Tam: முல்லைத்தீவு mullaittīvu– Sin: මූලදූව mūladūva

 ‘Jasmine Island’  NP,  Sri Lanka

From Tam: mullai, ‘jasmine’; and tivu, ‘island, islet’.

Perched precariously on the NE shoulder of Sri Lanka, Mullaitiva was a strategic target for opposing troops in the Civil War and was also in a vulnerable position when the 2004 Tsunami struck. 

From 1996 it was controlled by the LTTE  (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and its  naval wing, the Sea Tigers.