Sri Lankan Civil War
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a war fought in the island of Sri Lanka. It started on 23 July 1983. There was a revolt against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (also called the Tamil Tigers-தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள்.). They fought to create an independent state for Tamil people called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island.
The war lasted for 26 years. A ceasefire in the early 2000s broke down and the fighting began again. The Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009. The civil war caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural, and economic life of the country. Tens of thousands of people were killed.
Sri Lankan Civil War Media
- Rajiv Gandhi Memorial blast site.jpg
Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur
- Elephant Pass armored bulldozer.JPG
Improvised armoured bulldozer used by the LTTE in the operation Aakaya Kadal Veli, also known as the First Battle of Elephant Pass (1991), one of the major battles. This bulldozer was destroyed by Cpl. Gamini Kularatne. Today it stands on display as a war memorial.
- Sea Tiger Fast Attack boat.jpg
LTTE Sea Tiger boat patrolling during the peace
- Extent of territorial control in sri lanka.png
Red area shows the approximate areas of Sri Lanka controlled by the LTTE and the Government, as of December 2005.
- Tamil protest on University Avenue.jpg
Canadian Tamils block University Avenue, Toronto demonstrating against the Sri Lankan forces.
- Shelter from tarp and sticks.jpg
Photo released by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation depicting a shelter built from tarp and sticks. Pictured are displaced persons from the civil war in Sri Lanka
- DFID-funded, UNHCR emergency shelter tents, in the IDP camp at Menik Farm, Sri Lanka (3694081492).jpg
DFID-funded UN IDP camp near Vavuniya: the Menik Farm camp, June 2009
- Mines at Jaffna Fort.jpg
De-mining at Jaffna Fort in December 2019
