They're known as the Tamil Tigers and since 1976 they've been fighting for their own homeland within the tiny island country Sri Lanka off of the coast of India.
The sepratist organization, the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam, have waged a feirce campaign against the government for the creation of an independant state. The campaign has evolved into what is known as the Sri Lankan civil war and has been the cause of more than a
listed 80, 000 people's deaths.
The Tamil Tigers are also known for their dedication to the cause to the point of suicide. Within the subdivisions, there are the Air tigers (the air force) the Sea Tigers (the naval force) and the Balck Tigers. The Black Tigers are a commando unit trained with the purpose that one day they will meet their end as a suicide bombar. As well, all members of the guerilla militia are given cyanide capsuls which are to be broken and swallowed in case of capture.
The Tamil Tigers have been classified as a terrorist organization in 32 countries worldwide. The issue is definately political and the U. S. Department of State stated that "...it's reason for banning LTTE as a proscribed terrorist group is based on allegations that LTTE does not respect human rights and that it does not adhere to the standards of conduct expected of a resistance movement or what might be called "freedom fighters"." The Tamil Tigers are known as one of the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world today.
The issue though, is that both "terrorist group" and government militia have been accused of rights abuses including political assassinations, abductions, and targeted attacks on civilians. In fact, there is alot of evidence to sugest that many of the Tamil Tiger became so because of attacks by the government on civilians around them.
Although there have been constant talks of ceasefires, recognizing the safety of the civilians within the state, such ceasefires have never been fully negotiated. In the past there have been three attempts at peacetalks, all of which failed. This past April, The Tamil Tigers attempted another ceasefire, declaring a "unilateral ceasefire Sunday, but the Sri Lankan government dismissed it as a joke, and said that only a stop troops from finishing the last battle in Asia's longest modern war."
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