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Eelam

Eelam

1 9.9
An area in Sri Lanka that some Tamil groups want as an independent country
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : Eelam
  • To continue the Sri Lankan example, the acceptance of a new country of Tamil Eelam would not necessarily solve all the ethnic conflicts on that island.
  • Tamil Eelam
  • Tigers of Tamil Eelam
  • Organization of Tamil Eelam

Examples

  • They have also made a request for whoever supports Eelam to come get training.

    Academic text (2006)
  • What if most of the Muslim population in a new country of Tamil Eelam elected to secede and form yet another independent country?

    Academic text (1997)
  • What needs to be noted, however, is that the concept of Eelam was intimately rooted in both the development and the discrimination experienced by the region and its population.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In response, the Tamils formed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fight for sovereignty.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Hindu Tamils violently fight for Tamil Eelam (independence) from Sinhalese Buddhist dominance and oppression in the island country.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sought to establish an independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

  • Throughout the conflict, the idea of an independent Tamil Eelam was at the forefront of the Liberation Tigers' agenda.

  • The establishment of Eelam was a primary goal for the Tamil separatist groups battling the Sri Lankan government.

Synonyms

Tamil Eelam
vsEelam
9.9

A proposed independent state in Sri Lanka for the Tamil people

is mainly sought by broader Tamil separatist groups rather than only the Tamil Tigers

Compounds

An armed group in Sri Lanka that fought for a separate Tamil state and used suicide attacks

A proposed independent state in Sri Lanka for the Tamil people

Surface Forms

Eelam singular
Eelams plural

Etymology

The word Eelam comes from Tamil and was used by Tamil people to refer to the island and their 'homeland'. So, Eelam became the name for the idea of a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka.