


It is obvious that conducting terrorist attacks and sustaining fleet, air force and regular army requires much funds. The growing military and technical capabilities of LTTE were provided by mercenaries from India, South Africa, Canada, Norway and the UK. By the summer of 1987 LTTE’s leaders moved to the implementation of an integrated strategy that combined the basic elements of guerrilla warfare and terror tactics. Since 1983 LTTE launched operations against government forces in Sri Lanka, gradually taking more scope. LTTE can be characterized as an authoritarian organization (with Prabhakaran as a permanent leader) with non-rigid vertical control (relative autonomy of the individual battle groups).
#Liberation tiger of tamil eelam free
All members of LTTE must be devoted to Prabhakaran’s noble cause – to free Tamil from Sinhalese oppression. The recruitment process involves harsh indoctrination and training. LTTE is also notoriously known for unprecedented exploitation of children on the battlefield (South Asia Terrorism Portal). The number of women involved to LTTE varies around 1/3 of the total number of fighters. Right after the truce LTTE started to recruit more fighters compulsory and by the end of 2002 had more than 16,000 members. According to some estimates, LTTE’s membership before truce with Sri Lankan Government (2002) numbered 8 to 10 thousand fighters. The number of LTTE members cannot be estimated precisely due to its complex structure and lack of data about children, guerilla fighters and women recruits.

Over the next 26 years LTTE fought the Sri Lankan government conducting guerrilla war, suicidal bombings, assassinations of Sri Lankan leaders, and recruiting new people. Under Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE emerged as a new power, which consolidated diverse population of Tamils (Flynn, 2011, pp. In 1976 Tamil New Tigers were renamed to LTTE. The arrest of Tamil New Tiger’s leader Chetti Thanabalsingham resulted in Velupillai Prabhakaran’s taking control over the militant group. It was reaction on Tamil United Front’s failure in establishing a legal political party due to Sinhalese domination in the government. The history of insurgent movement in Sri Lanka dates back to 1975 when semi-criminal organization Tamil New Tigers emerged. The research presentation will review LTTE’s activities, structure, and factors that contributed to its consideration as a terrorist group. LTTE evolved during 33 years of their existence and formed a complex structure which resisted Sinhalese domination in all possible spheres of influence on the territory of indigenous Tamil (northern and eastern regions). The lack of political opportunities caused the formation of hardliners who sought independence of Tamil by undemocratic means. Underrepresentation of Tamil minority in the government as well as social exclusion from Sri Lankan community resulted in a bloody insurgency of LTTE (Flynn, 2011, pp. The rise of LTTE movement started with ethnical conflict, based on Sinhalese discrimination of Tamil ethnic minority. The civil war between LTTE and Sri Lanka government lasted for 26 years and claimed approximately 60,000 human lives (Human Rights Watch, 2006, p. LTTE was founded in 1976, and since 1983 was engaged in a civil war with government forces. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was a Tamil insurgency and terrorist group, which fought for an independent state of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.
