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142-768: This a predominant Tamil area, and headquarters the Koralai Pathu North Division with a population around 21,000. The residents are predominantly poor fishermen or farmers. Vakarai was the LTTE stronghold in the Eastern province and served as a strategically important city for the communication between the Eastern Province and the Northern Province. Since 1985 it has served as a major battleground with its control often shifting between

284-652: A minority government ; Rao became the first PM of South Indian origin. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , India was on the brink of bankruptcy , so, Rao took steps to liberalise the economy, and appointed Manmohan Singh —an economist and a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India —as finance minister. Rao and Singh then took various steps to liberalise the economy, these resulted in unprecedented economic growth in India. His premiership, however,

426-647: A secular one with principal emphasis on prohibition of discrimination and protection of all communities. Due to its military victories, policies, call for national self-determination and constructive Tamil nationalist platform, the LTTE was supported by major sections of the Tamil community. Based on the survey of the Jaffna population by the BBC and Reuters journalists, a U.S. diplomatic cable from 1994 stated that support for

568-547: A bank ( Bank of Tamil Eelam ), a radio station (Voice of Tigers) and a television station (National Television of Tamil Eelam). 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." The United States Department of State Human Rights Reports have described LTTE's governance as an authoritarian military rule, denying

710-611: A candidate is elected as the prime minister, he must vacate his posts at any private or government companies and may take up the position only on completion of his term. The prime minister is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the President of India before entering office, the oath of office and secrecy, as per the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India. Oath of office: I, <name>, do swear in

852-551: 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 peacekeeping force, named the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), part of the Indian Army , to Sri Lanka to enforce the disarmament and to watch over the regional council. Although

994-606: A crucial role in the government of India by enjoying majority in the Lok Sabha . According to Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principle qualification for member of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister in the Union Council of Ministers, and the argument that the position of prime minister has been described as primus inter pares (the first among equals), A prime minister must: Once

1136-408: A cyanide capsule to commit suicide in case of capture. The LTTE 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 People's Front of Liberation Tigers , under Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja alias Mahattaya. It was abandoned soon after. Later, S. P. Thamilselvan was appointed the head of

1278-428: A decade with five unstable governments began. This was followed by the full terms of P. V. Narasimha Rao , Atal Bihari Vajpayee , Manmohan Singh , and Narendra Modi . Modi is the 14th and current prime minister of India, serving since 26 May 2014 . India follows a parliamentary system in which the prime minister is the presiding head of the government and chief of the executive of the government. In such systems,

1420-461: A district quota as a parameter within each language. A student named Satiyaseelan formed Tamil Manavar Peravai (Tamil Students League) to counter this. This group comprised Tamil youth who advocated the rights of students to have fair enrolment. Inspired by the failed 1971 insurrection of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna , it was the first Tamil insurgent group of its kind. It consisted of around 40 Tamil youth, including Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran (later,

1562-506: A flood of refugees, India intervened directly in the conflict for the first time by initially airdropping food parcels into Jaffna . After negotiations, India and Sri Lanka entered into the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord . 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

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1704-648: A former senior intelligence leader are trying to revive the organisation among the Tamil diaspora . 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. The LTTE was viewed as a disciplined and militarised group with a leader of a significant military and organisational skills. Three major divisions of

1846-437: A government in its territory, providing state functions such as courts, a police force, a human rights organisation, and a humanitarian assistance board, a health board, and an education board. However, the court system, composed of young judges with little or no legal training had operated without codified or defined legal authority, and essentially operated as agents of the LTTE rather than as an independent judiciary. It ran

1988-526: A guarantee of safety. On 17 May 2009, LTTE's head of the Department of International Relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan conceded defeat, saying in an email statement, "this battle has reached its bitter end". With the end of the hostilities, 11,664 LTTE members, including 595 child soldiers surrendered to the Sri Lankan military. Approximately 150 hardcore LTTE cadres and 1,000 mid-level cadres escaped to India. The government took action to rehabilitate

2130-464: A majority in the Lok Sabha with support from Congress. But Shekhar's premiership did not last long, Congress proceeded to withdraw its support; Shekhar's government fell as a result, and new elections were announced. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the campaign trail for the general election of 1991 , and the Congress—under the leadership of P. V. Narasimha Rao —rode a sympathy wave to form

2272-765: A member of World Tamil Coordinating Committee of the United States and later, the accountant of LTTE. He worked at the North Korean embassy in Bangkok since late 1997. LTTE had nearly 20-second-hand ships, which were purchased in Japan, and registered in Panama and other Latin American countries. These ships mostly transported general cargo, including paddy, sugar, timber, glass, and fertilizer. But when an arms deal

2414-525: A month in power—the government announced the conduct of five underground nuclear explosions in Pokhran . In response to these tests, many western countries , including the United States, imposed economic sanctions on India, but, due to the support received from Russia, France, the Gulf countries and some other nations, the sanctions—were largely—not considered successful. A few months later in response to

2556-408: A person who is commanding support of majority members of Lok Sabha to form the government of India —also known as the central government or Union government—at the national level and exercise its powers. In practice the prime minister nominates the members of their council of ministers to the president. He also works upon to decide a core group of ministers (known as the cabinet), as in charge of

2698-419: A powerful international wing called the "KP branch", controlled by Selvarasa Pathmanathan , "Castro branch", controlled by Veerakathy Manivannam alias Castro, and "Aiyannah group" led by Ponniah Anandaraja alias Aiyannah. During its active years, the LTTE had established and administered a de facto state under its control, named Tamil Eelam with Kilinochchi as its administrative capital, and had managed

