Timeline of the War
1972:
Velupillai Prabhakaran forms a Tamil militant group which in 1976 changes its name to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
July 23, 1983:
LTTE ambush an army patrol, killing 13 soldiers in the Jaffna peninsula and sparking anti-Tamil riots elsewhere, leaving some 600 people, mostly Tamils, dead.
July 8, 1985:
Government opens first direct talks with Tamil guerrillas. Talks fail.
July 29, 1987:
India and Sri Lanka reach agreement on deployment of Indian peace-keeping force.
March 24, 1990:
Indian troops withdraw with LTTE in control of large areas of northern Sri Lanka. Tigers begin running a de facto separate state.
May 21, 1991:
Former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi killed allegedly by LTTE suicide bomber.
May 1, 1993:
President Ranasinghe Premadasa killed by LTTE suicide bomber.
1994:
President Chandrika Kumaratunga comes to power pledging to end war and opens peace talks with the LTTE. Fighting resumes in April 1995.
December 2, 1995:
LTTE bastion of Jaffna falls to Sri Lankan army.
January 31, 1996:
Tigers bomb the central bank in Colombo, killing 91 people.
July 18, 1996:
Tigers overrun army camp in northeastern town of Mullattivu.
October 8, 1997:
The United States declares the LTTE a foreign terrorist organisation.
January 25, 1998:
An LTTE suicide bomb devastates Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth, killing 17 people. The government slaps a ban on the Tigers.
September 26, 1998:
Tigers overrun Kilinochchi army camp.
December 18, 1999:
President Kumaratunga wounded in assassination attempt blamed on the Tigers. Twenty-six others die.
December 30, 1999:
Kumaratunga announces she has invited Norway to help bring Tigers to peace table.
February, 2001
Britain outlaws LTTE as terrorist organisation, followed swiftly by Canada and Australia.
July, 2001:
Suicide attack by LTTE on the international airport kills 14.
February 21, 2002:
Government and the LTTE sign a permanent ceasefire agreement, paving the way for talks to end the long-running conflict. The peace initiative is sponsored by Norway. Truce ends in January 2008.
December, 2002:
At peace talks in Norway the government and the LTTE agree to share power. Under the deal, minority Tamils would have autonomy in the mainly Tamil-speaking north and east.
April 21, 2003:
Tigers suspend participation in peace talks saying they are being marginalised.
March 3, 2004:
Renegade Tamil Tiger commander, V. Muralitharan, known as Karuna, leads split from main LTTE movement.
Feb. 22, 2006:
Government and the LTTE meet in Switzerland for peace talks.
Nov. 2, 2007:
Tigers' political wing head S.P. Thamilselvan is killed in a government air raid.
Aug. 2, 2008:
Sri Lankan troops enter the Kilinochchi district which has been the LTTE's de facto political capital, for the first time in 11 years.
Jan. 2, 2009:
Sri Lankan forces enter Kilinochchi, leaving Tigers only the jungle district of Mullaittivu.
1972:
Velupillai Prabhakaran forms a Tamil militant group which in 1976 changes its name to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
July 23, 1983:
LTTE ambush an army patrol, killing 13 soldiers in the Jaffna peninsula and sparking anti-Tamil riots elsewhere, leaving some 600 people, mostly Tamils, dead.
July 8, 1985:
Government opens first direct talks with Tamil guerrillas. Talks fail.
July 29, 1987:
India and Sri Lanka reach agreement on deployment of Indian peace-keeping force.
March 24, 1990:
Indian troops withdraw with LTTE in control of large areas of northern Sri Lanka. Tigers begin running a de facto separate state.
May 21, 1991:
Former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi killed allegedly by LTTE suicide bomber.
May 1, 1993:
President Ranasinghe Premadasa killed by LTTE suicide bomber.
1994:
President Chandrika Kumaratunga comes to power pledging to end war and opens peace talks with the LTTE. Fighting resumes in April 1995.
December 2, 1995:
LTTE bastion of Jaffna falls to Sri Lankan army.
January 31, 1996:
Tigers bomb the central bank in Colombo, killing 91 people.
July 18, 1996:
Tigers overrun army camp in northeastern town of Mullattivu.
October 8, 1997:
The United States declares the LTTE a foreign terrorist organisation.
January 25, 1998:
An LTTE suicide bomb devastates Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth, killing 17 people. The government slaps a ban on the Tigers.
September 26, 1998:
Tigers overrun Kilinochchi army camp.
December 18, 1999:
President Kumaratunga wounded in assassination attempt blamed on the Tigers. Twenty-six others die.
December 30, 1999:
Kumaratunga announces she has invited Norway to help bring Tigers to peace table.
February, 2001
Britain outlaws LTTE as terrorist organisation, followed swiftly by Canada and Australia.
July, 2001:
Suicide attack by LTTE on the international airport kills 14.
February 21, 2002:
Government and the LTTE sign a permanent ceasefire agreement, paving the way for talks to end the long-running conflict. The peace initiative is sponsored by Norway. Truce ends in January 2008.
December, 2002:
At peace talks in Norway the government and the LTTE agree to share power. Under the deal, minority Tamils would have autonomy in the mainly Tamil-speaking north and east.
April 21, 2003:
Tigers suspend participation in peace talks saying they are being marginalised.
March 3, 2004:
Renegade Tamil Tiger commander, V. Muralitharan, known as Karuna, leads split from main LTTE movement.
Feb. 22, 2006:
Government and the LTTE meet in Switzerland for peace talks.
Nov. 2, 2007:
Tigers' political wing head S.P. Thamilselvan is killed in a government air raid.
Aug. 2, 2008:
Sri Lankan troops enter the Kilinochchi district which has been the LTTE's de facto political capital, for the first time in 11 years.
Jan. 2, 2009:
Sri Lankan forces enter Kilinochchi, leaving Tigers only the jungle district of Mullaittivu.
