Tamil Tigers

Last semester I did a research paper on these guys. For those unaware, they are part an ethnic group who live in the north and east of Sri Lanka (the large island off the coast of southern India--formerly known as Ceylon) and, in much larger numbers, India.

For the past 30 years, they have been fighting a civil war (or a war of independence from their standpoint) against the Sri Lankan gov't. While avoiding the ethnic issues and whatnot, let it be known that these guys pioneered the use of suicide belts and other terror tactics. Even training Palestinians in terrorism, trading weapons with the islamic group Jemaah Islamayah in Indonesia, and suspected ties to al'Qaeda.

Anywho, this past year they were finally sudued by the Sri Lankan government, after controling nearly a third of the country in a shadow state. The Tamil ethnic group is something in the area of 60 million in southern India itself, with somewhere between 2-3 million in Sri Lanka (maybe less now that the Tamils are now under gov't control).

Norway, India, and other nations tried to intervene in the war numerous times, but to no avail. In 2003, the group stated that they were no longer concerned with an independent Tamil state, so long as they were more integrated with the Sri Lankan government. Smelling blood, the Sri Lankan President ordered increased military campaigns and over the last few years crushed the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam--Eelam is their name for the island of Sri Lanka).

This topic questions what if the Sri Lankan government had (at some point) agreed to the independence of a Tamil state in the north of the island? Would the Tamil Nadu province look to annex them into India? How would Sri Lanka react?

Just a few questions, and looking for some other comments.
 
I dont think India would want any part of the island, there are enough border issues and other insurgency issues plaguing the administration as it is...

Also, dont forget, the LTTE killed Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi - I doubt India would welcome this secessionist state into their fold
 
A major fear of the government of India is if Eelam got its independence Tamil Nadu would soon be demanding the same. It has to give moral support to its Tamil constituents, but secretly hope the Tigers get their butts kicked.
 
Sri Lanka would just break apart. It's basically semi-controlled anarchy anyway. It would balkanize like how ethnic groups did it in South-Eastern Europe.
 
Sri Lanka would just break apart. It's basically semi-controlled anarchy anyway. It would balkanize like how ethnic groups did it in South-Eastern Europe.

It would'nt Balkanize, since, well it's not the Balkans.


Ethnically speaking Sri Lanka is comprised of the following;
-74% Sinhalese
-12.6% Tamil
-7% Moors

The Sinhalese, Moors and other smaller minorities live on the Southern, Central and Western coast of the island and get along just fine, while most, though not all of the Tamils lived on the Northern and East coast of the island.

Apart from the LTTE their are no secessionist movements.
 
Well actually yeah I repeal my statement for size reasons as well.

People of the smaller ethnicities would probably just leave.
 
Top