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Sri Lanka, situated just offshore of southeastern India's Tamil Nadu state near the confluence of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, has been wracked by ethnic violence for more than 20 years. The civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government, which continues unabated, has had a paralyzing effect on the island nation. The minority Tamils seek to secede from the majority-Sinhalese nation.
Just south of Sri Lanka's territorial waters are major international shipping routes connecting Southeast Asia with the Middle East. Among other shipping, oil tankers run from Persian Gulf terminals to buyers in Asia via the Indian Ocean. Peace in Sri Lanka would create many investment opportunities taking advantage of Sri Lanka's valuable location. Disturbingly for Sri Lanka, the Tigers' naval capability has expanded to the extent that the group now demands international recognition for the "Sea Tigers" on par with that of the Sri Lankan Navy. The Sea Tigers claim to have sunk more than 30 Sri Lankan naval vessels.
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