Velupillai Prabhakaran, whose death in 2009 ended a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka sought to create an independent state for the people of what ethnicity?
"fought against the Sri Lankan state to create an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka. By 2007 the civil war had cost an estimated 70,000 lives. The final months of the civil war in late 2008/early 2009 witnessed particularly brutal fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE. Around 300,000 civilians were trapped between the two sides. The civil war ended on 18 May 2009 with the killing of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the LTTE. A United Nations report found that as many as 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the"
"presided over by Special Judge V. Navaneetham found the LTTE and its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran responsible for the assassination. In a 2006 interview, LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham stated regret over the assassination, although he stopped short of outright acceptance of responsibility for it. India remained an outside observer of the conflict, after the assassination. Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War The Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War was the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka intended to perform a peacekeeping role. The deployment followed the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord between India and Sri"
"in 2002 with the help of international mediation. However, renewed violence broke out in December 2005 and following the collapse of peace talks, the Army has been involved in the heavy fighting that has resumed in the north and east of the country. Since 1980 the army has undertaken many operations against the LTTE rebels. The major operations conducted by the army eventually led to the recapture of Jaffna and other rebel strongholds. On 19 May 2009 Sri Lankan army declare the victory of war as they found the dead body of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. This marked the end"
"LTTE cadres into a small area of territory near Nandhikkadal lagoon, linked up and eliminated the remaining cadres. This final battle claimed the lives of several top LTTE leaders and Velupillai Prabhakaran who was reported to have attempted to flee. On the morning of the 19th, soldiers of the 4th Vijayabahu infantry regiment led by Lt. Col Rohitha Aluvihare claimed to have found the body of Prabhakaran, and so militarily ending a separatist war that had defined Sri Lanka's history for three decades. On 22 May 2009, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa confirmed that 6,261 personnel of the Sri"
"and LTTE in 1983. In 2002, government and the LTTE signed a Norwegian-mediated ceasefire. Both LTTE and the government resumed fighting in 2006, and the government officially backed out of the ceasefire in 2008. After a violent last few months, in May 2009, the government killed LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and declared an end to the civil war. Following the end of the war, international pressure mounted on the government to inquire into the final stages of the civil war, in which it was alleged thousands of civilians, possibly as many as 40,000, were killed. Over the course of the"
"2009, he admitted the death of Prabhakaran, retracting the previous statement. The general public of Sri Lanka took to streets to celebrate the end of the decades long war. Streets were filled with joyous scenes of jubilation. Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, through a telephone call, congratulated President Rajapaksa and the state security forces for their victory over the LTTE. Religious leaders too hailed the end of the bloodshed. International response to the end of the fighting was also positive and welcoming, while some countries expressed concern over the civilian casualties and the humanitarian impact. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon"
"LTTE leaders, including Jeyam, Bhanu, Lawrence, Pappa, Laxamanan, Balasingham Nadesan, Pottu Amman, Soosai and Velupillai Prabhakaran who was reported to have attempted to flee. On the morning of the 19th, soldiers of the 4th Vijayabahu infantry regiment led by Lt. Col Rohitha Aluvihare claimed to have found the body of Prabhakaran, and so militarily ending a separatist war that had defined Sri Lanka's history for three decades. On 22 May 2009, Sri Lankan Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa confirmed that 6,261 personnel of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces had lost their lives and 29,551 were wounded during Eelam War IV"
"against Tamils by the state since independence from Britain, and to urge the international community to support and facilitate a political solution that addresses the self-determination aspirations of Tamils and protection of the human rights of all Sri Lankans. A major offensive against the Tamils in the Vanni region of their homeland in 2009 resulted in the deaths of at least 20,000 Tamil civilians in 5 months, amid widespread concerns war crimes were committed against the Tamil population. At a United Nations forum on R2P, the Responsibility to Protect doctrine established by the UN in 2005, Chomsky said: Chomsky was"
"society to promote a just and lasting peace Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice is an international, non profit, human rights group founded in 2009 to seek justice for thousands of Tamils killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War and promote lasting peace.Edward Mortimer is the Chair of the Group and advisory council members include Lakhdar Brahimi. The objectives of the Sri Lanka Campaign are to: 1. Achieve genuine reconciliation based on accountability for violations of international law 2. Build respect for human rights and the rule of"
"Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice is an international, non profit, human rights group founded in 2009 to seek justice for thousands of Tamils killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War and promote lasting peace.Edward Mortimer is the Chair of the Group and advisory council members include Lakhdar Brahimi. The objectives of the Sri Lanka Campaign are to: 1. Achieve genuine reconciliation based on accountability for violations of international law 2. Build respect for human rights and the rule of law 3. Support efforts within Sri Lankan civil"
"rebels attempting to escape by boat, as the last LTTE strongpoints crumbled. The whereabouts of LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran and other major rebel leaders were not certain at the time. On 17 May 2009, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE chief of international relations, admit the organization's defeat stating ""This battle has reached its bitter end ... We have decided to silence our guns. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer"". On May 18, 2009 Velupillai Prabhakaran was erroneously claimed to be killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces. It was claimed"
"the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed in the morning of 18 May 2009 while he was trying to flee the conflict zone in an ambulance. The announcement on state television came shortly after the military said it had surrounded Prabhakaran in a tiny patch of jungle in the north-east. ""The Daily Telegraph"" wrote that, according to Sri Lankan TV, Prabhakaran was ""... killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack as he tried to escape the war zone in an Ambulance with his closest aides. Colonel Soosai, the leader of his ""Sea Tigers"" navy, and Pottu Amman, his intelligence chief were also"
"discrimination by calling for political devolution (federalism) and staging peaceful protests but were met with violence and ethnic riots. This in turn resulted in moderate Tamils calling for self determination but some young Tamils reacted by forming a number of militant groups, the most prominent being the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). By 1983 full-scale civil war had erupted between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. The civil war ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE but many independent/international observers recognised that the continued discrimination against the Tamils would leave the ethnic conflict unresolved. The"
"ceasefire was signed in 2002, but mostly ignored and officially rejected by the Sri Lankan government in 2008. The Sri Lankan government declared victory over the LTTE in May 2009 with the death of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Religion is a vibrant part of Sri Lankan culture. The predominant religions are Buddhism, Hindu, Muslim and Christianity. Buddhism was introduced sometime between 250-210 BC, and became the official religion of Sri Lanka in 1972. The 1978 constitution grants primacy to Buddhism, while also ensuring freedom of religion for all citizens. Throughout Sri Lanka's long history, Buddhism has remained an active part"
"the assassinations of several high-ranking Sri Lankan and Indian politicians. The LTTE assassinated two world leaders: former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. The LTTE utilized suicide belts and pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks. It also acquired and used light aircraft in some of its attacks. Velupillai Prabhakaran headed the organisation from its inception until his death in 2009. The LTTE was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries, including the European Union, Canada, the United States, and India. Historical inter-ethnic imbalances between majority Sinhalese and minority"
"its ideology. Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran criticized 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 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"". When asked about the LTTE's economic policy, Velupillai Pirabaharan said an ""open market economy."" But he pointed out that: ""We can"
