15 years on, the Tamil survivors of Sri Lanka's brutal civil war live in fear — and disempowerment

MULLAITIVU, Sri Lanka (AP) — At the site of a bloody battlefield that marked the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Singaram Soosaimuthu fishes every day with his son, casting nets and reeling them in.

It is a skill he has known for much of his life — and one that he had to relearn after a devastating injury. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation’s generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat.

Making something of himself despite his injuries brought Soosaimuthu success — an achievement in which he finds profound meaning. He sees his fellow ethnic Tamils in the same light: To regain their voice, they must thrive.

But defeat — bloody, protracted and decisive — has brought Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community to a point of despair.

Some parents have given up hope of ever learning the fate of the thousands of missing children. Parts of the Tamil lands are decimated, with poor infrastructure and fewer economic opportunities. Survivors have lived under surveillance for years, and many now feel that members of the rising generation have grown too fearful and apathetic toward speaking up for their rights.

“There is a clear agenda underway to degenerate a defeated community,” says Selvin Ireneus, a social activist based in Jaffna, the Tamils' northern cultural heartland.

The government, he says, doesn’t want today’s Tamils to be politically evolved. After fighting ended, he asserts, narcotics and other vices have been systematically introduced into the region. “They only want them to eat, drink and enjoy and not have a political ideology," Ireneus said. "This has happened with all defeated communities in the world.”

The island nation of 20 million is overwhelmingly ethnically Sinhalese, with the Tamil community making up about 11% of the population. The separatist civil war broke out in 1983 after years of failed attempts to share power within a unified country, with Tamil fighters — known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or simply the Tamil Tigers — eventually creating a de facto independent homeland in the country’s north.

The group was crushed in a 2009 government offensive. The war killed at least 100,000 on both sides, and left many more missing.

Though not all Tamils were part of or supported the Tamil Tiger rebel group, their defeat has effectively become a political defeat to the community. They have lost their bargaining power.

“What is remaining now is a very small community, and they don’t have the courage ... to show dissent,” says K.T. Ganeshalingam, head of political science at the University of Jaffna.

Sri Lanka’s government had promised the United Nations and countries like India and the United States that they would share power with the Tamil-majority areas to resolve the causes that led to the civil war. However, successive governments have not followed up.

Fifteen years on, some in Tamil areas are still in denial that the armed campaign has been defeated and that the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was seen as invincible, has been killed. Sections of the expatriate Tamils in Europe have been claiming that Prabhakaran would return soon to take on the campaign to the next stage, including a woman who claims to be his daughter and is said to be collecting donations in his name.

Prabhakaran's nephew in Denmark, Karthic Manoharan, says the time has come to put a stop to the rumors and state, emphatically, that the leader is dead.

“We don’t have any doubt regarding (his death) because he loved his country so much. And he’s not a coward to run from the country and live in another country, in a different country to save himself, his wife and his daughter,” Manoharan says.

Such beliefs are more than simply inaccurate, says Ganeshalingam; they're genuinely harmful to any possible future that the Tamil people are trying to chart. He wonders: “If I have not grasped the fact that I am defeated, how can I rise from that?”

Discussing the Tamil Tigers' defeat, their past mistakes and even Prabhakaran’s death is discouraged in Tamil society, especially in the diaspora. Ganeshalingam says such attitudes have created a stagnation in Tamil politics.

Political leaders are divided and are in disarray. A political alliance that the Tamil Tigers formed is fragmented with many leaders breaking away to form their own parties. Civil activists are now working to unify them and strengthen their bargaining position ahead of the presidential election later this year.

In the villages of Mullaitivu district, where the final battle between government forces and the Tamil Tigers unfolded, many men are addicted to narcotics and alcohol, forcing women to be the family’s main breadwinners, says Yogeswari Dharmabaskaran, a social worker in the Udaiyarkattu area of Mullaitivu district. School dropouts soar in the villages, she says, as boys find easy money through selling narcotics, illegal tree-felling and the mining of river sand.

In Jaffna, local politician Thiyagaraja Nirosh says family elders discourage young people from discussing political rights. Because of that, it is difficult to find younger candidates to run in local elections.

“There is fear that talking politics is dangerous. Many family elders do not encourage talking politics,” Nirosh says “The reason is that there has been no justice for the past killings. They see no guarantee that such incidents won’t recur.”

Thayalan Kalaipriya, a former rebel, wonders about the future often. She says her many losses have made her deeply desire unity among all Sri Lankans; at the same time, she says it is painful to realize their efforts to win political rights have been wasted.

Former rebels often do not receive adequate support and at times ex-fighters, like those who conscripted children at the height of the war, are treated with resentment, although she says some respect their commitment and sacrifice.

She finds solace by working with her young children, educating them and helping to give them a good life in a land she hopes is free of civil war and the sad echoes it has caused.

“We teach our children about what happened," she says, "but never to seek revenge.”

Associated Press journalist Nat Castañeda in Copenhagen contributed to this report.

Sri Lankan visitors look at a war memorial in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Sri Lanka, May 7, 2024. The memorial was built to remember Sri Lankan soldiers who died during the civil war, which ended 15 years ago and had pitted the government forces against the Tamil Tiger separatists. ( AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Members of the Tamil diaspora prepare a portrait of Velupillai Prabhakaran, founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also called Tamil Tigers, for a memorial service at the DGI Huset Conference Center in Vejle, Denmark, May 18, 2024. Tamils from across Europe gathered to remember Prabhakaran 15 years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, which pitted Sri Lankan government forces against Tamil Tiger separatists. (AP Photo/Nat Castañeda)

The Danish family of Velupillai Prabhakaran, founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, attend a memorial service at the DGI Huset Conference Center in Vejle, Denmark, May 18, 2024. Members of the Tamil diaspora from across Europe gathered to remember Prabhakaran 15 years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, which pitted Sri Lankan government forces against Tamil Tiger separatists. (AP Photo/Nat Castañeda)

Members of the Tamil diaspora from across Europe gather to remember Velupillai Prabhakaran, founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also called the Tamil Tigers, at a memorial service at the DGI Huset Conference Center in Vejle, Denmark, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Nat Castaneda)

An ethnic Tamil rides his bicycle past a mural portraying a scene from an Hindu epic in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An ethnic Tamil Hindu devotee with religious marks on his forehead gets down from a car next to a passerby near a Hindu temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2024. ( AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An ethnic Tamil woman draws water from a well built on a piece of land, which was recently vacated by government forces, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An ethnic Tamil woman works in a field on a piece of land, which was recently vacated by government forces, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Young ethnic Tamils drink a local alcoholic brew as they spend time together in the village of Thunukkai in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, May 7, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Ethnic Tamil boys ride together on a bicycle to their school in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, May 7, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Ethnic Tamil girls attend a sewing class in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, May 8, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Ethnic Tamil students attend a private tuition class ahead of the Sri Lankan Advance Level examination in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2024. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

FILE - Members of the Tamil minority, who fled to West Berlin and demanded political asylum, protest on Aug. 7, 1983, when Sri Lanka's civil war broke out. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Elke Bruhn Hoffmann, File)

FILE - Police officers try to stop supporters of Sri Lanka's Tamil National Alliance during a protest in Addalaichenai, Sri Lanka, Feb. 3, 2021. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Achala Upendra, File)

An ethnic Tamil girl plays outside her newly constructed house in Kankesanthurai, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Singaram Soosaimuthu, a 45-year-old former rebel fighter, moves on the beach using his arms as he returns from the sea after fishing overnight, in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, May 6, 2023. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation’s generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Singaram Soosaimuthu, a 45-year-old former rebel fighter, chats with friends as he returns from the sea after fishing overnight, in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, May 6, 2023. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation’s generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat. Sri Lanka's Tamil people still live in the shadow of defeat in the civil war that tore the country apart until it ended 15 years ago. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and glide bombs hit Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said Tuesday, as the Kremlin again warned that negotiators are unlikely to obtain a swift breakthrough in peace talks on the war.

Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials are due to meet in London on Wednesday to discuss the war. Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Hostility has run deep since Russia invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that negotiations were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the war. That came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations if they don't progress.

Rubio has suggested that Wednesday's meeting could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that “the settlement issue is so complex that it would be wrong to put some tight limits to it and try to set some short time frame for a settlement, a viable settlement — it would be a thankless task."

Western analysts say Moscow is in no rush to conclude peace talks because it has battlefield momentum and wants to capture more Ukrainian land.

Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions.

Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight, injuring at least three people, the head of the regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page.

A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said.

Later Tuesday, Russia hit the southern city of Zaporizhzhia with two massive aerial glide bombs — a retrofitted Soviet weapon that for months has used to lay waste to eastern Ukraine.

The attack killed a 69-year-old woman and injured 24 people, including four children, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said there are no plans for talks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal to halt strikes on civilian facilities. He said Moscow is prepared to consider such a step but noted that reaching an agreement could take time.

“While talking about civilian infrastructure, it’s necessary to clearly define when such facilities can be a military target and when they can’t,” he said. “If a military meeting is held there, is it a civilian facility? It is. But is it a military target? Yes, it is. There are some nuances here that need to be discussed.”

The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror.

Russia has stepped up its use of Shahed drones, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recent analysis.

After Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks continued. Zelenskyy asserted that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.

The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire was in place along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the spring-summer military campaign, Ukrainian and Western officials say.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - People try to give first aid to an injured civilian at a residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

A car burns near a residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

A residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

A woman walks in front of a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Paramedics carry an injured woman to an ambulance near a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A police officer calms an injured dog near a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A police officer comforts an injured woman near a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A multi-storey building is seen damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Police officers evacuate a woman from a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Rescue workers inspect a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A man checks the dead body of his neighbor near a multi-story building damaged by a Russian strike on residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Police officers calm an injured dog while a dead body lies near a multi-story building damaged by a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen attend an Easter service on their position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Mykola Oliinyk/Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)