers for piracy|publisher=The Hindu|date=26 December 2006|accessdate=13 February 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:08, 13 March 2018
{{multiple issues|
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Template:Cleanly 2011</ref><re
Main article: Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern province by LTTEThe LTTE is responsible for forcibly removing, or ethnic cleansing, including Ocean Trader (in October 1994), Irish Mona (in August 1995), Princess Wave (in August 1996), Athena (in May 1997), Misen (in July 1997), Morong Bong (in July 1997), MV Cordiality (in September 1997), Princess Kash (in August 1998), Newko (in July 1999), Uhana (in June 2000), Fuyuan Ya 225 (Chinese trawler, in March 2003), MV Farah III (in December 2006) and City of Liverpool (in January 2007). The MV Sik Yang, a 2,818-ton Malaysian-flag cargo ship which sailed from Tuticorin, India on 25 May 1999, went missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. It was suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE to be used as a phantom vessel. Later, in 1999 it was confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by the LTTE.
Likewise, the crew of a Jordanian ship, MV Farah III, that ran aground near LTTE-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of risking their lives and forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice.
Arms smuggling
See also: § Global networkThe LTTE members operated a cargo company called "Otharad Cargo" in the United Arab Emirates. There are reports that the LTTE met Taliban members and discussed the "Sharjah network", which existed in the Sharjah emirate of the United Arab Emirates. The Sharjah network was used by Victor Bout, an arms-smuggling Russian intelligence agent, to provide the Taliban with weapons deliveries and other flights between Sharjah and Kandahar. Otharad Cargo reportedly received several consignments of military hardware from the Sharjah network.
The Mackenzie Institute claimed that LTTE's secretive international operations of the smuggling of weapons, explosives, and "dual use" technologies is attributed to the "KP Branch", headed by Selvarasa Pathmanathan prior to 2002. It also claims that the most expertly executed operation of the KP Branch was the theft of 32,400 rounds of 81 mm mortar ammunition purchased from Tanzania destined for the Sri Lanka Army. Being aware of the purchase of 35,000 mortar bombs, the LTTE made a bid to the manufacturer through a numbered company and arranged a vessel of their own to pick up the load. Once the bombs were loaded into the ship, the LTTE changed the name and registration of their ship. The vessel was taken to Tiger-held territory in Sri Lanka's north instead of transporting it to its intended destination. In 2002, Prabhakaran appointed Castro as the international chief of LTTE. He overtook the responsibilities of arms smuggling and related activities from Pathmanathan.
People smuggling
Most of the smuggling of Tamil people to western countries was carried out by LTTE. It had largely benefited from this. The prices charged by LTTE to go to countries such as Canada was significantly higher than the normal cost to travel. In addition, money had to be paid to obtain "exit visas" to leave LTTE controlled areas. After the war, LTTE's main business has been people smuggling. A cost of LKR 4 million per immigrant was "enforced" by LTTE operatives. LTTE's people smuggling ships included MV Ocean Lady, which appeared in October 2009 off Canada's British Columbia coast with 76 Tamil asylum seekers; MV Sun Sea, arrived in August 2010 off British Columbia, with 492 asylum seekers and MV Alicia, carrying 80 illegal immigrants, but was intercepted by Indonesian authorities in July 2011, allegedly heading towards Canada or New Zealand.
Extortion
LTTE had coerced Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka to give it money, by threatening the safety of their relatives or property in areas under its control.
Money laundering
In 2008 - 2009, a report on ″Money laundering and the financing of terrorism″ to the European Union Committee stated a case study related to the LTTE which evidenced the implantation of this terrorist group in number of EU member states. In January 2011, Swiss authorities arrested several LTTE members on money laundering. They were all later released.
Passport forgery
In the early 1990s, Canadian authorities uncovered a passport forgery scheme run by Canadian Tamils with links to the LTTE, including one of its founding members. In December 2010, Spanish and Thai police uncovered another passport forgery scheme attributed to LTTE.
Drug trafficking
A number of intelligence agencies have accused LTTE of involvement in drug trafficking. In 2010, citing Royal Canadian Mounted Police sources, Jane's Intelligence Review said the LTTE controls a portion of the one billion dollar drug market in Montreal, Quebec. It also states narcotics smuggling using its merchant ships, is one of the main ways of earning money out of its $300 million annual income. The U.S. Department of Justice states that LTTE has historically served as the drug couriers moving narcotics into Europe. Indian authorities accused LTTE operatives of previously bringing narcotics to Mumbai from Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab border. The drugs were then transported to coastal towns in Tamil Nadu such as Tuticorin, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Kochi, in Kerala State.
Credit card fraud
LTTE was also involved in credit card fraud, in the United Kingdom. In 2010, STF arrested the mastermind behind this fraud, Neshanadan Muruganandan alias Anandan. LTTE had cloned credit cards using PIN and card numbers obtained from unsuspecting card holders in the United Kingdom, and funds were later transferred out of their accounts. In 2007, Norwegian authorities sentenced six LTTE members for skimming more than 5.3 million Norwegian kroner in a similar credit card scam.
