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Tamil Eelam

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Districts of Sri Lanka claimed by LTTE as parts of Tamil Eelam, with their status as of December 2005: red areas under LTTE control; orange areas partially LTTE, partly Sri Lankan government; yellow areas claimed but not controlled

Tamil Eelam (Tamil: தமிழ் ஈழம், tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by nationalist Tamils in Sri Lanka, to the independent state which they demand in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island. Ilaṅkai (இலங்கை) and Īḻam (ஈழம்) are both Tamil names for the entire island.

Tamil Eelam is not recognized as an independent state by any independent nation or by the United Nations. LTTE controls most parts of these regions. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE, the most prominent and largest Tamil nationalist group, has control over Vanni, Kilinochchi, Mullaiththeevu, most of Mannar and portions of the Eastern districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai.

The portion of Northern and Eastern under the control of the LTTE is run as a de facto quasi-independent state, with its own supreme court, police force, army, navy, air force, intelligence agency, and even a central bank, although these institutions are not formally recognized by the Sri Lankan government. It is dependent on electricity and commodity supplies from the government held area through the A9 highway. It does not have its own currency and uses the Sri Lankan rupee. The LTTE has often accused the government of imposing embargos on essential goods, causing distress to the civilians. It does not have its own airport and foreign travellers must go through the Colombo airport.

The concept of Eelam or homeland is a central issue in the Sri Lankan conflict that has been under way for more than two decades. It was first 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. In order to counter separatist tendencies, the government added a new clause to the constitution in 1978 requiring all MPs to pledge allegiance to the unity of the state, which resulted in the boycott of the parliament by the TULF. A number of militant groups then emerged fighting for an independent state.

File:Tamil eelam stamp.jpg
A stamp which is issued by the LTTE.

As used by both the TULF and the militant groups, Tamil Eelam has only referred to the northeasterly portions of Sri Lanka (principally, the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai claimed by Tamils as being their traditional homeland. Some of the early militant groups such as the EPRLF, however, adhered to a wider concept of Eelam, by which they meant all parts of the island of Sri Lanka with a Tamil majority, including the upcountry districts with a Plantation Tamil majority, traditionally part of the Sinhalese heartland. For all practical purposes today, though, the demand for an independent state is limited to Tamil Eelam, and particularly the northern and eastern provinces.

File:LTTECoin.jpg
A token issued by the LTTE and its limited postal services.

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 (also known as the Tamil Tigers),'TELO – Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, EPRLF – Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, PLOTE – People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam, EROS – Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students, and also lesser-known groups such as TEA – Tamil Eelam Army, FTA – Ilankai Freedom Tamil Army, SRSL – Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation.

National Flower of Tamil Eelam

The Gloriosa Lily (or Karthigaipoo) was designated as the national flower of the Eelam Tamils in November 2003. It has the spectrum of colours contained in the Tamil Eelam national flag and blooms in November, the month of the Heroes Day (or Maaveerar Day) celebrations when the deaths of soldiers fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are remembered. A Tamil poet, Arivumathi, has noted that the flower of ancient Tamil's War God, Murugan, was the same Karthigai flower.

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