Tamil Eelam

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Tamil Eelam / தமிழ் ஈழம் / tamiḻ īḻam
Flag Coat of Arms
Anthem:
Map of the region
Political status
    		 Unrecognized de facto quasi-independent state
Languages

    		 Tamil (de facto official)
English
Capital Kilinochchi
President Velupillai Prabhakaran[1]
Independence
(from Sri Lanka)		 No official declaration
 
Area
 19,509 km² claimed[2]
Population
(of claimed area)		 3,162,254 (2001)[3]
Currency Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
Time zone UTC +5:30
Calling Code +94

Tamil Eelam (Tamil: தமிழ் ஈழம், tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to the independent state to which they aspire in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island of Sri Lanka. The LTTE currently administers some of the land claimed for Tamil Eelam. This includes the entire district of Kilinochchi, most of the district of Mullaitivu, much of the district of Mannar and part of Vavuniya. None of the claimed districts of Ampara and Trincomalee are controlled by the LTTE and control over all but a pocket of Batticaloa was recently lost.

The portion of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka under the control of the LTTE is run as a de facto quasi-independent state, with its own law court,[4] police force,[5][6][4] army, navy (the Sea Tigers), air force,[7] intelligence agency,[citation needed] and a central bank,[8] although these institutions are not formally recognized by any international government. It is dependent on electricity and commodity supplies from the government held area through the A9 and A15 highways. It does not have its own currency and uses the Sri Lankan Rupee. The LTTE has often accused the government of imposing embargoes on essential goods, causing distress to the civilians. It does not have its own airport and foreign travelers must go through the Colombo airport.

Contents

[edit] Central issue

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The concept of Eelam or homeland is a central issue in the Sri Lankan conflict that has been under way for more than five decades. It was first proposed by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in 1976. The TULF was a coalition of Tamil parties who campaigned in the 1977 elections for an independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In the 1977 elections the TULF was elected to parliament from the northern and eastern provinces. In order to counter separatist tendencies, the government added a new clause to the constitution in 1978 requiring all MPs to pledge allegiance to the unity of the state, which resulted in the boycott of the parliament by the TULF. A number of militant groups then emerged fighting for an independent state.

A stamp which was issued by one of the militant groups in the early 1980s.
A stamp which was issued by one of the militant groups in the early 1980s.

As used by both the TULF and the militant groups, Tamil Eelam has only referred to the northeasterly portions of Sri Lanka (principally, the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and Amparai claimed by Tamils as being their traditional homeland. Some of the early militant groups such as the EPRLF, however, adhered to a wider concept of Eelam, by which they meant all parts of the island of Sri Lanka with a Tamil majority, including the upcountry districts with an estate Tamil majority, traditionally part of the Sinhalese heartland. For all practical purposes today, though, the demand for an independent state is limited to the northern and eastern provinces.

From 1948 to 2002 there have been approximately 38 militant groups who have at one time or another fought for Tamil Eelam's independence. This number includes the better known groups such as the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), and also lesser-known groups such as Tamil Eelam Army (TEA), Ilankai Freedom Tamil Army (FTA), and Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation (SRSL).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/04/11/stories/2002041103800100.htm
  2. ^ Area calculated from statoids.com, including all districts of North Eastern Province and Puttalam District in North Western Province.
  3. ^ According to the 2001 Sri Lankan census, for all districts of North Eastern Province and Puttalam District in North Western Province.
  4. ^ a b Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  5. ^ Pirapaharan opens Tamil Eelam Police HQ
  6. ^ "Tamil Eelam police", Sri Lanka Monitor, 2002. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  7. ^ Rowland Buerk. Tamil Tigers unveil latest tactic. BBC News. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  8. ^ Tiger bank roars ahead
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