2840-528: A prime minister can resign from office; Morarji Desai was the first prime minister to resign while in office. Upon ceasing to possess the requisite qualifications to be a member of Parliament subject to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 . The prime minister leads the functioning and exercise of authority of the government of India. The president of India—subject to eligibility—invites

2982-410: A recommended name to the collegium for reconsideration, this, however, is not a full Veto power, and the collegium can still put forward rejected name. The prime minister acts as the leader of the house of the chamber of parliament—generally the Lok Sabha —he belongs to. In this role, the prime minister is tasked with representing the executive in the legislature, announces important legislation, and

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3124-524: A scheme of affairs in which the president of India is the head of state; in terms of Article 53 with office of the prime minister being the head of Council of Ministers to assist and advise the president in the discharge of their constitutional functions. To quote, Article 53, 74 and 75 provide as under: The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the president and shall be exercised either directly or through subordinate officers, in accordance with

3266-438: A separate organisation named Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) to campaign for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam . 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, Sri Lanka Police and civil administration during the early 1970s. These attacks included throwing bombs at

3408-461: A separate state . They had no faith in any sort of political solution. Thus the TULF and other Tamil political parties were steadily marginalized 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 EROS (1975), TELO (1979), PLOTE (1980), EPRLF (1980) and TELA (1982). LTTE ordered civilians to boycott

3550-523: A substantial amount of weapons from RAW 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 Chennai Port with the assistance of M. G. Ramachandran , the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu . In November 1994,

3692-744: A union between LTTE, the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). TELO usually held the Indian view of problems and pushed for India's view during peace talks with Sri Lanka and other groups. LTTE denounced

3834-538: A well-developed military wing that included a navy, an airborne unit , an intelligence wing, and a specialised suicide attack unit . The LTTE popularised and perfected the use of a suicide vest as a weapon, a tactic now used by many current militant organisations. The LTTE gained notoriety for using women and children in combat and carrying out a number of high-profile assassinations , including former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. Consequently,

3976-466: Is further expected to respond to the opposition's concerns. Article 85 of the Indian constitution confers the president with the power to convene and end extraordinary sessions of the parliament; this power, however, is exercised only on the advice of the prime minister and their council, so in practice the prime minister does exercise some control over affairs of the parliament. The official website of

4118-546: Is generally divided into various ministries, the prime minister may retain certain portfolios if he is not allocated to any member of the cabinet. The prime minister—in consultation with the cabinet—schedules and attends the sessions of the houses of parliament and is required to answer the question from the Members of Parliament to them as the in-charge of the portfolios in the capacity as prime minister of India. Some specific ministries/department are not allocated to anyone in

4260-486: Is the head of government of the Republic of India . Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the executive. The prime minister has to be a member of one of the houses of bicameral Parliament of India , alongside heading the respective house. The prime minister and his cabinet are at all times responsible to

4402-553: The Right to Information Act, 2005 passed in the parliament. Further, the government strengthened India's relations with nations like Afghanistan ; Russia; the Gulf states ; and the United States, culminating with the ratification of India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement near the end of Singh's first term. At the same time, the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks also happened during Singh's first term in office. In

Vakarai (Sri Lanka) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4544-548: The 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom as one of the factors that led him to militancy. In 1975, he assassinated the Mayor of Jaffna , Alfred Duraiappah , in revenge for the 1974 Tamil conference incident . The LTTE was subsequently founded in 1976 as a reaction to the Sri Lankan Constitution of 1972 which prescribed Buddhism as the primary religion of the country, and Sinhala language its national language. The LTTE

4686-474: The Central Bank bombing in 1996. Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia remained the most trusted outposts of LTTE, after India alienated it following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Since late 1997, North Korea 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,

4828-526: The Eastern Province . Fighting continued throughout the 1990s, and was marked by two key assassinations carried out by the LTTE: those of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993, using suicide bombers on both occasions. The fighting briefly halted in 1994 following the election of Chandrika Kumaratunga as President of Sri Lanka and

4970-707: The Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the country's premier civil service, which staffs most of the senior civil service positions; the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB); and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), except for the selection of its director, who is chosen by a committee of: (a) the prime minister, as chairperson; (b) the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha; and (c)

5112-574: The Jaffna peninsula . Notices were issued to the effect that all remaining Tamil insurgents join the LTTE in Jaffna and in Madras , where the Tamil groups were headquartered. With the major groups including the TELO and EPRLF eliminated, the remaining 20 or so Tamil insurgent groups were then absorbed into the LTTE, making Jaffna an LTTE-dominated city. Another practice that increased support by Tamil people

5254-724: The Janata Dal and—with the help of several anti-Congress parties—also formed the National Front , a coalition of many political parties. In the general election of 1989 , the National Front—with outside support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Front —came to power. V. P. Singh was elected prime minister. During a tenure of less than a year, Singh and his government accepted

5396-560: The Janata Party , in the general election of 1977 , and were successful in defeating the Congress. Subsequently, Morarji Desai —a former deputy prime minister —became the first non-Congress prime minister of India. Desai's government was composed of groups with opposite ideologies, in which unity and coordination were difficult to maintain. Ultimately, after two and a half years as PM; on 28 July 1979, Desai tendered his resignation to