"in the island nation, and depict their various cultural identities including the national bird and the national tree of Tamil Eelam. There is a sculpture for Charles Antony (approx 24 years old) and Balachandran (12 years old) who died during 2009 civil war. Balachandran was purposefully shot dead by Sri Lankan army. Behind the ""Pavai"" is a building that houses portrait and photo galleries. Portraits of the people who lost their lives in the Eelam wars are on display here, among them Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran’s parents, Parvathiammal and Thiruvenkatam Velupillai and his two sons, Charles Anthony and Balachandran,"
"independence movement, which articulated the reasons why the two nations - Tamils and Sinhalese - needed to co-exist on the island of Ceylon in separate states. Kathiravelupillai was the TULF's candidate in Kopay at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected. Kathiravelupillai died on 31 March 1981 in Madras, India. S. Kathiravelupillai Sivasubramaniam Kathiravelupillai (; 24 October 1924 – 31 March 1981) was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament. Kathiravelupillai was born on 24 October 1924. He was the son of Sivasubramaniam, a proctor from Irupalai in northern Ceylon. After school he entered the University of"
"liberation struggle and feared that he might re-induct the IPKF, which Prabhakaran termed the ""satanic force"", if he won the 1991 Indian general election. In 1998 a court in India presided over by Special Judge V. Navaneetham found the LTTE and its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran responsible for the assassination. In a 2006 interview, LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham expressed regret over the assassination, although he stopped short of outright acceptance of responsibility. India remained an outside observer of the conflict after the assassination. The violence continued unabated despite the steps taken to appease Tamil sentiments, such as the 13th Amendment (enacted"
"by the Sri Lanka Military, also confirmed the death. Prabakaran's identity was However, contradicting the government claims, Selvarasa Pathmanathan on the same day claimed that ""Our beloved leader is alive and safe."" But finally on the 24 May 2009, he admitted the death of Prabhakaran, retracting the previous statement. The Sri Lankan military effectively concluded its 26-year operation against the LTTE, its military forces recaptured all remaining LTTE controlled territories in the Northern Province. The Sri Lankan civil war cost the lives of an estimated 80,000–100,000 people. This included more than 23,327 Sri Lankan soldiers and policemen, 1,155 Indian soldiers"
"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 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"
"""Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam"" was proposed as a non-violent political mechanism to fulfil the aspirations of many Tamils living abroad and in Sri Lanka. Initially it was Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who had become leader of the Tamil Tigers after Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed by the Sri Lankan Army, who proposed that a government in exile be established. In June 2009 an ""Advisory Committee on the Formation of a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam"" was established ""to explore the modalities for the establishment of a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, and to recommend the objectives that should be achieved by"
"civil war became increasingly violent. The civil war came to an end in 18th May 2009 when the Sri Lankan military defeated the LTTE. After the end of the war the UN urged the Sri Lankan government to address ""the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Tamil people"". This was echoed by the EU, United States, India and other countries. In March 2010 the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the successor to the TULF, dropped its demands for an independent Tamil Eelam but continues to demand greater autonomy through federalism. After the end of the civil war the concept of a"
"the Civil War, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) dropped their demand for an independent Tamil Eelam in favour of regional autonomy in a remerged North Eastern Province. The idea of Federalism in Sri Lanka is opposed by the Sri Lankan Government, which prefers a unitary state. In 2010, the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) was founded by Visvanathan Rudrakumaran who aim to create an independent Tamil Eelam in peaceful democratic means. The Tamil People's Council (TPC) led by chief minister C. V. Vigneswaran organized ""Eluga Tamil"" (""Arise, Tamils) rally in northern Jaffna and eastern Batticaloa to address that Tamil"
"Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee to intervene and stop the Sri Lankan Civil War and stop any diplomatic assistance or relations with the island nation. Among the first to protest was the Nadigar Sangam, who staged a one-day hunger strike involving several celebrities from Tamil cinema in September 2008. With regard to sentiments among those deceased in the war, several individuals had self immolated themselves on various days. Those who self immolated themselves were Muthukumar, Murugathasan, Amaresan, Pallapatti Ravi, Gokularathinam, Norway had acted as a peace mediator in Sri Lanka prior to it"
"Crisis Statement, Chomsky was one of several signatories calling for full access to internment camps holding Tamils, the respect of international law concerning prisoners of war and media freedom, the condemnation of discrimination against Tamils by the state since independence from Britain, and to urge the international community to support and facilitate a political solution that addresses the self-determination aspirations of Tamils and protection of the human rights of all Sri Lankans. A major offensive against the Tamils in the Vanni region of their homeland in 2009 resulted in the deaths of at least 20,000 Tamil civilians in 5 months,"
"and LTTE. Continued fighting led to several territorial gains for the Sri Lankan Army, including the capture of Sampur, Vakarai and other parts of the east. The war took on an added dimension when the LTTE Air Tigers bombed Katunayake airbase on March 26, 2007, the first rebel air attack without external assistance in history. Eelaam War IV ended on 18 May 2009 with the Sri Lanka Army gaining control of the last bit of territory held by the LTTE and with the death of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The final few days of the war near Nandikadal Lagoon"
"Lankan Civil War was clear. Velupillai Prabhakaran, a small boy at the time of the riots, said later that his political views as an adult were shaped by the events of 1958. The famous book “Emergency ‘58” records the events of this pogrom. Popular journalist Tarzie Vittachi who published the book was expelled by the Sri Lankan Government soon after the pogrom. The book also explores into the manifestation of Sinhalese nationalism in the form of anti-Tamil movement in a large-scale pogrom as a result of closely coordinated action of politicians, Buddhist monks, and rural Sinhalese. 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom 1958"
"also there who remain in India after war. The civil war in Sri Lanka, from 1983 to 2009 had generated thousands of internally displaced people as well as refugees most of them being the Tamils. Many Sri Lankans have fled to neighbourly India and western countries such as Canada, France, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Germany. While successive policies of discrimination and intimidation of the Tamils drove thousands to flee seeking asylum, the brutal end to the Civil War and the ongoing repression have forced a wave of thousands of refugees migrate, to countries like Canada, the UK and especially"
"by the fighters, led by Prabhakaran himself. Fighting went on until 9.30 am 19 May 2009. The firing stopped as all LTTE fighters died in the battle. Troops started collecting bodies again. This time, Sergeant Muthu Banda, attached to Sri Lanka Army Task Force VIII, reported to its commander, Colonel G. V. Ravipriya, that a body similar to Velupillai Prabhakaran had been found. After the body, which was floating among the mangroves, was brought ashore, Colonel Ravipriya positively identified it as that of the leader of the LTTE. A dog tag marked ""001"", two pistols, a T56 rifle with telescopic"
"century, the Karaiyar were the second largest group of voters among the Sri Lankan Tamils after the Vellalar. The Karaiyars formed around 10% of the population, while the dominant Vellalars constituted about 50% of the population. Karaiyars, such as Velupillai Prabhakaran, formed the leadership of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a group that fought the Sri Lankan Civil War to form a Tamil sovereign state, intending to secede from the Sinhala-majority Sri Lanka. Following the old order, where the Karaiyars formed partners with the Vellalars, the LTTE gained support and recruitment from the Vellalars. Karaiyar Karaiyar ( and )"
"after Seelan. Prabhakaran's eldest son Charles Anthony was also named after Seelan. A memorial to Seelan and a children's park named after Seelan were built at Meesalai-Allarai. After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Thenmarachchi region in 1995 they destroyed the memorial and children's park. The memorial was re-built in 2003 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement. Seelan Charles Lucas Anthony (; 11 December 1960 – 15 July 1983; commonly known by the nom de guerre Seelan) was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation"
"the Arizona State University in 2002 as a faculty associate in the Department of Religious Studies. After retirement in 2009 Veluppillai lived with his children and grandchildren in the USA. He suffered head injuries after falling in the bathroom of his home and died at a San Francisco hospital on 1 November 2015. Veluppillai wrote several books and articles on Sri Lankan Tamil literature, history and politics. A. Veluppillai Alvappillai Veluppillai (21 November 1936 – 1 November 2015) was a Sri Lankan Tamil academic, historian and author. Veluppillai was born on 21 November 1936 in Puloly in northern Ceylon. He"