The Tamil Terrorist War in Sri Lanka

A Brief Chronology

This is a time line of the significant events in the terrorist insurgency of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelaam (LTTE) to carve out a racist Tamil state called Eelaam out of the sovereign territory of Sri Lanka.

• 1955. Birth of Velupillai Prabhakaran who became the man who led the LTTE in its terrorist war against the Sri Lankan Government.
• 1970. Prabhakaran led a gang of Tamil extremsits who burned a Government bus in Jaffna, perhaps his first act of violence.
• 1975 July 27. Prabhakaran assassinated the Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiyappa, who was a moderate Tamil political leader who refused to agree with racist demands of Tamil extremists. This ws perhaps the first killing done by Prabhakaran.
• 1976 May 05. The LTTE was inaugraged in a meeting of about 30-50 Tamil nationalists in Vadukkodai. Uma Maheshwaran was elected the first leader of the LTTE.
• 1976 - 1983. Ethnic cleansing of the Jaffna peninsula which led to the killing and expulsion of many Sinhalese and Muslims from the Jaffna Peninsula. This forced the Sri Lankan Government to deploy police and troops in Jaffna to restore law and order.
• 1978. Parbakaran accepts responsibility for the killing of Mayor Duraiappa in the first LTTE news release. This release is said to be been typed in the Parliamentary office of Amirthalingam who was then the Leader of the Opposition.
• 1979. Prabhakaran succeeds Maheshwaran as the leader of the LTTE.
• 1983 July 23. The first successful ambush of Sri Lankan forces in the Jaffna peninsula when 13 soldiers were killed.
• 1983-1987. The first Eelaam War.
• 1983 July. "Black July". The riots which followed the funeral of the soldiers who were killed in the LTTE ambush. The riots started in Colombo and spead to other parts of the Island. Members of both communities were killed, but the killing of Tamils in Colombo received international media attention.
• 1983-84. The Indira Gandhi Government of India trains and funds Tamil groups, including the LTTE.
• 1985 July. - The Jayawardene Government meets LTTE representatives in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu. Talks were sponsored by the Indian Government but they fail.
• 1987 July. The Indian Government of Rajiv Gandhi intervenes when the Sri Lankan Government has succeeded in cornering the LTTE rebels in the Vadamarachi area of the Jafffna peninsula. Indian planes violate Sri Lankan air space by dropping supplies to Tamils in the North.
• 1987 July 26. - India and Sri Lanka sign pact creating regional councils to give Tamils in the northeast limited autonomy.
  Indian troops arrive to enforce the pact that was endorsed by the LTTE and other Tamil rebel groups. Indian presence eventually grows to more than 100,000.
• 1987 Oct. The LTTE reneges on the accord and begins three years of battles that kill more than 1,000 Indian troops.
• 1987-90. The second Eelaam war, waged against both Indian troops and the Sri Lankan troops.
• 1987. The first LTTE suicide bombing.
• 1988 Dec. Ranasinghe Premadasa is elected president after promising to send Indian troops home and began talks with LTTE. It is claimed that Premadasa gave arms to he LTTE to assist it in its fight the Indian army. .
• 1990 Feb. The first cease-fire agreement with the LTTE as talks begin in Colombo between the LTTE and the SL Government
• 1990 March. The last Indian troops leave.
• 1990 June. The LTTE unilaterally ends the cease-fire and overruns police stations in east. Over 600 poliement who were captured were executed in cold bolld.
• 1990- 2001. The Third Eelaam War (interrupted during a short truce in 1995).
• 1991 May. LTTE suicide bomber kills former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
• 1993 May. President Premadasa is killed by an LTTE suicide bomber.
• 1994 Nov - Chandrika Kumaratunga elected president. Kadirgamar appointed foreign minister.
• 1995 Jan - Second Cease-fire agreement. Government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the LTTE begin talks.
• 1995 April - Truce ends when rebels blow up two navy vessels.
• 1996 Jan - Tiger suicide bombers blow up central bank building, killing more than 100 and wounding about 1,400.
• 1997 March - Kumaratunga unveils draft constitution giving wide autonomy to regions, including one controlled by Tamils.
• 1997 Oct - United States declares LTTE a terrorist group. LTTE bombs World Trade Centre in Colombo, killing 15.
• 1998 Jan - Sri Lanka outlaws the LTTE after suicide attack on country's holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth.
• 1999 Dec - Kumaratunga survives LTTE suicide bomb attack.
• 2000 May - Erik Solheim, Norway's special envoy for peace, begins talks with Sri Lankan leaders.
• 2000 Nov - Solheim meets Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in LTTE-held territory.
• 2001 July - LTTE attacks Sri Lanka's only international airport, destroying aircraft and damaging tourism industry.
• 2001 Dec - Peace process revived after Ranil Wickremesinghe elected prime minister.
• 2002 Feb - Government and LTTE sign Norwegian-brokered ceasefire, laying groundwork for direct talks.
• 2002 April - Prabhakaran holds first news conference in 12 years, says time not right to give up armed struggle.
• 2002 Sept - First round of direct peace talks held in Thailand.
• 2002 Dec - Tigers give up demand for a separate state and agree to work with government toward devolution of power in a federal framework.
• 2003 April - Tigers pull out after six rounds of talks, saying not enough done to rebuild war-hit Tamil areas.
• 2004 Feb - Kumaratunga dissolves parliament and calls snap election for April 2.
• 2004 April - Kumaratunga's coalition wins election. Kadirgamar reappointed foreign minister. Mahinda Rajakpaksa becomes Prime Minister.
• 2005. Pesidential elections sees the return of Mahinda Rajapakse as President.
• 2006. The LTTE close the Mavil Aru anicut supplying water to a large number of farmers. The President sends troops to open up the anicut thus precipitating the "fourth Eelaam war". This continued until 2009 when the LTTE was finally militarily defeated.
• 2007. The LTTE ejected from the Eastern Province.
• 2008. Killinochi, the capital of the so-called LTTE state captured by the Armed forces.
• 2009 May 18. The LTTE completely defeated at Mullaitivu and their leadership including Prabhakaran killed. The Eelaam War declared to be at an end.