5538-496: The Lok Sabha . The prime minister is appointed by the president of India ; however, the prime minister has to enjoy the confidence of the majority of Lok Sabha members, who are directly elected every five years , lest the prime minister shall resign. The prime minister can be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha , the upper house of the parliament. The prime minister controls the selection and dismissal of members of

5680-585: The Mandal Commission 's recommendations. Singh's tenure came to an end after he ordered the arrest of BJP member Lal Krishna Advani , as a result, BJP withdrew its outside support to the government, V. P. Singh lost the subsequent vote-of-no-confidence 146–320 and had to resign. After V. P. Singh's resignation, Chandra Shekhar along with 64 members of parliament (MPs) floated the Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) , and proved

5822-591: The Sri Lanka Army to clandestinely hand over arms consignments to the LTTE to fight the IPKF and its proxy, the Tamil National Army (TNA). These consignments included RPGs, mortars, self-loading rifles, Type 81 assault rifle , T56 automatic rifles , pistols , hand grenades , ammunition, and communications sets. Moreover, millions of dollars were also passed on to the LTTE. The last members of

Vakarai (Sri Lanka) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5964-546: The Tamil Tigers ) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka . The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese -dominated Sri Lankan Government . The leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran , cited

6106-655: The Tune Hotel , in downtown Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence alleges that Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan of the Tamil Eelam People's Alliance (TEPA) in Norway , Suren Surendiran of British Tamils Forum (BTF), Father S. J. Emmanuel of Global Tamil Forum (GTF), Visvanathan Rudrakumaran of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) and Sekarapillai Vinayagamoorthy alias Kathirgamathamby Arivazhagan alias Vinayagam,

6248-637: The Union Council of Ministers ; and allocation of posts to members within the government. The longest-serving prime minister was Jawaharlal Nehru , also the first prime minister, whose tenure lasted 16 years and 286 days. His premiership was followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri 's short tenure and Indira Gandhi 's 11- and 4-year-long tenures, both politicians belonging to the Indian National Congress . After Indira Gandhi's assassination , her son Rajiv Gandhi took charge until 1989, when

6390-544: The chief justice . Unlike most other countries, the prime minister does not have much influence over the selection of judges, that is done by a collegium of judges consisting of the Chief Justice of India , four senior most judges of the Supreme Court of India and the chief justice —or the senior-most judge—of the concerned state high court . The executive as a whole, however, has the right to send back

6532-453: The constitution and the rule of law is obeyed by the cabinet and the legislature. The prime minister of India is the head of government and has the responsibility for executive power. The president's constitutional duty is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law per article 60 . In the constitution of India, the prime minister is mentioned in only four of its articles (articles 74, 75, 78 and 366). The prime minister plays

6674-465: The general election of 2009 , the mandate of UPA increased. Prime Minister Singh's second term, however, was surrounded by accusations of high-level scandals and corruption. Singh resigned as prime minister on 17 May 2014, after Congress' defeat in the 2014 general election . In the general election of 2014 , the BJP-led NDA got an absolute majority, winning 336 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats;

6816-440: The head of state , or, the head of state's official representative (i.e., the monarch, president, or governor-general ) usually holds a purely ceremonial position and acts—on most matters—only on the advice of the prime minister. The prime minister must become a member of parliament within six months of beginning their tenure, if they are not one already. A prime minister is expected to work with other central ministers to ensure

6958-585: The international waters . LTTE's last shipment of weapons was in March 2009, towards the end of the war. The 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 the Sri Lankan Navy, it could not deliver

7100-470: The 1970s, initial non-violent political struggle for an independent Tamil state was used as justification for a violent secessionist insurgency led by the LTTE. In the early 1970s, the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike introduced the policy of standardisation to curtail the number of Tamil students selected for certain faculties in the universities. In 1972, the government added

7242-550: The Army. On 23 July 1983, the LTTE ambushed the Army patrol Four Four Bravo in Thirunelveli , Jaffna and killed thirteen soldiers. The ambush provided the pretext for the pre-planned Black July pogrom to be unleashed against the Tamil community in which 3,500-4,000 Tamils were killed. Before the pogrom the LTTE had only 30 full-time members. Subsequently, thousands of outraged Tamil youths joined Tamil militant groups to fight

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7384-519: The BJP itself became the first party since 1984 to get a majority in the Lok Sabha. Narendra Modi —the Chief Minister of Gujarat —was elected prime minister, becoming the first prime minister to have been born in an independent India. Narendra Modi was re-elected as prime minister in 2019 with a bigger mandate than that of 2014. The BJP-led NDA won 354 seats out of which BJP secured 303 seats. External support from INC The Constitution envisions

7526-523: The Congress returned to power with an absolute majority. Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister a second time. In June 1984, Operation Blue Star —an Indian Army operation against Sikh militants inside the Golden Temple , the most sacred site in Sikhism—was conducted, resulting in reportedly thousands of deaths, both of the militants and civilians. In revenge, on 31 October of that year, Gandhi

7668-593: The Congress secured a supermajority , winning 401 of 552 seats in the Lok Sabha , the maximum number received by any party in the history of India. Vishwanath Pratap Singh —first finance minister and then later defence minister in Gandhi's cabinet—uncovered irregularities, in what became known as the Bofors scandal , during his stint at the Ministry of Defence ; Singh was subsequently expelled from Congress and formed

