You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 54.163.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪Blablubbs‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 17:28, 10 March 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 18:27, 12 November 2023
- Expiry of block: 18:27, 12 November 2028
Your current IP address is 54.163.179.242. The blocked range is 54.163.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((main|Sri Lankan Civil War))
((More citations needed|date=October 2014))
((Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Eelam War I
| partof            = the [[Sri Lankan Civil War]]
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| date              = ((ubl|((Start and end dates|1983|7|23|1987|7|29|df=yes))<br />(((Age in years, months and days|1983|7|23|1987|7|29)))))
| place             = [[Sri Lanka]]
| coordinates       = 
| map_type          = 
| latitude          = 
| longitude         = 
| map_size          = 
| map_caption       = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Peace deal negotiated by [[India]], and arrival of [[IPKF|Indian peacekeepers]]
| status            = 
| combatant1        = ((flag|Sri Lanka))
*((army|Sri Lanka))
| combatant2        = ((Flagicon image|Tamil Eelam Flag.svg|15px))  [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
| combatant3        = 
| commander1        = ((flagicon|Sri Lanka)) '''[[J.R. Jayewardene]]'''<br>((Flagicon image|Flag of the Sri Lankan Army.png|15px))  [[Lieutenant General|Lt. Gen]] [[T. I. Weerathunga]]<br>((Flagicon image|Flag of the Sri Lankan Army.png|15px))  [[Lieutenant General|Lt. Gen]] [[Nalin Seneviratne]]
| commander2        = ((Flagicon image|Tamil Eelam Flag.svg|15px))  [[Velupillai Prabhakaran]]
| commander3        = 
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| strength3         = 
| casualties1       = 
| casualties2       = 
| casualties3       = 
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = ((Campaignbox Eelam War I))
((Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War))
))
'''Eelam War I''' (23 July 1983 - 29 July 1987) is the name given to the initial phase of the [[Sri Lankan Civil War|armed conflict]] between the government of [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[LTTE]].<ref>((Cite book |last=Castellano |first=Isaac M |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1030344604 |title=Civil War Interventions and Their Benefits: Unequal Return. |date=2015 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-8887-3 |location=Lanham |pages=131 |language=English |oclc=1030344604))</ref>

Although tensions between the government and Tamil militant groups had been brewing since the 1970s, full-scale war did not break out until an attack by the LTTE on a [[Sri Lanka Army]] patrol in [[Jaffna]], in the north of the country, on July 23, 1983, which killed 13 soldiers.<ref>((Cite book |last=Skaine |first=Rosemarie |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/845245192 |title=Suicide warfare: culture, the military, and the individual as a weapon |date=2013 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-313-39864-3 |location=Santa Barbara, Calif |pages=163 |language=English |oclc=845245192))</ref> The attack, and the subsequent riots in the south (dubbed [[Black July]]), are generally considered the start of the conflict. The fighting continued until 1985 when peace talks were held between the two sides in [[Thimphu]], [[Bhutan]] in hopes of seeking a negotiated settlement.<ref>((Cite book |last=O'Ballance |first=Edgar |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1000745010 |title=The cyanide war: Tamil insurrection in Sri Lanka, 1973-88 |publisher=Brassey's (UK) ; Pergamon Press [distributor for the U.S. |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-08-036695-1 |location=London; Washington [D.C.]; Elmsford, N.Y., USA |pages=50 |language=English |oclc=1000745010))</ref> The peace talks proved as fruitless and fighting soon resumed.

On May 17, 1986, the Sri Lankan military launched an offensive to take control of the [[Jaffna peninsula]] but was met with fierce resistance from the LTTE which forced the Sri Lankan Army to withdraw after three days of intense fighting. Thereafter, the Sri Lankan military strategy shifted to mortar shelling and aerial bombing which drove the Tamil population out of the eastern coast of the Jaffna peninsula.<ref>((Cite news |last=Parthasarathy |first=Malini |date=June 13, 1986 |title=A military and political misadventure |pages=17–20 |work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]))</ref>

In 1987, the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]] of the [[Military of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan military]] had cornered the LTTE in Jaffna, on the tip of the island, and were confident of bringing an end to the conflict. However, due to internal pressure, specifically concern about the 50 million Tamils living in [[India]], the Indian government called for a halt to the offensive. After the request was snubbed by Sri Lanka, the Indian [[Prime Minister]] [[Rajiv Gandhi]] ordered a flotilla of ships be sent to relieve the economic embargo imposed on the population in Jaffna. After the convoy was blocked by the [[Sri Lanka Navy]], India instead chose to airdrop supplies to the besieged city in a mission codenamed [[Operation Poomalai]].<ref>((cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9B0DE0D8173FF936A35755C0A961948260&n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fIndia|title=India Airlifts Aid To Tamil Rebels|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=5 June 1987 |access-date=7 October 2014 |last1=Weisman |first1=Steven R. ))</ref>

Following the successful completion of the mission, and faced with the possibility of further involvement of the Indian military, including reports that Indian ground forces were being prepared for possible involvement in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka President J. R. Jayewardene held talks with the Indian government to resolve the dispute. As a result of the negotiations, the siege of Jaffna was lifted and the [[Indo-Sri-Lankan accord|Indo-Sri-Lankan Peace Accord]] was signed on July 29, 1987. Sri Lankan troops then withdraw from the north of the country and handed over control over the entire area to Indian [[peacekeeping]] troops named the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]]. This brought about an end to the first stage of the ethnic conflict.

