Eelam National Liberation Front
Encyclopedia
The Eelam National Liberation Front (ENLF) was a short-lived umbrella organisation for leading Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
.
invited the leaders of the five leading Tamil militant groups, Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
(EPRLF), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
(EROS), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
(PLOTE) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
(TELO), for talks aimed at uniting the groups. K. Padmanaba (EPRLF), V. Balakumaran (EROS) and Sri Sabaratnam (TELO) accepted the invitation but Velupillai Prabhakaran
(LTTE) and Uma Maheswaran (PLOTE) did not.
Shortly afterward EPRLF, EROS and TELO formed the Eelam National Liberation Front. The inaugural meeting of the ENLF was held at the EPRLF's office in Madras (now Chennai) and Ramesh of the EPRLF was elected the secretary. After the meeting Padmanaba, Balakumaran and Sri Sabaratnam issued a statement announcing the formation of the ENLF:
Although the ENLF members would work together to achieve their common aim they would each maintain their own distinct identity. Other major liberation groups i.e. LTTE and PLOTE, were invited to join the ENLF. The objectives of the ENLF were:
The ENLF members agreed to coordinate armed activities against the Sri Lankan armed forces; unify propaganda conducted in foreign countries; and create a unified body to administer the funds collected from individuals and institutions.
; EPRLF – Padmanaba, Kulasegaran and Ramesh; EROS – Balakumaran and Muhilan; TELO – Sri Sabaratnam and Mathi. After the meeting a statement was issued:
The objectives of the ENLF were revised to:
The ENLF members agreed to make joint political decisions and to coordinate military actions against the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The unity amongst the Tamil militant groups was widely welcomed by supporters of the Tamil independence movement.
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka in order to create an independent Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka. They rose in response to the perception amongst minority Sri Lankan Tamils that the state was preferring the majority Sinhalese...
.
Formation
In April 1984 M. KarunanidhiM. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
invited the leaders of the five leading Tamil militant groups, Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K...
(EPRLF), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
The Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students , 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 in 1990. The rump, which continues to use the EROS name, has...
(EROS), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE), People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:...
(PLOTE) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization is an Eelam Tamil organisation campaigning for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam in the northeast of Sri Lanka. The TELO was originally created as a militant group, and functioned as such until 1986, when most of its membership was killed in a...
(TELO), for talks aimed at uniting the groups. K. Padmanaba (EPRLF), V. Balakumaran (EROS) and Sri Sabaratnam (TELO) accepted the invitation but Velupillai Prabhakaran
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Thiruvenkadam Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
(LTTE) and Uma Maheswaran (PLOTE) did not.
Shortly afterward EPRLF, EROS and TELO formed the Eelam National Liberation Front. The inaugural meeting of the ENLF was held at the EPRLF's office in Madras (now Chennai) and Ramesh of the EPRLF was elected the secretary. After the meeting Padmanaba, Balakumaran and Sri Sabaratnam issued a statement announcing the formation of the ENLF:
Although the ENLF members would work together to achieve their common aim they would each maintain their own distinct identity. Other major liberation groups i.e. LTTE and PLOTE, were invited to join the ENLF. The objectives of the ENLF were:
- Winning the independence for our motherland from the domination of the Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. - Pledge to work for the full independence of Tamil Eelam and decision to accept nothing less.
- Adopt armed struggle as our path to freedom and endeavour to unite all sections of our people.
- Building a socialist society in Tamil Eelam.
- Liberating our motherland from the shackles of American imperialism and neocolonialismNeocolonialismNeocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...
.
The ENLF members agreed to coordinate armed activities against the Sri Lankan armed forces; unify propaganda conducted in foreign countries; and create a unified body to administer the funds collected from individuals and institutions.
LTTE joins ENLF
In early 1985 Prabhakaran changed his mid about the ENLF and decided to join. On 10 April 1985 senior members of the ENLF and LTTE met at the Hotel Presidency, Madras. Those attending the meeting were: LTTE – Prabhakaran , Rajanayagam and Anton BalasinghamAnton Balasingham
Anton Stanislaus Balasingham was the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a militant organization...
; EPRLF – Padmanaba, Kulasegaran and Ramesh; EROS – Balakumaran and Muhilan; TELO – Sri Sabaratnam and Mathi. After the meeting a statement was issued:
The objectives of the ENLF were revised to:
- Winning the freedom and sovereignty of our motherland from the oppressive rule of Sri Lanka.
- Not to accept any solution lesser than the establishment of an independent state with the right to self-determination.
- Adopting mass armed struggle (People’s Struggle) as the mode of struggle.
- Taking forward the socialist revolution along with the freedom struggle and building a socialist society in our motherland.
- Delivering our nation from the clutches of global imperialism and neocolonialism and leading it on the path of nonalignment.
The ENLF members agreed to make joint political decisions and to coordinate military actions against the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The unity amongst the Tamil militant groups was widely welcomed by supporters of the Tamil independence movement.