THE LTTE MOVEMENT
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
WELCOME
This site was made to spread awareness on the Tamil genocide and Eelam Tamil issues.
AN ORIGIN STORY
Why does Sri Lanka mistreat Tamils?
Sri Lanka is 74.9 percent Sinhalese and 11.2 percent Tamil. Within these two ethnic groups, Sinhalese tend to be majority Buddhist and Tamils tend to be majority Hindu, displaying significant linguistic and religious divisions. However, the strife between the grounds purportedly began much further back in Sri Lanka’s ancient settlement history. Though the Sinhalese people’s arrival in Sri Lanka is somewhat ambiguous, historians believe that the Tamils arrived on the island both as invaders and traders from India’s Chola Kingdom. These origin stories suggest that the Sinhalese and Tamil communities have experienced tension from the very beginning, not out of cultural incompatibility, but rather out of power disputes. The rest took place during the British occupation of Sri Lanka, which is a long story, to sum it up; The Sinhalese community felt threatened by the Tamil community’s prosperity partly due to the British favoritism of Tamils. However, those patterns of Tamil dominance changed dramatically. After British independence (1948), many Sinhalese worked their way into the upper echelons of the Sri Lankan Government. These Sinhalese gained power and went on to gradually pass acts effectively disenfranchising their Tamil counterparts and accomplished the minimization of Tamil culture.
What is Tamil Eelam and the LTTE?
Many people call it the “Sri Lankan Civil War”, however, it was more than a civil war, where Tamils had no rights in Sri Lanka. It was a liberation war, a genocide against Eelam Tamilians, where tens of thousands of Tamils were kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered. This act of mass human rights violations dates back to 1972 when the Federal Party of Sri Lanka left the government and the new UF government which came to power in 1970, wrote a new Constitution. This 1972 Constitution further discriminated against Tamils. They were tired of the brutal mistreatment and violent persecution against them by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government. Consequently, they established the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1976. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the North Eastern Tamil majority region of the island (Sri Lanka). The war had officially begun on July 23rd, 1983, after a day of riots targeting Tamils in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. The war had officially ended on May 18th, 2009, when the Sri Lankan Army killed the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran (the cause of death was believed to be a single shot to the head at close range.) Everything that happened to Eelam Tamils was hushed by controlled media and censorship, which is why our generation of Tamils need to speak on it. The Tamil Liberation War may have ended more than a decade ago, however, Sri Lanka still remains a dangerous place for Tamil people due to the extreme repressions Eelam Tamils face and the militarization of their homelands.
MAY 18TH
Why is it a significant day to Tamils?
Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day is a remembrance day observed by Eelam Tamils to remember those who died in the final stages of the war. It is held each year on May 18th, the date on which The Tamil Liberation War ended in 2009 when the LTTE leader passed away. It is named after Mullivaikkal, a village on the northeast coast of Tamil Eelam, which was the scene of the final battle of the war. The Sri Lankan government has declared May 18th as Victory Day and celebrates the day with military parades. In the run-up to May 18th, security is tightened in Tamil Eelam and schools are closed to prevent any public commemoration, which is dealt with harshly by the Sri Lankan security forces. Despite the security restrictions, Tamils in Eelam hold small events on May 18th to commemorate their dead.
THE FIRE LILY
Why is this flower significant to Tamils?
The fire lily has been proclaimed the official national flower of Tamil Eelam by the LTTE administration in November of 2003. The flower has the spectrum of colours contained in Eelam’s national flag and blooms throughout Tamil Eelam during the month of November. The administrative officials of Tamil Eelam have requested the residents to wear the national flower on all occassions of national significance. They also urge everyone to grow the fire lily vine in private homes, public places, business premises, educational institutions, etc. This particular lily shares another characteristic with the Tamil Tiger fighters, it is deadly poisonous and eating any part of the flower can cause death. It is used by those wishing to commit suicide. Many Tamil Tiger fighters wore a cyanide capsule (fire lilies contain prussic acid) around their neck to avoid being captured alive by the Sri Lankan Army.
WHAT DO EELAM TAMILS WANT?
Eelam Tamils want to seek justice. Justice for all the Tamils who were affected by the actions of the Sri Lankan Government. They want their voices to be heard. They want their country to be legalized. They don’t want to be associated with Sri Lanka, the country that holds all of their traumatic experiences.
CONTACT US
Get in touch with us to learn more about Tamil struggles in Eelam.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
Support Us
Our strength is amplified with collective action, and you can sign petitions to support us. I’ll link one down here ↴
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/over-28000-sign-petition-made-tamil-youth-refer-sri-lanka-icc
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
Want to join our efforts into seeking justice for Eelam Tamilians? Sign petitions, get educated, go to protests and share your knowledge on these issues.