== First suicide bombing ==
((main|Captain Miller (Tamil militant)|l1=Captain Miller))

In this armed conflict, the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] launched its first suicide attack with a truck bombing. On 5 July 1987, a suicide bomber [[Captain Miller (Tamil militant)|Captain Miller]] drove a truck loaded with explosives and rammed the truck into the army camp at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam.<ref>((cite news |last1=Tamkin |first1=Emily |title=Sri Lanka is all too familiar with suicide bombing |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/04/22/sri-lanka-is-all-too-familiar-with-suicide-bombing/ |access-date=23 April 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=22 April 2019))</ref><ref>((Cite book |last1=Halder |first1=Radhika |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1114504557 |title=Understanding suicide terrorism |last2=Patney |first2=Vinod |last3=KW Publishers (New Delhi |first3=India) |last4=Centre for Air Power Studies (New Delhi |first4=India) |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-367-43838-8 |language=English |oclc=1114504557))</ref><ref>((cite news |title=Two decades later, LTTE suicide bombers live on ((!)) Asia News |url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/two-decades-later-ltte-suicide-bombers-live-on_380883.html |access-date=23 April 2022 |work=Zee News |publisher=[[Zee News]] |date=5 July 2007 |language=en))</ref> At least 40 Sri Lankan army were killed in that incident.<ref>((Cite book |last=Lahiri |first=Simanti |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/876346345 |title=Suicide protest in South Asia: consumed by commitment |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-82099-8 |location=London |pages=113 |language=English |oclc=876346345))</ref><ref>((Cite book |last1=Hawdon |first1=James |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1200098709 |title=The causes and consequences of group violence from bullies to terrorists |last2=Ryan |first2=John |last3=Lucht |first3=Marc |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-7391-8897-2 |location=Lanham, Maryland |pages=98, 99 |language=English |oclc=1200098709))</ref>

==Civilian killings==

===Black July===
((main|Black July))
On July 24, the day the 13 servicemen killed in an [[Four Four Bravo|LTTE ambush]] were to be buried, some [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] civilians who had gathered at the cemetery, angered by news of the ambush, which was magnified by wild rumor,<ref>((Cite book |last=O'Ballance |first=Edgar |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1000745010 |title=The cyanide war: Tamil insurrection in Sri Lanka, 1973-88 |publisher=Brassey's (UK) ; Pergamon Press [distributor for the U.S. |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-08-036695-1 |location=London; Washington [D.C.]; Elmsford, N.Y., USA |pages=22 |language=English |oclc=1000745010))</ref> formed [[crowd|mobs]] and started killing, raping, and assaulting Tamils while looting and burning their properties in retribution for what happened. Sinhalese civilians were equipped with voter registration lists, burning and attacking only Tamil residences and business, while army and government officials stood by. Even Sinhalese civilians who harbored Tamil families in their households (or suspected of doing so) were set upon by the mobs.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/vanakam-fable-and-sinhalese-helping-hands|title=Vanakam Fable and the Sinhalese helping hands.|publisher=Asiantribune.com|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051459/http://www.asiantribune.com/vanakam-fable-and-sinhalese-helping-hands|url-status=dead))</ref> According to Tamil Center for Human Rights (TCHR), the total number of Tamils killed in the Black July pogrom was 5,638.<ref>((cite web | url=http://www.tchr.net/50_year_arrest_kill.htm | title=Recorded figures of Arrests, Killings, Disappearances ))</ref>

===Kent and Dollar Farm massacres===
((main|Kent and Dollar Farm massacres))

In November 1984, Sinhalese convicts were settled in the Kent and Dollar farms after the Tamil civilians living there were evicted by the Sri Lankan Army. The settlement of prisoners was used to further harass Tamils into leaving the area. The Sinhala settlers confirmed that young Tamil women were abducted, brought there and gang-raped, first by the forces, next by prison guards and finally by prisoners.<ref>Rajan Hoole –  The Arrogance of Power, Chapter 14, Section 3 - On to Weli Oya (2001)</ref><ref>T.Sabaratnam - Pirapaharan Chapter 23, Manal Aru becomes Weli Oya (2004)</ref><ref name=":1">University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) Sri Lanka, Information Bulletin No.4, 13 February 1995, Padaviya-Weli Oya: bearing the burden of ideology http://www.uthr.org/bulletins/bul4.htm</ref>

Following this settlement, the LTTE committed their first massacre of Sinhalese civilians. The massacres took place on November 30, 1984, in two tiny farming villages in the district of Mullaitivu in north-eastern Sri Lanka.

