The Democratic Tamil National Front ( ta, ஜனநாயக தமிழ்த் தேசிய முன்னணி; DTNF) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

political alliance A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies. International terms Equivalent terms are used differ ...

that seeks to represent the

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pro ...

. It was formed in 2016 by the

Eelam People's Democratic Party The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) is a political party and a pro-government paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. It is led by its founder Douglas Devananda. Background Douglas Devananda was one of the founding members of the Eelam Re ...

(EPDP),

Tamil United Liberation Front The Tamil United Liberation Front ( ta, தமிழர் ஐக்கிய விடுதலை முன்னணி, translit=Tamil Onrupattatu Viduthulai Munnai, si, ද්‍රවිඩ එක්සත් විමුක්ති ප� ...

(TULF) and several other Tamil organisations.

History

The Democratic Tamil National Front was officially launched on 4 May 2016 in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. The alliance consists of several organisations including Democratic People’s Congress (led by

P. Ganesan P. Ganesan is an Indian politician and was a member of the 14th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Uthiramerur constituency. He represented the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ...

(led by

Douglas Devananda Kathiravelu Nythiananda Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda ( ta, டக்ளஸ் தேவானந்தா), is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri ...

Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students The Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), also known as the Eelam Revolutionary Organisers, is a former Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. Most of the EROS membership was absorbed into the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in ...

, International Hindu Priests Organisation, Organisation for Democracy Reform,

Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) is an Eelam Tamil organisation which campaigned for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam in the northeast of Sri Lanka during 1972-1987 which later accepted the December 19th proposals. T ...

(Sri wing) and

(led by

V. Anandasangaree Veerasingham Anandasangaree ( ta, வீரசிங்கம் ஆனந்தசங்கரி) is a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician, former Member of Parliament and leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front. He is commonly known as San ...

). The aim of the alliance is to win the rights of the Tamil people as the

Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance ( ta, தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு ISO 15919: ''tamiḻt tēciyakkūṭṭamaippu''; TNA) is a political alliance in Sri Lanka that represents the country's Sri Lankan ...

(TNA), which has dominated Tamil politics since it was formed in 2001, had failed to resolve the Tamil people's problems. The new alliance has given contradictory statements on solving Sri Lanka's ethnic problems. At its launch the alliance claimed that it would campaign for the "Indian model of federalism" in Sri Lanka and expansion of the Thirteenth Amendment. However, TULF leader Anandasangaree has said that the alliance would reject a "federal solution". The alliance has also been contradictory on its relationship with the TNA, saying that it would target and weaken the TNA but also that it was not against the TNA.

References

{{Sri Lankan Tamil people 2016 establishments in Sri Lanka Nationalist parties in Sri Lanka Political parties established in 2016 Political party alliances in Sri Lanka Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka Political parties in Sri Lanka