LTTE (LIBERTATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM) AND PLOTE (PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ORGANIZATION OF TAMIL EELAM)

The full form is Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (தமிழீழ விடுதலை புலிகள்). The term LTTE is mostly used by Indian and Sri Lankan media.

They are/were known by other names too:

1. Tamil Tigers : Most popular name and often used by western media.
2. “Liberation Tigers” (விடுதலை புலிகள்) or “Tigers” (புலிகள்) : Used by Tamil media.

In 1979 LTTE saw a split and a group of LTTE members under the leadership of Iyer founded PLOTE. Already expelled former LTTE chairman Uma Maheswaran was made its first chief.

For a long time, Uma Maheswaran refused to give up the right over the name LTTE and always claimed that they(PLOTE) were the real Tigers. He used to issues statements as an LTTE chief. This really angered Prabhakaran.

In the early 1980s, TULF chief Amirthalingam along with a few other Eelam and Tamil Nadu political leaders hosted a meeting between LTTE and PLOTE representatives.

Finally, Uma agreed to give up his claim over the name. Also, Prabhakaran promised that LTTE will not try to kill Uma Maheswaran and vice versa.

In 1989 Uma was killed by his former colleagues who had formed a splinter group of PLOTE. There is also a rumor that Uma was killed by the SL Government to bury the secrets of the Maldives coup(1988).

Just in case if people didn’t know the Maldivinian Coup was carried out with the help of Tamil militants(PLOTE).