Everything about Tamil Eelam totally explained
Tamil Eelam (
Tamil: தமிழ் ஈழம்,
tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by
Tamils in Sri Lanka to the state which they aspire to create in the
Northern and
Eastern portions of
Sri Lanka. One such group, the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) currently administers some of the land claimed for Tamil Eelam. This includes the
district of
Kilinochchi, most of the district of
Mullaitivu and parts of the
district of Mannar and
Vavuniya. However a majority of the land, including the claimed districts of
Jaffna,
Ampara,
Trincomalee,
Batticaloa and
Puttlam, is controlled by the government of Sri Lanka.
Central issue
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.
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 and Mullaitivu, 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).
Governance
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,
police force, and a
bank, 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 doesn't have its own currency and uses the
Sri Lankan Rupee. It has several airstrips from where it operates its air force. Despite the government bombing a long modern tarmac airfield, it still continues to function.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tamil Eelam'.
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