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Eelam War III is the name given to the third phase of armed conflict between the
Sri Lankan military The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...
and the separatist
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
(LTTE). After the period of 100 days cease-fire the hostilities broke out on 19 April 1995. The LTTE -
Sea Tigers The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effectiv ...
planted explosives in two gun boats known as SLNS 'Sooraya' and 'Ranasuru', and blew them up. Also, a new weapon "
Stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of v ...
", a shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile was used in this conflict by the LTTE. This was used to take down two Sri Lankan Air Force AVRO aircraft flying over the
Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
peninsula. Eelam War III also marked the rising success of the LTTE, as they managed to capture key districts such as
Kilinochchi Kilinochchi ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி, translit=Kiḷinocci; si, කිලිනොච්චි, translit=Girānika) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road so ...
and
Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely f ...
, and took over the Elephant Pass base. By the end of Eelam War III, the LTTE had control of nearly 30% of the entire island.


Major military operations (in chronological order)

* 19 April 1995: The LTTE sinks SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru ending peace talks. * 28 June 1995: The LTTE overruns the Sri Lankan military base at
Mandaitivu Mandaitivu ( ta, மண்டைதீவு, translit=Maṇṭaitīvu; si, මන්ඩතිව් ''Manḍativ'') is an island off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, located approximately south of the city of Jaffna. Th ...
. * 28 July 1995: The LTTE attack the Sri Lankan military base at
Weli Oya Weli Oya, ( ta, மணலாறு, translit=Maṇalāṟu) is a Sinhalese colony area in Mullaithivu District, Sri Lanka formerly known as Manal Aru. Weli Oya has been affected by the Sri Lankan civil war and government colonization programs. ...
and is repulsed with heavy loses. * 17 October - 5 December 1995 : Government launches
Operation Riviresa Operation Riviresa (Operation Sunrays), was a combined military operation launched by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in Jaffna. Starting on 17 October 1995, the primary objective of the operation was the capture of the city of Jaffna and rest of ...
-recapturing the
Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
peninsular from the LTTE. * July 18, 1996 : The LTTE overruns the Sri Lankan military base at
Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely f ...
, the attack carried out after midnight. The number of killed in action and missing in action were around 1600 as per military sources. There were more than 4000 LTTE cadre's participated the attack and captured large quantity of arms and military equipment. The base was used as Sri Lanka Army's 215 Brigade Headquarters. One of the major encounters broke out between the LTTE and the ''Special Forces'' (SF) commando reinforcements Lt. Col. Laphir and 36 others were killed and 60 more were wounded. Sri Lanka Air-force pilots landed the second batch of Commando's in the same location and also taken the dead body of Lt. Col. Laphir by rope pulled down from the helicopter under heavy LTTE gunfire. The code name given by the LTTE "Oyatha Alaikal" (Endless Waves) to attack the Mullaitivu Military base and SLA code was named as "Operation Thrivida Pahara" for the rescue mission. * Operation Sathjaya 1997: SLA launched Operation Sathjaya to capture
Kilinochchi Kilinochchi ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி, translit=Kiḷinocci; si, කිලිනොච්චි, translit=Girānika) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road so ...
from LTTE. After 70 days of siege Army finally captured Kilinochchi. * Operation Jayasikurui (1997-1998): In May 1997 SLA launched Operation Jayasikurui (Sure Victory) to open land route to
Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
Peninsula. The main objective of the operation was to liberate A9 Highway from
Vavuniya Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municip ...
to
Kilinochchi Kilinochchi ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி, translit=Kiḷinocci; si, කිලිනොච්චි, translit=Girānika) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road so ...
. The total distance was approximately 70 km. Army abandoned this operation after 18 months without achieving its main goal. * Operation Unceasing Waves II: LTTE launched Operation Unceasing Waves II also known as
1998 Battle of Kilinochchi The Battle of Kilinochchi (codenamed Operation Unceasing Waves II by the Tamil Tigers) was a battle that occurred in September 1998 for the control of the city of Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka (geographical coordinates ). The battle was fought betw ...
. . LTTE recaptured
Kilinochchi Kilinochchi ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி, translit=Kiḷinocci; si, කිලිනොච්චි, translit=Girānika) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road so ...
town from Army after 3 days of intense battle. * Operation Ranagosha (Battle cry): It was carried out in 4 phases. Army captured more than 500sq.km. of LTTE territory in
Vanni (Sri Lanka) The Vanni, also spelled Wanni, is the name given to the mainland area of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It covers the entirety of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya Districts, and most of Kilinochchi District, and has an area of approximately . ...
. * Operation Rivibala: It was a secret operation launched by Army to capture
Oddusuddan Oddusuddan is a town in the Mullaitivu District, Sri Lanka. In Tamil Oddu-suddan translates to 'roof-tile-making-place'. It is located nearly halfway between Maankulam and Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, tra ...
. It was an important LTTE base near LTTE's stronghold
Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely f ...
. * Operation Unceasing Waves III: LTTE launched
Operation Unceasing Waves III The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was a battle fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan mi ...
on the first week of November 1999. On first day LTTE began
Oddusuddan offensive (1999) The Oddusuddan offensive was a military operation in which the Tamil Tigers captured Oddusuddan from the Sri Lankan Army. They were also believed to have captured large amounts of weapons and ammunition as well as armoured vehicles during the ...
. After capturing the base they attacked
Kanakarayankulam Kanakarayankulam is a small town in Sri Lanka. It is located within Northern Province. See also *List of towns in Northern Province, Sri Lanka Northern Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Jaffna District, Kilinochchi District, ...
Army HQ. After the fall of the base LTTE recaptured most part of Vanni . * Second Battle of Elephant Pass: LTTE after liberating Vanni launched their attack to liberate Jaffna Peninsula. Known as
Second Battle of Elephant Pass The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was a battle fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan mi ...
LTTE stepped up operation inside Jaffna Peninsula. Under the leadership of Kandiah Balasegaran LTTE launched SL Civil War's largest behind enemy line operation. After 34 days long battle
Elephant Pass Elephant Pass, (, si, අලිමංකඩ Alimankada) Northern Province, Sri Lanka is located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It lies about 340 km north from capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's larg ...
base fell to Tamil Tigers. * Operation Unceasing Waves IV: On 26 September 2000 LTTE launched
Operation Unceasing Waves IV Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * Operations (magazine ...
. The objective of the operation was to capture Jaffna. * LTTE's Unilateral ceasefire: On 24 December 2000 LTTE declared Unilateral ceasefire. It was ended on 24 April 2001. * Operation Agni keela: Army launched Operation Agnikeela on 25 April 2001within few hours after LTTE ended their unilateral ceasefire. Its main objective was to retake Elephant Pass Garrison which they lost to LTTE one year back. LTTE had
Booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...
whole paths and effectively positioned their artillery and mortar units. Due to heavy casualties, the army abandoned the operation. * 2002 Peace Process: After few rounds of talks Sri Lankan Government and LTTE signed permanent ceasefire on 22 February 2002. Thus Eelam War III came to an end.


Civilian killings


Kallarawa massacre

The Kallarawa massacre is an incident on May 25, 1995 during which
LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
cadres massacred 42
Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...
men, women and children in Kallarawa. All the remaining civilian survivors fled the village after this incident leading to its depopulation. However survivors from the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities have returned to Kallarawa under the protection of the Sri Lankan Army.


Gonagala massacre

The Gonagala Massacre was a massacre that occurred on September 18, 1999, in the small village of Gonagala, located in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka. According to reports, over 50 men, women and children were hacked to death in the middle of the night. The massacre is attributed to the LTTE, which is banned as a terrorist organization by a number of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, India and the European Union. The Gonagala massacre is one of several such attacks believed to have been carried out by the LTTE. However these murders gained notoriety because, unlike previous attacks, most of the LTTE cadres who took part in it were women. According to survivors, there was a significant presence of female cadres among the 75 LTTE cadres who took part in the killings


Controversy over the Army's handling of its casualties and their families

In August 2001, S. P. Thamilselvan, the leader of the political wing of the Tamil Tigers, accused the Sri Lankan Army of intentionally abandoning the bodies of nearly a thousand soldiers on the battlefields since May, despite the Tamils’ request that the Red Cross act as an intermediate. He told visiting relatives of missing servicemen that the military had only accepted 55 bodies to return to their families, while burying the rest with full military honors on the spot. Thamilselvan did not offer a reason for the army's refusal, but did note that several hundred decomposing bodies remained in a minefield due to the danger of extracting them. A Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, acknowledged that the army cannot always retrieve a body because it might cost more lives, but denied the Tamil accusations, saying they were propaganda aimed at demoralizing the parents of the missing soldiers. However, this was not the first time issues had arisen over reclamation of soldiers’ remains and the Army's responsiveness to the requests of families of missing soldiers for information regarding their fate. In April 2003, a group of parents of some of the 619 soldiers reported missing from a battle fought 27 September 1998 obtained permission from the LTTE to travel to the battle site. The families’ previous inquiries at the Defense Ministry, the Sri Lankan Army, and the International Committee of the Red Cross for information on their sons’ fates had been fruitless. At the battlefield they learned that some 500 bodies had been piled together, doused with
kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
, and burnt on the spot by the Sri Lankan Army. Upon their return, a lawsuit was filed on the families’ behalf requesting a mass funeral and DNA testing so Buddhist, Muslim and Christian families could collect their sons’ remains and give them proper burials. The
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
organized funeral in 2006, but declined to perform the requested DNA testing.


Killing of prisoners by the LTTE

Although it had stated that it abides by the
Third Geneva Convention The Third Geneva Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War was first adopted in 1929, but significantl ...
for the treatment of
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...
, it has been accused of mass execution and torture of captured soldiers in the Battle of Mullaitivu and in the Battle of Vavunathivu.


See also

* *
Eelam War I Eelam War I (23 July 1983 - 29 July 1987) is the name given to the initial phase of the armed conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. Although tensions between the government and Tamil militant groups had been brewing since ...
*
Eelam War II Eelam War II is the name given to the second phase of armed conflict between Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The war started after the failure of peace talks between the Premadasa government and the LTT ...
*
Eelam War IV Eelam War IV is the name given to the fourth phase of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Renewed hostilities began on the 26 July 2006, when Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets ...
* Sri Lankan Civil War


References


External links


Ministry of Defence, Sri LankaGoSL Peace SecretariatLTTE Peace SecretariatSri Lanka Monitoring MissionLanka Academic, news site sponsored by Sri Lankan academics worldwide

Sangam.org

Texts of key agreements in the peace process and an analysis of the process by Conciliation Resources



hWeb - Sri Lanka’s recent history of ethnic conflict and political crisis originates from its colonial legacy

NorthEast Secretariat report on Human rights 1974-2004hWeb - Sri Lanka’s recent history of ethnic conflict originates from its colonial legacy Peace&War: Humanity Ashore Pictorial Sri Lanka's Profile Timeline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eelam War Iii Phases of the Sri Lankan Civil War 1990s in Sri Lanka 2000s in Sri Lanka 1990s conflicts 2000s conflicts Counterterrorism in Sri Lanka Guerrilla wars Tamil Eelam History of Sri Lanka (1948–present) Military history of Sri Lanka 1995 in Sri Lanka 1996 in Sri Lanka 1997 in Sri Lanka 1998 in Sri Lanka 1999 in Sri Lanka 2000 in Sri Lanka 2001 in Sri Lanka 2002 in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Civil War