Cyber attacks
In August 1997, an organisation calling themselves the Internet Black Tigers claimed responsibility for the E-mail harassment of various Sri Lankan networks around the world. The group sent mass Emails which contained the text "We are the Internet Black Tigers and we're doing this to disrupt your communications". They were also responsible for repeated attacks on official sites of numerous other governments. The LTTE is also accused of having pioneered online fund raising through solicitation and various cyber crimes including identity theft and credit card fraud.
LTTE is also known to use the internet for criminal profit. In such an attack on Sheffield University's computer system they were able to capture legitimate user IDs and passwords of well respected academics and to use them for propaganda and fund raising in a covert manner.
See also
- 2009 Tamil diaspora protests
- Black July
- Eelam War
- List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE
- Militant use of children in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
- Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam
Notes
- According to Indrajit Banerjee, "This cyber attack in 1997 on Sri Lankan government and consulate network was the first recorded incident on internet terrorism by a conventional terrorist group".A Tamil tiger wing called ″Internet Black Tigers″ were involved in this attack and they were also responsible for repeated attacks on official sites of numerous other governments
References
- "Tamil Tigers: A fearsome force". BBC News. BBC News. 2 May 2000. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- {{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/0org/pubs/monoio">Lehr, Peter (2006). Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism. New York: Routledge. pp. 26–27. OCLC 847387581.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
viowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Parashar, Swati (2008). Maritime Counter-terrorism: A Pan-Asian Perspective. India: Pearson Education India. pp. 45, 187–189. OCLC 842893248.
- ^ The LTTE in brief Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 7. Retrieved on 19 January 2014
- HUMANITARIAN OPERATION FACTUAL ANALYSIS JULY 2006 – MAY 2009 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka, p 19. Retrieved on 19 January 2014
- "Jordan confirms Tamil Tigers pirated ship: Reports crew members are safe". Colombo: Asian tribune. 24 December 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- Marine News.
- "Jordanian crew slam Tigers for piracy". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 26 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- LTTE : The Jihadi Connection. Jeremie Lanche. IPCS.
- Tamil Tiger Links with Islamist Terrorist Groups. Shanaka Jayasekara. 02/03/2008
- ^ Other people's wars: A Review of Overseas Terrorism in Canada, p 46., John Thompson, The Mackenzie Institute. Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Human smuggling, most lucrative business for LTTE rump". Lanka Gazette. July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Exposed: LTTE's Human Smuggling Ring". Sunday Leader. July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- Fong, Petti (August 2010). "3 months on the MV Sun Sea: Tamil migrants describe their journey". Toronto: The Star. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- "Failing the test: LTTE extortion continues unchecked". University Teachers for Human Rights. 30 April 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- "LTTE extortion ring in Colombo bared". Asia Views. December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "How SL Tamil in Switzerland was coerced to finance the LTTE". Lanka Newspapers. January 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- Money laundering and the financing of terrorism: 19th report of session 2008-09, Vol. 2: Evidence, retrieved on 18 January 2014.
- "Swiss authorities arrest LTTE members on money laundering". Switzerland: Anti Money Laundering Law. January 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ″LTTE in brief″, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Sri Lanka. p 7.
- Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,Sri Lanka: Alien Smuggling, 1 May 1996, accessed 2 February 2014.
- "Spanish-Thai forgery probe reveals new links to LTTE". Daily News and Analysis. December 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- "Jane's intelligence review says LTTE controls a portion of Montreal's USD 1b drug trade". Ministry of Defense, Sri Lanka. December 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- "Narco-Terrorism: International Drug Trafficking and Terrorism – a Dangerous Mix". United States Department of Justice. May 2003. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "LTTE fall will alter drug trade in India". Times of India. May 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- Fuard, Asif (30 March 2008). "Tiger paw in the credit card scam". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- "SL High Commission bares LTTE links to clone credit card scam in UK". Ministry of Defense. April 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Mastermind behind LTTE credit card fraud arrested". Ministry of Defense. June 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "LTTE credit card crooks sent to jail in Norway". Asian Tribune. April 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Banerjee, Indrajit (2007). The internet and governance in Asia : a critical reader. Singapore: Asian Media Information and Communication Centre. pp. 183–184. OCLC 820772336.
- , Bernadette H Schell, Thomas J. Holt (2011). Corporate Hacking and Technology-Driven Crime: Social Dynamics and Implications. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference. p. 175. OCLC 682621348.
- ^ Himma, Kenneth Einar (2007). Internet security : hacking, counterhacking, and society. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. p. 129. OCLC 69013085.
- Britz, Marjie (2012). Computer forensics and cyber crime : an introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. p. 92.
- Brian D. Loader, Douglas Thomas (2000). Cybercrime: Security and Surveillance in the Information Age. London: Routledge. p. 233.
- Yvonne Jewkes, Majid Yar (2010). Handbook of Internet crime. Cullompton: Willan. p. 206. OCLC 303098099.
Further reading
- Bibliography
- Balasingham, Adele (2003). The Will to Freedom – An Inside View of Tamil Resistance (2 ed.). Fairmax Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-903679-03-6.
- Balasingham, Anton (2004). War and Peace – Armed Struggle and Peace Efforts of Liberation Tigers (1 ed.). Fairmax Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-903679-05-2.
- De Votta, Neil (2004). Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4924-8.
- Gamage, Siri; Watson, I. B. (1999). Conflict and Community in Contemporary Sri Lanka – 'Pearl of the East' or 'Island of Tears'?. SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-7619-9393-2.
- Gunaratna, Rohan (1998). Sri Lanka's Ethnic Crisis and National Security (1 ed.). South Asian Network on Conflict Research. ISBN 955-8093-00-9.
- Gunaratna, Rohan (1987). War and Peace in Sri Lanka: With a Post-Accord Report From Jaffna (1 ed.). Institute of Fundamental Studies. ISBN 978-955-26-0001-2.
- Hellmann-Rajanayagam, Dagmar (1994). The Tamil Tigers:armed struggle for identity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-3-515-06530-6.
- La, J (September 2004). "Forced remittances in Canada's Tamil enclaves". Peace review 16:3: 379–385. ISBN 978-3-515-06530-6.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Mehta, Raj (2010). Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran (1 ed.). Pentagon Press. ISBN 81-8274-443-1.
- Pratap, Anita (2001). Island of Blood: Frontline Reports From Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Other South Asian Flashpoints. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-302906-9.
- Swamy, M.R. Narayan (2003). Inside an Elusive Mind Prabhakaran: The First Profile of the Worlds Most Ruthless Guerrilla Leader (1 ed.). Literate World, Inc. ISBN 978-81-220-0657-5.
- Swamy, M. R. Narayan (2010). The Tiger Vanquished: LTTE's Story (1 ed.). Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-321-0459-9.
- Swamy, M. R. Narayan (2002). Tigers of Lanka: from Boys to Guerrillas (2 ed.). Konark Publishers. ISBN 81-220-0631-0.
- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy (2009). Prabhakaran – The Story of his struggle for Eelam. New Horizon Media Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-81-8493-168-6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012.
{{cite book}}: External link in|author=|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Chellamuthu Kuppusamy (2008). பிரபாகரன்: ஒரு வாழ்க்கை. New Horizon Media Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-81-8493-039-9. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012.
{{cite book}}: External link in|author=|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
- Reviews
- "Child Soldier Use 2003: A Briefing for the 4th UN Security Council Open Debate". Human Rights Watch. January 2003. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- "Taming the Tamil Tigers, From Here in the U.S." Federal Bureau of Investigation. January 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
External links
- LTTE web sites
- Official website
- Tamilnet Pro Rebel Website
- Tamil Eelam News Tamil Eelam news site
- Sri Lanka Government
- Humanitarian Operation – Factual Analysis, July 2006 – May 2009 A report on strength and impact of LTTE from Sri Lanka Ministry of Defense
- Humanitarian Operation timeline, 1981–2009 The history of Sri Lankan armed forces operations and area controlled by LTTE
- Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence LTTE in Brief An overview of LTTE by Sri Lanka Ministry of Defense
- International organisations
- An analysis of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization and operations by Federation of American Scientists
- Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora After LTTE Relationship between LTTE and the Tamil diaspora, and consequences of LTTE defeat, by International Crisis Group
- Background information on the Tamil Tigers by Council on Foreign Relations
- Overview of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by Anti-Defamation League
- Funding the "Final War" A Human Rights Watch report on LTTE's fund raising strategies
- Trapped and Mistreated Human rights violations of LTTE, a Human Rights Watch report
- International press
- Sri Lankan Civilians Trapped by Tamil Tigers 'Last Stand' Article appeared on The Christian Science Monitor, 3 May 2009
- Guerrilla Tactics – How the Tamil Tigers Were Beaten in an 'Unwinnable' War Article appeared on The Times, 19 May 2009
- Rise and Fall of the LTTE – An Overview A Sri Lanka Guardian article on characteristics of LTTE
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 Category | |||||||||||
| Organisations designated as terrorist organisations by Government of India | |
|---|---|
| Jammu and Kashmir | |
| Northeast India | |
| Punjab | |
| Others |
|
| International | |
- Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from December 2012
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
- Organizations established in 1976
- Separatism in Sri Lanka
- 1976 establishments in Sri Lanka
- Organisations designated as terrorist by India
- Organisations designated as terrorist by the European Union
- Organisations designated as terrorist by the United Kingdom
- Organizations designated as terrorist in Asia
- 2009 disestablishments in Sri Lanka
- Organizations disestablished in 2009
- Sri Lankan Civil War
- Defunct organizations designated as terrorist in Asia