People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam

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{{more citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
| native_name = தமிழீழ மக்கள் விடுதலைக் கழகம்
| lang1 = Tamil
| name_lang1 =
| lang2 =
| name_lang2 =
| logo =
| colorcode = {{party color|People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam}}
| leader = [[D. Siddarthan]]
| chairperson =
| president =
| secretary_general =
| founder = [[Uma Maheswaran]]
| leader1_title =
| leader1_name =
| slogan =
| founded = 1980
| dissolved =
| merger =
| split = [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
| predecessor =
| merged =
| successor =
| headquarters = 16 Haig Road, Bambalapiya, [[Colombo]] 4
| newspaper =
| student_wing =
| youth_wing =
| membership_year =
| membership =
| ideology = [[Tamil nationalism]]
| religion =
| national = [[Tamil National Alliance]]
| international =
| european =
| europarl =
| wing1_title = Electoral wing
| wing1 = [[Democratic People's Liberation Front]]
| colors =
| seats1_title = [[Parliament of Sri Lanka|Parliament]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|1|225|{{party color|People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam}}}}
| seats2_title =
| seats2 =
| seats3_title =
| seats3 =
| symbol = Anchor <br />
| flag = [[File:Bandera del PLOTE (Tàmils).svg|150px]]
| website = [http://www.plote.org/ plote.org]
| country = Sri Lanka
| footnotes =
}}
The '''People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam''' (PLOTE) is a former [[Tamil militant]] group that had become a pro-government [[paramilitary]] group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the [[Democratic People's Liberation Front]].

==Origins==
PLOTE was founded in 1980 by an ex-[[surveying|surveyor]] [[Uma Maheswaran]] alias Mukundan, who became its [[general secretary]]. He was the chairman of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (Tamil Tigers or LTTE) from 1977–1980. He was trained in [[Lebanon]] and later in [[Syria]] under the [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian nationalist]] organization [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]].{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} After a bitter rivalry with [[Velupillai Prabhakaran]], Uma Maheswaran left the LTTE in 1980 and formed PLOTE.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

==Coup in Maldives==
{{Main|1988 Maldives Coup}}
In late 1988, an attempted coup to overthrow the [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]]'s government in Maldives with the help of mercenaries from PLOTE was foiled with assistance from the Indian
Army and Navy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5D6163EF93BA25751C1A96E948260|title=Coup Attempt in Maldives Laid to Tamil Force|first=Barbara |last=Crossette |website=The New York Times|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

There have been suggestions that the PLOTE may have been promised one of the small Maldivian islands as a base, possibly for arms shipments. In a recent interview, Vetrichelvan PLOTE's former representative in New Delhi claims it was Athulathmudali, then Sri Lankan Prime Minister, who instigated PLOTE into such a venture on a promise of some islands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundayindian.com/ta/story/operation-maldive1988/2/1799/|title=Today English Newspaper Update Headlines India- The Sunday Indian Online Magazine - - The Sunday Indian|website=www.thesundayindian.com|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

==Conflict with LTTE==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2021}}
On May 19, 1982, a shootout occurred at about 9:45 p.m. at [[Pondy Bazaar]], [[Mambalam]], [[Madras]] between LTTE and PLOTE members. V. Prabhakaran and Raghavan (alias Sivakumar) of the LTTE, armed with [[revolver]]s, opened fire on Jotheeswaran and Mukundan (alias Uma Maheswaran) of the PLOTE. In the mid-1970s, both Prabhakaran and Uma Maheswaran were members of the LTTE. During the gunfire, Jotheeswaran sustained bullet injuries both in his right and left thighs. Mukundan was also shot at but escaped unhurt. The accused V. Prabhakaran and Sivakumar were arrested and [[Detention of suspects|remand]]ed. Both of them were proclaimed offenders of the [[Sri Lanka]]n government with a reward on their head of [[Sri Lankan rupee|Rs.]] 5 [[lakh]]s each.