7810-579: The Constitution. There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the president who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice. The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Like most parliamentary democracies , the president 's duties are mostly ceremonial as long as

7952-466: 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 massacred 600 police officers in

8094-402: The IPKF. The LTTE's political leader for Jaffna peninsula Thileepan died during a hunger strike directed at the Indian government after it had failed to meet his demands; and on 5 October 12 LTTE cadres detained by the Sri Lankan Navy committed suicide when the Sri Lankan Army attempted to take them to Colombo for interrogation after the IPKF refused to intervene and secure their release under

8236-452: 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 burning tires around their necks. The government of India stated that the IPKF should disarm the LTTE by force. The Indian Army launched assaults on the LTTE, including a month-long campaign, Operation Pawan to win control of the Jaffna Peninsula. The ruthlessness of this campaign, and

8378-483: The Indian army's subsequent anti-LTTE operations, which included civilian massacres and rapes made it extremely unpopular among many Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Indian intervention was also unpopular among the Sinhalese majority. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa pledged to withdraw IPKF as soon as he was elected president during his presidential election campaign in 1988. After being elected, in April 1989, he started negotiations with LTTE. President Premadasa ordered

8520-476: The Indian nuclear tests, Pakistan also conducted nuclear tests . Given the deteriorating situation between the two countries, the governments tried to improve bilateral relations. In February 1999, India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration , in which the two countries announced their intention to annul mutual enmity, increase trade and use their nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes. In May 1999, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrew from

8662-492: The LTTE abandoned its positions on the Jaffna peninsula to make a last stand in the jungles of Mullaitivu , their last main base. The Jaffna Peninsula was captured by the Sri Lankan Army by 14 January. On 25 January 2009, SLA troops "completely captured" Mullaitivu town, the last major LTTE stronghold. President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared military victory over the Tamil Tigers on 16 May 2009, after 26 years of conflict. The rebels offered to lay down their weapons in return for

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8804-536: The LTTE admitted defeat on 17 May 2009. Prabhakaran was killed by government forces on 19 May 2009. Selvarasa Pathmanathan 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. Eelam War IV had commenced in the East. Mavil Aru came under the control of the Sri Lanka Army by 15 August 2006. Systematically, Sampoor , Vakarai , Kanjikudichchi Aru and Batticaloa also came under military control. The military then captured Thoppigala,

8946-412: The LTTE leadership. In 2002, the LTTE dropped its demand for a separate state, instead demanding a form of regional autonomy. Following the landslide election defeat of Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickramasinghe coming to power in December 2001, the LTTE declared a unilateral ceasefire. The Sri Lankan Government agreed to the ceasefire, and in March 2002 the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) was signed. As part of

9088-460: The LTTE regained control of these areas, which culminated in the capture in April 2000 of the strategically important Elephant Pass base complex, located at the entrance of the Jaffna Peninsula, after prolonged fighting against the Sri Lanka Army. Mahattaya , a one-time deputy leader of LTTE, was accused of treason by the LTTE and killed in 1994. He is said to have collaborated with the Indian Research and Analysis Wing to remove Prabhakaran from

9230-413: The LTTE should take direct responsibility for the collapse of the talks. Rifts grew between the government and LTTE, and resulted in a number of ceasefire agreement violations by both sides during 2006. Suicide attacks, military skirmishes, and air raids took place during the latter part of 2006. Between February 2002 to May 2007, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission documented 3,830 ceasefire violations by

9372-407: The LTTE succeeded in atomising 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." After meeting with the Tamil civil society in Jaffna in 2001, Jehan Perera, the executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, observed that fear

9514-410: The LTTE was designated as a terrorist organisation by 33 countries, including the European Union , Canada , the United States , and India . Over the course of the conflict, the LTTE frequently exchanged control of territory in the north-east 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

9656-406: The LTTE was able to purchase 60 tonnes of explosives (50 tonnes of TNT and 10 tonnes of RDX ) from Rubezone Chemical plant in Ukraine , providing a forged Bangladeshi Ministry of Defence end-user certificate . Payments for the explosives were made from a Citibank account in Singapore held by Selvarasa Pathmanathan. Consignment was transported on board MV Sewne. The same explosives were used for

9798-444: The LTTE was an avowedly secular organisation; religion did not play any significant part in its ideology. Prabhakaran criticised what he saw as the oppressive features of traditional Hindu Tamil society, such as the caste system and gender inequality . 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

9940-644: The LTTE was fairly strong among the Jaffna population who admired the discipline of the LTTE's administrative service, and that majority of Jaffna residents would choose the LTTE over the Sri Lankan Army given the choice. According to the assessments by independent observers, the LTTE administration of justice gained "significant social acceptance", and its courts were broadly seen as "more efficient, less expensive, and less vulnerable to corruption than their Sri Lankan counterparts." The LTTE police force also had "a high degree of legitimacy" among Tamil civilians who viewed it as "an uncorrupt and important stabilizing factor in

10082-587: The LTTE were the military, intelligence, and political wings. The military wing consisted of at least 11 separate divisions including the conventional fighting forces, Charles Anthony Regiment and Jeyanthan Regiment ; the suicide wing called the Black Tigers ; naval wing Sea Tigers , air-wing Air Tigers , LTTE leader Prabhakaran's personal security divisions, Imran Pandian regiment and Ratha regiment; 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