===Anuradhapura massacre===
((main|Anuradhapura massacre))
The Anuradhapura massacre is an incident on May 14, 1985, in which LTTE cadres massacred 146 Sinhalese men, women, and children in Anuradhapura. The LTTE hijacked a bus and entered Anuradhapura. As the LTTE cadres entered the main bus station, they opened fire indiscriminately with automatic weapons killing and wounding many civilians who were waiting for buses. LTTE cadres then drove to the Buddhist Sri Maha Bobhi shrine and gunned down nuns, monks and civilians as they prayed inside the Buddhist shrine. Before they withdrew, the LTTE strike force entered the national park of Wilpattu and killed 18 Sinhalese in the forest reserve. The attack was allegedly sparked by the [[1985 Valvettiturai massacre]], where the Sri Lanka Army massacred 70 Tamil civilians in the LTTE's leader hometown.<ref>M.R.R.Hoole, The Tamil Secessionist Movement in Sri Lanka (Ceylon): A  Case of Secession by Default? http://www.uthr.org/Rajan/selfdet.htm</ref>

=== Prawn farm massacre ===
((Main|Prawn farm massacre))
The Prawn farm massacre, also known as the 1987 Kokkadichcholai massacre, took place on January 27, 1987 in the village of [[Kokkadichcholai]] in [[Batticaloa District]]. At least 83 Tamil civilians were killed.<ref>((cite news |last=Rajasingam |first=K. T |date=2002-03-30 |title=Sri Lanka: The untold Story, Chapter 33: India shows its hand |work=Asian Times |url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DC30Df04.html |url-status=unfit |access-date=2007-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020407114337/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DC30Df04.html |archive-date=2002-04-07))</ref><ref name="McConnell20082">((cite journal |author=McConnell, D. |year=2008 |title=The Tamil people's right to self-determination |journal=Cambridge Review of International Affairs |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=59–76 |doi=10.1080/09557570701828592|s2cid=154770852 ))</ref> The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)|Special Task Force]] (STF), an elite [[special forces]] unit of the [[Sri Lanka Police]], was accused of having perpetrated the massacre.<ref name="McConnell20082" /><ref name="uthr2">((cite web |last=Hoole |first=Rajan |date=2002-05-14 |title=Kokkadichcholai massacre and after |url=http://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report8/chapter3.htm |access-date=2007-07-19 |publisher=[[University Teachers for Human Rights]]))</ref> The STF entered the village from Vellaveli, Kondavedduvan, Kaluvanchikudi and Kallandy camps in trucks. At a nearby junction, a vehicle was parked and some STF officers exited the vehicle and walked into the prawn farm. The STF gathered up the farm employees, checked their identity cards and herded them onto a [[semi-trailer]]; they were taken to a road junction and shot dead. Seven of the victims were boys aged 12 to 14. Forty non-employees who had sought refuge in the farm were also shot and killed. The bodies were later burnt on piles of old tires obtained by the security forces from the town's bus depot.<ref name="island3">((Cite news |date=1987-02-04 |title=Military operations in the East |newspaper=The Island (Sri Lanka)))</ref>

==See also==
*[[Origins of the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
*((C|Phases of the Sri Lankan Civil War))
*[[Eelam War II]]
*[[Eelam War III]]
*[[Eelam War IV]]
*[[List of Sri Lankan Civil War battles]]
*[[List of attacks attributed to the LTTE]]
*[[Sri Lankan Civil War]]

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
*[http://www.defence.lk/ Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060112015449/http://www.peaceinsrilanka.org/ Government of Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080509081557/http://www.ltteps.org/ LTTE Peace Secretariat]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070710120517/http://www.slmm.lk/ Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission]
*[http://www.tamilnet.com/ Tamilnet]

((Sri Lankan Civil War))

[[Category:Eelam War I| ]]
[[Category:Phases of the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:1980s in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1980s conflicts]]
[[Category:Guerrilla wars]]
[[Category:Tamil Eelam]]
[[Category:History of Sri Lanka (1948–present)]]
[[Category:Military history of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1983 in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1984 in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1985 in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1986 in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:1987 in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Eelam War I (edit)
Template:Age in years, months and days (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Army (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Army/core (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:C (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Campaignbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Campaignbox Eelam War I (edit)
Template:Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War (edit)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite journal (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Country data India (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Country data Sri Lanka (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flag (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flag/core (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flagcountry (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flagcountry/core (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flagicon (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flagicon/core (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Flagicon image (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox military conflict (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Nobold (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Nobold/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Plainlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Small (view source) (protected)
Template:Smaller (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sri Lankan Civil War (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Stack/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Stack begin (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Stack end (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Start and end dates (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Ubl (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Unbulleted list (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno (view source) (protected)
Template:Yesno-no (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:\ (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Age (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Date (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox military conflict (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox military conflict/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Labelled list hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:List (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Military navigation (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:TableTools (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:WPMILHIST Infobox style (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Eelam War I.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eelam_War_I"