On May 25, 1982, Uma Maheswaran was arrested near [[Gummidipoondi]] [[Chennai suburban railway|railway station]]. At the time of arrest, he opened fire with his revolver and another case was registered against him under the [[Indian Arms Act]].

In the meantime, on May 23, 1982 Sivaneswaran (alias Niranjan), an accomplice of Mukundan, was also arrested at Saidapet, Madras and an unlicensed revolver seized from him. All these accused remained in custody until August 5, 1982 when they were released by the orders of the court on conditional bail. The LTTE cadres including their leader V.Pirabhakaran had taken up residence at Mylapore Madras, while the leaders and members of the PLOTE had been staying at Saidapet, Madras.

==Demise of the organisation==
PLOTE lost its strength and momentum gradually due to continual conflicts with the LTTE. On July 16, 1989, Uma Maheswaran was assassinated in [[Colombo]]. A PLOTE splinter group claimed responsibility, though many{{who|date=November 2013}} still suspect Indian intelligence agency (RAW) involvement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD20Df03.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020427122344/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD20Df03.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=27 April 2002|title=Asia Times: SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY Chapter 36: Indians rule the roost|website=www.atimes.com|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

==Current status==
Currently {{when|date=August 2022}} it is functioning under the leadership of [[D. Siddarthan]] and is a pro-government minor political party that is alleged to cooperate with the Sri Lankan military against LTTE sympathizers. The group reportedly has around 1,500 permanent cadres in the north and east.<ref>"Paramilitary Politics, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting {{cite web |url=http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/04/sri-lanka-paramilitaries-.html |title=Untold Stories: Sri Lanka: Paramilitary Politics |access-date=2009-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416231928/http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/04/sri-lanka-paramilitaries-.html |archive-date=2009-04-16 }}</ref> In 2015 it was incorporated into the TNA.

===Paramilitary activities===
Some former members of the group also function along with the [[Sri Lankan Army]] as a [[para-military]] group in military activities against the LTTE. They have also been accused of murders{{by whom|date=November 2013}} against political opponents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jrs.net/old/inf/lka-spcl/dd10.htm |title=Untold Stories |access-date=2006-09-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518044404/http://www.jrs.net/old/inf/lka-spcl/dd10.htm |archive-date=2006-05-18 }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=November 2013}} A prominent former PLOTE and later paramilitary leader Manika Dasan was killed by the LTTE in a [[M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine|claymore bomb]] attack in the town of [[Vavuniya]].{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

Another paramilitary leader from the [[Batticlao]] region, Plote Mohan, was killed by LTTE assassins in Colombo in 2004.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

Involvement in torture documented by Human Rights Watch in a number its reports including in 2008, 2009 <ref>{{cite web |title=Locked Up Without Evidence: Abuses under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/01/29/locked-without-evidence/abuses-under-sri-lankas-prevention-terrorism-act |website=hrw.org |access-date=10 November 2019 |language=en |date=29 January 2018}}</ref> 2010 <ref>{{cite web |title="We Will Teach You a Lesson": Sexual Violence against Tamils by Sri Lankan Security Forces |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/02/26/we-will-teach-you-lesson/sexual-violence-against-tamils-sri-lankan-security-forces |website=Human Rights Watch |access-date=10 November 2019 |language=en |date=26 February 2013}}</ref>

A letter to the Pope urged him to take up with the Sri Lankan government, the government's support of paramilitaries such as PLOTE.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sri Lanka: Letter to Pope Benedict XVI on the Situation In Sri Lanka |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/04/16/sri-lanka-letter-pope-benedict-xvi-situation-sri-lanka |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en |date=16 April 2007}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.plote.org/ Official website]

{{Sri Lankan political parties}}
{{Sri Lankan Civil War}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peoples Liberation Organisation Of Tamil Eelam}}
[[Category:People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam| ]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organisations based in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Political parties in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1980]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

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People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam