This is an old revision of this page, as edited by TUF-KAT (talk | contribs) at 21:21, 8 September 2004 (Category:Territory disputes). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 21:21, 8 September 2004 by TUF-KAT (talk | contribs) (Category:Territory disputes)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Tamil Eelam is a de facto independent nation located in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island of Sri Lanka. Though control of the area is held exclusively by a coalition of Tamil militias, Tamil Eelam is not recognized as independent from Sinhalese-majority Sri Lanka by any de jure independent nation or by the United Nations.
The concept of Eelam or homeland was proposed by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in 1976. TULF was a coalition of Tamil parties who campaigned in the 1977 elections for an independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In the 1977 elections the TULF was elected to parliament from the northern and eastern provinces. The government of Sri Lanka banned the TULF from parliament for advocating an independent state for Tamils. A number of militant groups then emerged fighting for an independent state.
For more history, see Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.
From 1948 to 2002 there have been approximately 38 militant groups who have at one time or another fought for the Tamil Eelam's independence. This number includes the better known groups such as the LTTE - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers,'TELO - Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, EPRLF - Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front, PLOTE - People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam, EROS - Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students, and also lesser know groups such as TEA - Tamil Eelam Army, FTA - Ilankai Freedom Tamil Army, SRSL - Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation.