1. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam: Origins, Objectives, Doctrine

2. Objectives and Doctrine
Autonomy
Ethnonationalist
Marxist

3. Ethnic division
Sinhala-Tamil Split
Religious and ethnic tensions

4. Historical Underpinnings
Pre-colonization
Colonial period
Independent Sri Lanka
Pre colonization - never ruled all together
Colonial - tamil minority at an advantage in colonial government
Independence - sinhalese majority reclaims advantages, makes sinhalese official language, buddhism official religion, limits tamil educational opportunity, etc

5. LTTE as leader for Tamil independence
Road to Civil War
Nonviolent means
Other Groups
LTTE as leader for Tamil independence

6. State Support Support from India, Cambodia, and Thailand
Rajiv Gandhi
Support from India, Cambodia, and Thailand
India provided strategic training
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Cambodia provided military weapons
Thailand was manpower and arms acquirement

7. NGO Support Not as many groups as state support
Taliban
Not as many groups as state support
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines
Taliban in Afghanistan
Arms transfers and other wholesale activities

8. Funding Through Human Trafficking
People smuggling
From Sri Lanka and India to the West
$18,000 to $32,000 per transaction
Thailand and Canada
People being smuggled on a boat

9. Funding Through Other Crime
Large portion of finances came from other crimes such as:
Piracy
Drug trafficking
Arms smuggling
Other petty crimes

10. Leadership Funding Annual budget of around $200-$300 million.
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Annual budget of around $200-$300 million.
Pathmanathan’s bank accounts
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Shanmugalingam Shivashankar: leader of security intelligence
Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam
the Aiyanna Group

11. Global Support Network of the LTTE
Diaspora
Eelam War I
International support network

12. The Diaspora and Financing
Direct contributions
Syphoning from Tamil Organizations
Revenue sharing with businesses
80% of funds raised
Coercive practices

13. The Diaspora and Public Support
Anton Balasingham & Sivagnam Gopalarathinam
3 pronged propaganda message
Front Organizations: UTO/FACT
Digital propaganda and events
Legitimacy in foreign countries

14. Support Within Sri Lanka
Consolidation of opposition groups
Propaganda
Schools

15. “Recruitment” of Women and Children
Forcible kidnapping
Threats to families
3,000-9,000 children
Attention from international organizations
Propaganda appealed to feminism
Women were elevated to military role
Nearly ⅓ of LTTE forces