International Terrorism Since 1945 : The Tamil Tigers
- 11 years ago
The Tamil Tigers are one of the deadliest and most ruthless terrorists organisations the world has ever known. Since embarking on their campaign of violence in the early 1980s, they have killed almost 60,000 people – more than the rest of the world’s terrorist organisations put together – and displaced hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans.
The Tigers are fighting to win independence for the Tamil provinces in the North East of Sri Lanka, a large island formerly known as Ceylon situated in the Indian Ocean 40 miles off the mainland coast of India. In the name of their cause, they stop at nothing – including the use of suicide bombers, blowing up ancient buildings, attacking troop convoys and slaughtering innocent villagers. Their victims also number several leading politicians, the most high profile of which was the assassination of the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, killed by a female suicide bomber in May 1991.
The key to ending the long and bloody conflict is still seen to be the terrorist leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. But unless he disbands the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government recognise the Tamil’s claim to independence, a settlement seems as far away as ever.
The Tigers are fighting to win independence for the Tamil provinces in the North East of Sri Lanka, a large island formerly known as Ceylon situated in the Indian Ocean 40 miles off the mainland coast of India. In the name of their cause, they stop at nothing – including the use of suicide bombers, blowing up ancient buildings, attacking troop convoys and slaughtering innocent villagers. Their victims also number several leading politicians, the most high profile of which was the assassination of the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, killed by a female suicide bomber in May 1991.
The key to ending the long and bloody conflict is still seen to be the terrorist leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. But unless he disbands the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government recognise the Tamil’s claim to independence, a settlement seems as far away as ever.