10224-561: The LTTE's escalation of intermittent conflict into a full-scale nationalist insurgency began, which started the Sri Lankan Civil War . By this time, the LTTE was widely regarded as the most dominant Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It also emerged as among the most feared guerrilla forces in the world. Initially starting out as a guerrilla force, the LTTE increasingly came to resemble conventional armed forces with

10366-483: The LTTE, with respect to 351 by the security forces. Military confrontation continued into 2007 and 2008. In January 2008 the government officially pulled out of the Cease Fire Agreement. In the most significant show of dissent from within the organisation, a senior LTTE commander named Colonel Karuna ( nom de guerre of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan) broke away from the LTTE in March 2004 and formed

10508-667: The Left Front, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) among others—proved a majority in the Lok Sabha, and Manmohan Singh was elected prime minister; becoming the first Sikh prime minister of the nation. During his tenure, the country retained the economic momentum gained during Prime Minister Vajpayee's tenure. Apart from this, the government succeeded in getting the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 , and

10650-697: The Naval Staff and commanders of operational and training commands. In addition, the ACC also decides the posting of Indian Police Service officers—the All India Service for policing, which staffs most of the higher level law enforcement positions at federal and state level—in the government of India . Also, as the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions , the PM also exercises control over

10792-505: 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 favourable solution was reached after which elections would be held. The ISGA would consist of members representing the LTTE, GoSL and the Muslim community . According to the proposal, this LTTE administration intended to be

10934-536: The Parliament with the power to decide the remuneration and other benefits of the prime minister and other ministers are to be decided by the Parliament. and is renewed from time to time. The original remunerations for the prime minister and other ministers were specified in the Part B of the second schedule of the constitution, which was later removed by an amendment. In 2010, the Prime Minister's Office reported that

11076-479: The Prime Minister's Office is available in 11 Indian languages namely Assamese , Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada , Malayalam , Meitei ( Manipuri ), Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu, out of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic , in addition to English and Hindi . The eleven Indian language websites can be accessed at the following links: Article 75 of the Constitution of India confers

11218-478: The Sinhalese and Tamil populations are alleged to have created the background of the LTTE. Post-independent Sri Lankan governments attempted to reduce the increased presence of the Tamil minority in government jobs, which led to ethnic discrimination, seeded hatred and division policies including the " Sinhala Only Act " and anti-Tamil riots , which gave rise to separatist ideologies among many Tamil leaders. By

11360-562: The Sri Lankan government and at its peak in 2000, the LTTE was in control of 76% of the landmass in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Prabhakaran headed the organisation from its inception until his death in 2009. Between 1983 and 2009, at least 100,000 were killed in the civil war , of which many were Sri Lankan Tamils. 800,000 Sri Lankan Tamils also left Sri Lanka for various destinations, including Europe, North America, and Asia. Historical inter-ethnic imbalances between

11502-964: The Sri Lankan government, in what is considered a major catalyst to the insurgency in Sri Lanka. In reaction to various geo-political and economic factors, from August 1983 to May 1987, India, through its intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing (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, including 90 women who were trained in 10 batches. The first batch of Tigers were trained in Establishment 22 based in Chakrata , Uttarakhand. The second batch, including LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman , trained in Himachal Pradesh . Prabakaran visited

11644-787: The Sri Lankan government, the Indian Peace Keeping Forces and the LTTE. the Karuna faction broke from the LTTE here and the LTTE was pushed out in 2007. 8°08′N 81°26′E  /  8.133°N 81.433°E  / 8.133; 81.433 This Eastern Province, Sri Lanka location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ; Tamil : தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் , romanized:  Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ , Sinhala : දෙමළ ඊලාම් විමුක්ති කොටි සංවිධානය , romanized:  Demaḷa īlām vimukti koṭi saṁvidhānaya ; also known as

11786-422: The Sri Lankan troops had captured Kilinochchi , the city which the LTTE had used for over a decade as its de facto administrative capital. On the same day, President Rajapaksa called upon LTTE to surrender. It was stated that the loss of Kilinochchi had caused substantial damage to the LTTE's public image, and that the LTTE was likely to collapse under military pressure on multiple fronts. As of 8 January 2009,

11928-533: 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. As a result, almost the entire TELO leadership and at least 400 TELO militants were killed by the LTTE. The LTTE attacked training camps of the EPRLF a few months later, forcing it to withdraw from

12070-504: The Tamil militant organizations did not have a role in the Indo-Lanka agreement, most groups, including EPRLF, TELO, EROS, and PLOTE, accepted it. LTTE rejected the accord because they opposed EPRLF's Varadaraja Perumal as the chief ministerial candidate for the merged North Eastern Province . The LTTE named three alternate candidates for the position, which India rejected. The LTTE subsequently refused to hand over their weapons to

12212-520: The TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (later Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal ), 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 suggested that TMVP

12354-510: The Tiger stronghold in Eastern Province on 11 July 2007. IPKF had failed to capture it from LTTE during its offensive in 1988. 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. Earlier, on 2 November 2007, S. P. Thamilselvan , who

12496-475: The accord. Major General Harkirat Singh J.N.Dixit and Depinder Singh were against handing over the LTTE cadres to the Sri Lankan Army but due to orders from New Delhi they agreed. The LTTE walked out of the accord after the mass suicide. Harkirat Singh blamed the diplomats and the Army headquarters for the turn of events leading to the conflict. Thus LTTE engaged in military conflict with

12638-601: The agreement, Norway and other Nordic countries agreed to jointly monitor the ceasefire through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission . 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". In 2003 the LTTE proposed an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA). This move

