Human rights and terrorism issues

The LTTE is labeled as a terrorist organization as part of a broader allegation that it does not have respect for 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 accusation of terrorism is based in part on claims that the LTTE kills innocent civilians, recruits child soldiers, has been responsible for assassination of political figures and nonmilitary officials, and extensively uses suicide bombers.

Attacks on civilians 

The LTTE has attacked non-military targets including commuter trains and buses, farming villages, temples and mosques resulting in large numbers of civilian deaths Some of the major attacks resulting in dozens of civilian
deaths include the Kebithigollewa massacre, the Gonagala massacre (54 dead), the Anuradhapura massacre (146 dead), the Dehiwala train bombing (56 dead), the Palliyagodella massacre (166 dead) and the bombing of Sri Lanka's Central Bank (102 dead). The LTTE claims that its attacks on purely civilian targets are collateral damage.

Even after the signing of the Ceasefire agreement in 2002, the LTTE has continued to carry out attacks against civilians. They murdered 6 Sinhalese farmers on 23rd April 2006 and killed a further 13 laborers on 29thMay. In one of the deadliest attacks against civilians, a claymore antipersonnel mine attack by the LTTE on 15th June 2006 on a bus carrying 140 civilians killed 68 people including 15 children, and injured 60 others.On 14th August 2006, a convoy carrying the Pakistani High Commissioner Bashir Wali Mohamed, was attacked by another LTTE Claymore type directional mine concealed within a rickshaw, killing seven people and injuring seventeen. The high commissioner escaped unharmed.

Attempted attacks on civilians

Heavy vehicles carrying large quantities of high explosives were caught at various check points throughout the nation during various times. The LTTE uses specially engineered secret compartments in lorries, tractors, vans and buses to hide the explosives. The following are the most recent attempted attacks on civilian targets:

A lorry coming from Kilinochchi area was apprehended at Nikeveratiya with a deadly cargo of over 1000kg of C4 high explosives. The police claims that it is the single largest detection of explosives in history. The lorry was heading towards urban areas of Colombo. Compared to the 50kg bomb explosion at Central Bank (killed at least 91 and injured over 1,500 civilians), the explosive lorry was over 20 times more devastating.

The second high explosive laden vehicle was arrested on 30thJune 2007 at Trincomalee. Over 1000kgs of C-4 explosives were hidden inside a freezer and were set to explode as soon as it is opened.

Claymore mines were discovered at various points throughout the Island. Most mines were discovered due to the vigilance of locals, and were neutralized by Sri Lankan Army before they take their death toll. Some of

those bombs were synchronized, i.e. planted at separate locations throughout the city but set to explode simultaneously. Despite of the Tamil nationalistic ideology of LTTE, those lethal bombs would have killed thousands of innocent civilians, both Tamil and Sinhalese.

LTTE Female recruits

The LTTE has a large number of female recruits. Female members are believed to make up between 20 to 30 percent of the LTTE's fighting cadre. An estimated 4000 women cadres have been killed since 1987, including over a hundred in 'Black Tiger' suicide squads. The assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi, the attempt on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the 2006 attempt on the Sri Lanka Army commander are notable instances where female LTTE cadres launched suicide attacks.

The LTTE in brief

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, is a terrorist organization that has been waging a violent secessionist campaign  against the Sri Lankan State since the 1970s. Headed by the ruthless Velupillai  Prabhakaran, Tigers fight for a separate Tamil state called the Tamil Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

LTTE was Founded in 1975, the LTTE attracted many supporters amongst disenchanted Tamil youth, who were dissatisfied with  policies followed by successive Sri Lankan governments towards solving various concerns of the country’s Tamil community. 

Thiruvenkadam Velupillai Prabhakaran (Tamil: வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்; November 26, 1954 – May 18, 2009) was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers), a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. For over 25 years, the LTTE waged a violent secessionist campaign in Sri Lanka that led to it being designated a terrorist organization by 32 countries. Prabhakaran was wanted by Interpol for terrorism, murder, organized crime and terrorism conspiracy. He also had arrest warrants against him in Sri Lanka and India.

LTTE & politics

The LTTE also has a political wing, but despite the ceasefire it has not tried to formally create a political party. Instead, in the 2004 parliamentary elections, it openly supported the Tamil National Alliance, which won over 90% of votes in the electoral district of Jaffna, in the Northern Province, although just 47% the total population cast their votes. The LTTE's commitment to multi-party democracy has also been questioned. In an interview in 1986, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE, said that a future state of Tamil Eelam would be a one-party state rather than a multi-party democracy, because that would help it develop faster.

Recruitments

-Recruits in the LTTE are instructed to be prepared to die for the cause, and are issued 

with a cyanide capsule to be swallowed in the case of capture. 

Child soldiers

The LTTE's use of children as front-line troops was proved when 25 front-line troops between the ages of 13 and 17 surrendered en masse to the Sri Lankan Forces. Amid international pressure, LTTE announced in July 2003 that it would stop conscripting  child soldiers, but both  UNICEF and Human Rights Watch have accused it of reneging on its  promises, and of conscripting Tamil children orphaned by the tsunami. Civilians have also complained that the LTTE is continuing to abduct children, including some in their early teens, for use as soldiers.Moreover UNICEF states that the LTTE has recruited 315 child soldiers between April and December 2006. According to UNICEF, the LTTE is known to be the world’s worst perpetrator of child soldier recruitment  and has recruited, since 2001, a total number of 5,794 child soldiers.

National Problem

"
…The whole problem here is not between the Tamil people and the Sinhala people 
or the Muslim people. They still live very much in harmony and don't forget a very 
large number of Tamil people live in the Western Province and the Central 
province and elsewhere, they get on perfectly well with their brothers & sisters of 
other communities. This is not a people's problem at all. It's not a civil war…"
-Late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar,
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs:BBC's "Hardtalk"

World Tourism arena is very sensitive to conflict situations and especially to the violent conflict situations. These situations may adversely affect to the tourism industry of the country and also its image.

This blog analyzes the impact of three decades long armed conflict and its effect on tourism industry in Sri Lanka. It also analyzes how could post conflicted Sri Lanka can sustain and rebuild the devastated country Image by based on the political and economical transformation of the Island, using the latest data on post conflicted Sri Lankan   tourism sector.  This webpage also argues that violent conflict is not the only destructive force.  Controlling of media and poor maintaining of countries true images are also can be effects.

We  also  attempts  to  add  some  new  knowledge  on  the complicated relationship between tourism, conflict, Media  and destination branding.