Just finished up "Total Destruction of the Tamil Tigers: The Rare Victory of Sri Lanka's Long War" by Paul Moorcraft:
linkI opted for this book over "The Cage" by Gordon Weiss because it seemed that Moorcraft's book was more military-centric. The book provides the historical background of the island with how the Sinhalese and Tamil ended up there through the colonial period, independence and the early conflicts (both political and ethnic).
A large portion of the book delves into the military branches and equipment of the government and Tamil military machines. It was interesting to read how and why the government procured a hodgepodge of equipment from various origins (Israeli, Russian, Chinese, Indian, etc.) and how the Tigers used captured gear, homemade weapons and fundraising from the Tamil diaspora to equip their troops. Naval and aerial aspects of the war aren't neglected. There are some nice photos of equipment soldiers in uniform, etc. I wish there was a little more treatment on the SLNA and Sea Tiger battles, but I understand the difficulty of this due to the small fluid actions involved.
I learned alot I didn't know (like US analysis provided to the government and other foreign aid/interference). Moorcraft seems to have had alot of access to government sources and interviewed some surviving Tamils. While he addresses human rights abuses on both sides, there definitely seems to be a bit of a bias towards the government side, but it doesn't overly detract from the value of the book. Alot of good info for potential wargaming. If you are interested in this conflict, this is a good read.
explains step-by-step how he painted 