Strategic Role of Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Promoting Separatism in Sri Lanka
Abstract
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) fought a three-decade counter-insurgency war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organization that adopted a separatist ideology to create a "State of Eelam" for the Tamil minority in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Tamil diaspora played a strategic role in the conflict as an external actor providing large sums of funds, procuring military material, running its shipping companies, providing moral support, and most significantly enhancing the international attitude towards the LTTE. It is not yet certain whether the GoSL achieved the defeat of the insurgency with the military defeat of the LTTE in 2009, as the Tamil diaspora still continues to promote the separatist cause through political, diplomatic, and informational approaches. In 2010, the Tamil diaspora established a Government in Exile, the "Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam" (TGTE), as a step towards the actualization of its cause. The Tamil diaspora's shift of focus to a "non-violent" and "political-diplomatic" approach has gained it some acceptance and support internationally. This research investigates how a separatist movement could regain its momentum through an external actor such as a diaspora by analyzing the case of the current strategic role of the Tamil diaspora in promoting separatism in Sri Lanka.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 2014
- Accession Number
- AD1024456
Entities
People
- Kelum S. Maddumage
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College