12780-496: The apprehended cadres, there had been about 700 hardcore members. Some of these cadres were integrated into the State Intelligence Service to tackle the internal and external networks of LTTE. By August 2011, the government had released more than 8,000 cadres, and 2,879 remained. After the death of LTTE leader Prabhakaran and the most powerful members of the organisation, Selvarasa Pathmanathan (alias KP )

12922-610: The arms consignment. Thus it dumped the weapons in the sea. The same ship, after changing its name to MV Ocean Lady , arrived in Vancouver with 76 migrants, in October 2009. In December 2009, The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended a merchant vessel belonging to LTTE, Princess Chrisanta in Indonesia and brought it back to Sri Lanka. Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India ( ISO : Bhārata kē Pradhānamaṁtrī )

13064-543: The attack, the European Union proscribed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. A new crisis leading to the first large-scale fighting since signing of the ceasefire occurred when the LTTE closed the sluice gates of the Mavil Oya ( Mavil Aru ) reservoir on 21 July 2006, and cut the water supply to 15,000 villages in government controlled areas. This dispute developed into a full-scale war by August 2006. After

13206-475: 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 concentration camps with little or no access to outside agencies. Victory over the Tigers was declared by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 16 May 2009, and

13348-479: The cabinet but the prime minister themself. The prime minister is usually always in charge/head of: The prime minister represents the country in various delegations, high level meetings and international organisations that require the attendance of the highest government office, and also addresses to the nation on various issues of national or other importance. Per Article 78 of the Constitution of India ,

13490-510: 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. Further peace talks were scheduled in Oslo , 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 Erik Solheim told journalists that

13632-564: The country's third prime minister. The first—and to date, the only—woman to hold the post, Indira's first term in office lasted 11 years, in which she took steps such as nationalisation of banks ; end of allowances and political posts, which were received by members of the royal families of the erstwhile princely states of the British Indian Empire . In addition, events such as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 ;

13774-457: The development of roads. But during his reign, the 2002 Gujarat communal riots in the state of Gujarat took place; resulting in about 2,000 deaths. Vajpayee's tenure as prime minister came to an end in May 2004, making him the first non-Congress PM to complete a full five-year tenure. In the 2004 election , the Congress emerged as the largest party in a hung parliament ; Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)—with outside support from

13916-474: The establishment of a sovereign Bangladesh ; accession of Sikkim to India, through a referendum in 1975; and India's first nuclear test in Pokhran occurred during Indira's first term. In 1975, amid growing unrest and a court order declaring Indira's election to the Lok Sabha void, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed —on Indira's advice—imposed a state of emergency , therefore bestowing the government with

14058-620: The ethnic problem has been solved. 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 A. Amirthalingam provided letters of reference for fundraising, and V. N. Navaratnam , who was an executive committee member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), introduced many influential and wealthy Tamils living overseas to Tamil insurgent leaders. Navaratnam also introduced LTTE members to

14200-755: 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 Black July ethnic riots, which made this possible. As the armed conflict evolved and voluntary donations lessened, LTTE used force and threats to collect money. LTTE was worth US$ 200–300 million at its peak. 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

14342-626: The first and the second batch of Tamil Tigers to see them training. Eight other batches of LTTE were trained in Tamil Nadu. Thenmozhi Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, who carried out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and Sivarasan—the key conspirator were among the militants trained by RAW, in Nainital , India. In April 1984, the LTTE formally joined a common militant front, the Eelam National Liberation Front (ENLF),

14484-438: The first female member of the LTTE, were prominent members of the TULF youth wing. 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 Anton Balasingham , who later became the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of LTTE, which split for

14626-460: 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 expelled him and Maheswaran formed People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) in 1980. In 1980, Junius Richard Jayewardene '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

14768-537: The important functions and ministries of the government of India . The prime minister is responsible for aiding and advising the president in distribution of work of the government to various ministries and offices and in terms of the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 . The co-ordinating work is generally allocated to the Cabinet Secretariat . While the work of the government

14910-659: The incident. Sivakumaran committed suicide on 5 June 1974, to evade capture by Police. On 27 July 1975, Prabhakaran assassinated Duraiyappah, who was branded as a "traitor" by TULF and the insurgents alike. Prabhakaran shot and killed the Mayor when he was visiting the Krishnan temple at Ponnalai. The LTTE was founded on 5 May 1976 as the successor to the Tamil New Tigers. Uma Maheswaran became its leader, and Prabhakaran its military commander. A five-member committee

15052-700: The leader of the Sivakumaran group), K. Pathmanaba (one of the founder members of EROS ) and Velupillai Prabhakaran , an 18-year-old youth from Valvettithurai (VVT). In 1972, Prabhakaran teamed up with Chetti Thanabalasingam, Jaffna to form the Tamil New Tigers (TNT), with Thanabalasingham as its leader. After he was killed, Prabhakaran took over. At the same time, Nadarajah Thangathurai and Selvarajah Yogachandran (better known by his nom de guerre Kuttimani) were also involved in discussions about an insurgency. They would later (in 1979) create

15194-472: The local government elections of 1983 which TULF contested. Voter turnout became as low as 10%. Thereafter, Tamil political parties were largely unable to represent the Tamil people as insurgent groups took over their position. Following a Sri Lankan Army ambush in Meesalai in which two LTTE members were killed including its military commander Seelan , the LTTE sought revenge by launching its first attack on

