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.
For related place names see Sri Lanka Place names.
