Last modified: 2001-01-06 by jonathan dixon
Keywords: sri lanka | tamil | sun | tamil eelam | tiger |
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![[Tamil]](../images/l/lk-tamil.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer
The flag is red with a golden rising sun with nine sunrays.
Zeljko Heimer, 15 May 1996
![[Tamil Tigers]](../images/l/lk-tamtg.jpg)
by Marcus Wendel
According to http://www.eelamweb.com/flag/, the Tamil Tiger flag is the national flag of Tamil Eelam. It was adopted on 27 November 1990, the second national heroes day. The tiger was chosen by the Tamil Tiger leader as the national symbol because of it's historically deep roots in Dravida civilisation. It was chosen to illustrate the heroism of Tamils. The tiger also symbolises the characteristics desired in the freedom fighters of the Tamil Tiger movement, that is bravery, fearless heroism, an ambitioin of freedom, agility and agression.
The yellow in the flag was is seen as reflecting the belief that the fight for liberation and self-government is based on humanity and human honesty. The red colour stands for equality, fairness and social justice - the ideal complete liberation of the Tamil people beyond self-government. The black in the flag stresses the death, destruction and other hardships involved in the fight for freedom.
In the centre of the flag, the freedom struggle is compared with a jumping tiger, with the head and legs of a tiger representing aggressiveness, and the surrounding rounds of ammunition and knives express that the freedom struggle is armed.
Collected by Dov Gutterman, 7 July 2000
Summarised by Jonathan Dixon
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