Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
| Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam | |
|---|---|
| தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் | |
| Also known as | Tamil Tigers; LTTE |
| Leader | Velupillai Prabhakaran † |
| Foundation | 1976 |
| Dates of operation | 5 May 1976–18 May 2009 |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Motives | Creation of an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the Northern Province and the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka |
| Ideology | Tamil nationalism Left-wing nationalism Revolutionary socialism Egalitarianism Secularism Anti-imperialism Separatism |
| Status |
|
| Size | 18,000, as of 2004, excluding divisions.[1] |
| Annual revenue | US$300+ million prior to the military defeat.[2][3] |
| Means of revenue | Contributions from Tamil diaspora (mostly voluntary, sometimes coerced), overseas investments,[4] smuggling[5] and taxation under LTTE-controlled areas.[6] |
| Battles and wars | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Flag | |
| Website | Official website (now defunct) |
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is an organization. They fought the Sri Lankan Civil War against the Government of Sri Lanka for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka called Tamil Eelam. LTTE are also known as the Tamil Tigers. The group was started in 1972 by Velupillai Prabhakaran who was killed in battle against Sri Lanka's forces on May 18, 2009.[7] Prabhakaran's body was cremated because the government did not want people to gather around his grave. There is also the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army who is currently fighting the Indian Army in South India. This group killed the third president of Sri Lanka, Ranasinghe Premadasa.
References
- ↑ "Armed Conflicts Database, 2007". Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ↑ "LTTE international presents an enduring threat". Lakbima News. July 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ↑ "The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora After the LTTE" (PDF). International Crisis Group. February 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Chalk, Peter (2008). "The Tigers Abroad: How the LTTE Diaspora Supports the Conflict in Sri Lanka". Third World Quarterly. 9 (2): 101. JSTOR 43133783. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ↑ Sutton, Mitchell; DeSilva-Ranasinghe, Serge (2016). "Transnational crime in Sri Lanka". Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
- ↑ Stokke, Kristian (2006). "Building the Tamil Eelam State: Emerging State Institutions and Forms of Governance in LTTE-Controlled Areas in Sri Lanka". Third World Quarterly. 27 (6): 1034. doi:10.1080/01436590600850434. ISSN 0143-6597. JSTOR 4017738. S2CID 45544298. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ↑ Farrell, Tom (May 21, 2009). "Single-minded Tamil Tigers leader lived and died by the gun". Obituaries. The Age. p. 12.