15336-821: The members of Polisario Front , a national liberation movement in Morocco, at a meeting held in Oslo , Norway. 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. 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. There were three types of organisations that engage in propaganda and fund raising—Front, Cover, and Sympathetic. Prior to

15478-474: The name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as Prime Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Oath of secrecy: I, <name>, do swear in

15620-446: The name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Prime Minister for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister. The prime minister serves at 'the pleasure of the president', hence, a prime minister may remain in office indefinitely, so long as

15762-636: The non-binding advice of the Cabinet Secretary of India led-Senior Selection Board (SSB)—decides the postings of top civil servants, such as, secretaries , additional secretaries and joint secretaries in the government of India. Further, in the same capacity, the PM decides the assignments of top military personnel such as the Chief of the Army Staff , Chief of the Air Staff , Chief of

15904-651: The onset of peace talks, but fighting resumed after LTTE sacked two SLN gunboats on 19 April 1995. In a series of military operations that followed, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces recaptured the Jaffna Peninsula. 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 Vanni region , the town of Kilinochchi , and many smaller towns. From 1998 onward,

16046-413: The passage of bills by the parliament. Since 1947, there have been 14 different prime ministers. The first few decades after 1947 saw the Indian National Congress ' (INC) near complete domination over the political map of India. India's first prime minister— Jawaharlal Nehru —took oath on 15 August 1947. Nehru went on to serve as prime minister for 17 consecutive years, winning four general elections in

16188-401: The people under its authority the right to change their government, infringing on their privacy rights, routinely violating their civil liberties, operating an unfair court system, restricting freedom of movement and severely discriminating against ethnic and religious minorities. In 2003, the LTTE issued a proposal to establish an Interim Self-Governing Authority in the eight districts of

16330-625: 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, Balasingham Nadesan was appointed as its leader. Major sections within the political wing include International peace secretariat, led by Pulidevan, LTTE Police, LTTE court, Bank of Tamil Eelam , Sports division and the "Voice of Tigers" radio broadcasting station of LTTE. LTTE used female cadres for military engagements. Its women's wing consisted of Malathi and Sothiya Brigades. The LTTE also controlled

16472-405: The power to rule by decree ; this period is known for human rights violations such as mass sterilisation and the imprisonment of Indira's political opponents. After widespread protests, the emergency was lifted in 1977, and a general election was held. All of the political parties of the opposition—after the conclusion of the emergency—fought together against the Congress, under the umbrella of

16614-546: The president has confidence in him/her. However, a prime minister must have the confidence of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India . The term of a prime minister can end before the end of a Lok Sabha's term, if a simple majority of its members no longer have confidence in him/her, this is called a vote-of-no-confidence . Three prime ministers, I. K. Gujral , H. D. Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been voted out from office this way. In addition,

16756-468: The president; and his government fell. Thereafter, Charan Singh —a deputy prime minister in Desai's cabinet—with outside, conditional support from Congress, proved a majority in Lok Sabha and took oath as Prime Minister. However, Congress pulled its support shortly after, and Singh had to resign; he had a tenure of 5 months, the shortest in the history of the office. In 1980 , after a three-year absence,

16898-444: The primary basis of its ideology. LTTE claimed to strive for a democratic , secular state that is based on socialism . Its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was influenced by Indian freedom fighters such as Subhas Chandra Bose . The organisation denied being a separatist movement and saw itself as fighting for self-determination and restoration of sovereignty in what it recognised as Tamil homeland. Although most Tigers were Hindus,

17040-629: The process of economic liberalisation during his reign, resulting in economic growth. In addition to the development of infrastructure and basic facilities, the government took several steps to improve the infrastructure of the country, such as, the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY; IAST : Pradhānamaṃtrī Grāma Saḍaka Yojanā ; lit. Prime Minister Rural Road Scheme), for

17182-568: The process. His tenure ended in May 1964, on his death. After the death of Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri —a former home minister and a leader of the Congress party—ascended to the position of prime minister. Shastri's tenure saw the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 . Shashtri subsequently died of a reported heart attack in Tashkent , after signing the Tashkent Declaration . After Shastri, Indira Gandhi —Nehru's daughter—was elected as

17324-466: The region." A survey carried out by the Centre for Policy Alternatives in 2002 from a sample of 89 Sri Lankan Tamils found that 89% regarded the LTTE as their sole representatives. However, University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) , a local human rights NGO that that has been accused of anti-LTTE bias by some critics, claimed that "by combination of internal terror and narrow nationalist ideology

17466-406: The removal of caste discrimination and support for women's liberation. Prabhakaran described his political philosophy as " revolutionary socialism ", with the goal of creating an " egalitarian society ". However, by 2002 with the shift in geopolitical climate, Prabhakaran endorsed "open market economy", but he pointed out that the question about the proper economic system can be considered only after

17608-433: The residence and the car of SLFP Jaffna Mayor, Alfred Duraiyappah , placing a bomb at a carnival held in the stadium of Jaffna city (now "Duraiyappah stadium") and Neervely bank robbery. The 1974 Tamil conference incident during which intervention by Sri Lankan police resulted in 11 dead also sparked the anger of these militant groups. Both Sivakumaran and Prabhakaran attempted to assassinate Duraiyappah in revenge for

