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asked the IPKF to stop the violence; the IPKF expanded Prakesh, Sanjiv. “Sri Lanka: A Peace Offering.” Defense
to 80,000 men as India discovered the tenacity and and Foreign Affairs, February 1988, 30.
fighting capabilities of the guerrillas. “Sri Lanka Faces a Critical Strategic Watershed.” Defense
The IPKF pulled out of Jaffna in 1990, leaving the and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, October 2001, 30.
“Tamil Tigers Break U.N. Pledge on Child Soldiers.” The
city to the Tigers. For the next five years, a military
Independent (London), February 4, 2000.
stalemate ensued, while the Tigers set up a para-state
“The War the World Is Missing.” The Economist, October
in the Northern Province, operating schools, hospi-
7, 2000.
tals, courts, and other government facilities. In 1995,
Yapa, Vijith, and David Orr. “Tamil Raid Kills 1,000
another government counterattack succeeded in Troops.” The Times (London), November 4, 1999.
expelling the rebels from Jaffna and in securing large
parts of the peninsula. The LTTE was not destroyed,
however; in 1999 it engaged in a series of battles that LIBY, ANAS AL-. See AL-LIBY, ANAS.
brought the port of Trincomalee and the Elephant Pass
(the only land route into the Northern Province) under
its control; the LTTE’s position was greatly strength-
ened by these conquests. The Tigers were unable to LONDON NAIL BOMBING. See
retake Jaffna, however, and currently a military stale- COPELAND, DAVID.
mate once again prevails.
Since the 1994 election of Chandrika Kumara-
tunga, the Sri Lankan government has been struggling
to propose a peace plan acceptable to the Sinhalese LOW-INTENSITY WARFARE. See
majority and to the Tamils in general and the rebels ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE.
in particular. The latest attempt, arrived at with the
help of Norway, is a peace agreement signed on
February 22, 2002. At the time of this writing, it
remains unclear whether this agreement will repre- LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE
sent an end to Sri Lanka’s 24-year war. LTTE leader
Prabhakaran has never altered his demand for a totally
independent Eelam, while elements within the Sinha- The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) is a Protestant
lese community view even political autonomy as too Unionist paramilitary group that has been responsible
great a concession. Political rivalries between President for a number of sectarian killings in Northern Ireland
Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wckreme- since 1996.
singhe—who brokered the agreement—may tempt A splinter group of the larger Ulster Volunteer
the president to exploit dissatisfactions for her own Force (UVF), the LVF broke with its parent organiza-
political gain. tion in 1996, in a dispute related to the Drumcree
Protests of that year. For more than 30 years, Northern
Ireland’s Roman Catholic minority, who wish the
Further Reading
province to become part of the Republic of Ireland,
Bose, Sumantra. States, Nations, Sovereignty: Sri Lanka, and its Protestant majority, who wish it to remain a
India, and the Tamil Eelam Movement. New Delhi and part of Great Britain, have been in bloody conflict.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, in association with the Book In late 1994, the major armed paramilitary groups rep-
Review Literary Trust, New Delhi, 1994. resenting both Protestants (also called Loyalists or
Bullion, Alan J. India, Sri Lanka and the Tamil Crisis,
Unionists) and Catholics (also called Nationalists or
1976-1994: An International Perspective. London and
Republicans) had declared cease-fires because they
New York: Pinter, 1995.
wished to participate in peace negotiations. By 1996,
Denish, Roy. “Sri Lanka: The Tiger Blitzkrieg.” India Today,
negotiations had stalled and remained so.
November 22, 1999, 54.
Protestant frustration and suspicion at the lack
Jayasinghe, Christine. “Sri Lanka: Calling a Truce.” India
Today, March 11, 2002, 50. of progress was aggravated in June by the banning
Marks, Thomas A. Maoist Insurgency Since Vietnam. of the Orange Order’s July 12 March (a parade in
London: Frank Cass, 1996. Belfast that commemorates a 1690 Protestant victory