17750-485: The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition; Vajpayee's government, hence, became a caretaker one after losing a motion-of-no-confidence 269–270, this coincided with the Kargil War with Pakistan. In the subsequent October 1999 general election , the BJP-led NDA and its affiliated parties secured a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, winning 299 of 543 seats in the lower house . Vajpayee continued

17892-478: 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. 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

18034-459: The union cabinet and the president officially communicate through the prime minister. Otherwise, the Constitution recognises the prime minister as a member of the union cabinet only outside the sphere of union cabinet. The prime minister recommends to the president—among others—names for the appointment of: As the chairperson of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), the prime minister—on

18176-651: Was LTTE's members taking an oath of loyalty which stated LTTE's goal of establishing a state for the Sri Lankan Tamils. 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. In July 1987, faced with growing anger among its own Tamils and

18318-770: Was also a witness to the demolition of the Babri Masjid , which resulted in the death of about 2,000 people. Rao, however, did complete five continuous years in office, becoming the first prime minister outside of the Nehru—Gandhi family to do so. After the end of Rao's tenure in May 1996, the nation saw four prime ministers in a span of three years, viz. , two tenures of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ; one tenure of H. D. Deve Gowda from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997; and one tenure of I. K. Gujral from 21 April 1997 to 19 March 1998. The government of Prime Minister Vajpayee—elected in 1998 —took some concrete steps; in May 1998—after

18460-501: 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", by the terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna . Prabhakaran kept the numbers of the group small and maintained a high standard of training. The LTTE carried out low-key attacks against various government targets, including policemen and local politicians. Tamil United Liberation Front leader Appapillai Amirthalingam , who

18602-622: Was also in control of numerous charitable organisations including Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation , which was banned and had its funds frozen by the United States Treasury in 2007 for covertly financing terrorism. Arms Procurement and shipping activities of LTTE were largely clandestine. Prior to 1983, it procured weapons mainly from Afghanistan via the Indo-Pakistani border . Explosives were purchased from commercial markets in India. From 1983 to 1987, LTTE acquired

18744-546: Was approved of by the international community but rejected by the Sri Lankan President. 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. The new government of Sri Lanka came into power in 2006 and demanded to abrogate

18886-630: Was backed by the government, and the Nordic SLMM monitors corroborated this. It was later revealed that UNP Member of Parliament Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana had played an important role in the defection of Colonel Karuna from the LTTE to the Government. Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected as the president of Sri Lanka in 2005. After a brief period of negotiations, LTTE pulled out of peace talks indefinitely. Sporadic violence had continued and on 25 April 2006, LTTE tried to assassinate Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka . Following

19028-449: Was finalized, they travelled to North Korea, loaded the cargo and brought it to the equator, where the ships were based. Then on board merchant tankers , weapons were transferred to the sea of Alampil , just outside the territorial waters in Sri Lanka's exclusive economic zone . After that, small teams of Sea Tigers brought the cargo ashore. The Sri Lanka Navy , during 2005–08 destroyed at least 11 of these cargo ships belonged to LTTE in

19170-593: Was in 1977 elected as the Opposition leader of Sri Lanka Parliament , 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 the Tamils. Thus, he provided letters of reference to the LTTE and to other Tamil insurgent groups to raise funds. Both Uma Maheswaran (a former surveyor ) and Urmila Kandiah,

19312-494: Was involved in attacks on government targets, policemen and local politicians and moved on to armed clashes against the armed forces . Oppression against Sri Lankan Tamils continued by Sinhalese mobs, notably during the 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom and the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library . Following the week-long July 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs, that came to be known as Black July ,

19454-410: 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. 15 days after the announcement, on 5 August 2009, a Sri Lankan military intelligence unit, with the collaboration of local authorities, captured Pathmanathan in

19596-400: Was not the only factor that impelled civic groups in Jaffna to speak in favour of the LTTE but that the Jaffna people had recognized the LTTE's military strength and pragmatically accepted it as the main player in achieving a negotiated settlement. The LTTE was a self-styled national liberation organisation with the primary goal of establishing an independent Tamil state. Tamil nationalism was

19738-415: Was shot dead by Satwant Singh and Beant Singh —two of her bodyguards—in the garden of her residence at 1, Safdarjung Road , New Delhi. After Indira, Rajiv —her eldest son and 40 years old at the time—was sworn in on the evening of 31 October 1984, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the office of prime minister. Rajiv immediately called for a general election. In the subsequent general election ,

19880-589: Was the first conventional fighting formation created by LTTE. Sea Tiger division was founded in 1984, under the leadership of Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan alias Soosai. LTTE acquired its first light aircraft in the late 1990s. Vaithilingam Sornalingam alias Shankar was instrumental in creating the Air Tigers. It carried out nine air attacks since 2007, including a suicide air raid targeting Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters, Colombo in February 2009. LTTE

20022-496: Was the head of the rebels' political wing, was killed during another government air raid. On 2 January 2008, the Sri Lankan government officially abandoned the ceasefire agreement. By 2 August 2008, LTTE lost the Mannar District following the fall of Vellankulam town. Troops captured Pooneryn and Mankulam during the final months of 2008. On 2 January 2009, the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa , announced that

20164-418: Was the only rebel organisation to have an air force. LTTE intelligence wing consisted of Tiger Organisation Security Intelligence Service aka TOSIS, run by Pottu Amman, and a separate military intelligence division. The LTTE cadres were required to follow a strict code of conduct which included prohibition on smoking and consumption of alcohol, with sexual relationships also being regulated. Each member carried

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